Deleting a user account

[None Such]

I'm trying to delete a user account. I found this page: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.h...en/mh1061.html

Deleting a user account
If you are an administrator for your computer, you can delete user accounts on your computer that are no longer needed.

When you delete a user account, you can choose to save the user's files or delete them.

IMPORTANT: If the user's account is encrypted (FileVault is turned on), turn FileVault off for the user before you delete the account.

Choose Apple menu > System Preferences and click Accounts.
If some settings are dimmed, click the lock icon and type an administrator name and password.
Select the user account you want to delete, then click Delete (-).
Click OK to save the user's files on the computer, or click Delete Immediately to remove the user account and all the user's files.
If you saved the user's files, they are stored in a disk image in the Deleted Users folder, which is in the Users folder on your Mac OS X disk. To see the saved files, double-click the disk image in the Deleted Users folder. You can drag the disk image to the Trash to delete the files.

However, it won't even let me select the user account to delete it. And what is the "(-)" after "Delete" for?

[tobefirst]

The ( - ) after the Delete signifies the minus button at the bottom of the list of accounts. Is that the button that you are pressing after selecting (highlighting) an account in the window above it?

Are you sure that you're logged in as an Admin? Are you trying to delete the account that you're currently in?

[None Such]

Originally Posted by tobefirst

The ( - ) after the Delete signifies the minus button at the bottom of the list of accounts. Is that the button that you are pressing after selecting (highlighting) an account in the window above it?

Ah thank you. That's what the (-) means. I can't get it to highlight the account in the window. That's the main problem. When I try to select the other account name it just highlights the whole window. I've just had this mac a few days and I've never used one before. I'm sure I'm missing something easy and doing something really stupid. Just wish I knew what it was. Or actually if I could just change the name of the "short name" it would be all good.

[None Such]

Originally Posted by tobefirst

The ( - ) after the Delete signifies the minus button at the bottom of the list of accounts. Is that the button that you are pressing after selecting (highlighting) an account in the window above it?

Are you sure that you're logged in as an Admin? Are you trying to delete the account that you're currently in?

It shows my name in the corner up top like I'm in the Admin account. But in Accounts it shows a check by the other account. hmm

Edit: That's what it was...sorta. It was saying that it was in the admin account at the top of the page, but in the accounts it was on the other account. Weird. I just rebooted and went back in and it worked. Thanks Tobefirst!

[gameguy3001]

Do you know if the lock in the bottom left corner of the window is unlocked? Cause if its locked, that could cause that.

[None Such]

Originally Posted by gameguy3001

Do you know if the lock in the bottom left corner of the window is unlocked? Cause if its locked, that could cause that.

No, I checked that. Good thought though. I could see that happening.

[tobefirst]

For future reference, I've used this utility to change the short name, and although it doesn't come without risks, it worked fine for me.

[None Such]

Originally Posted by tobefirst

For future reference, I've used this utility to change the short name, and although it doesn't come without risks, it worked fine for me.

Thanks again Tobefirst!

[Mernak]

Originally Posted by None Such

It shows my name in the corner up top like I'm in the Admin account. But in Accounts it shows a check by the other account. hmm

Edit: That's what it was...sorta. It was saying that it was in the admin account at the top of the page, but in the accounts it was on the other account. Weird. I just rebooted and went back in and it worked. Thanks Tobefirst!

I think the check next to the account means that it is logged in, so you can't delete it, the reboot would have logged you out of both.