Changed username [short name] with Path Finder 5

[Macuser01]

Hi,

I changed my short name using Path Finder 5 (it allows you) in main directory where you have Devices, Shared, Places, Search For..

Under Places i right-clicked my username and selected Get Info and changed username there (on Path Finder 5 the username is not dimmed) from 'firstnamelastname' to 'Firstname Lastname' (basically i added a space and Capital letters).

Then i logged out and logged back in.
When i logged back in the background was the same as when i first got my mac, also the language and the dock settings were reset. I still have the Apps tho.

I also now have 2 user accounts (i think). One with previous username and one with current username.
But the current username folder is blue (not like it should be - with a House icon).
Also in System Pref. -> Accounts - there seems to be only one account (the current username).

How do i fix that? I mean all of my old settings were reset.
Would moving folder from current username folder to previous + deleting the current username fix the problem?

 

[Makosuke]

When you manually renamed your home folder, the MacOS lost track of the folder associated with it. Since it found nothing with the expected name when you tried to log in as that user, it created a fresh one with default settings.

The solution is thus:

1) Create a new admin account with a different name to work from.

2) Log into this new account and rename the folder with your original account shortname ("firstlast") to something else, doesn't matter what (say, "firstlastempty").

3) Rename the folder you renamed ("First Last") to what it originally was ("firstlast").

4) Log out and back in; you should be right back to where you started before the original rename.

5) If you created anything in the automatically-created account that you want to keep, open the renamed folder ("firstlastempty"), find the stuff, and move it to your repaired home folder ("firstlast"). You can then delete the folder. You can also delete the extra admin account you created to work from, but be sure to do so via the Accounts pref pane.

6) If you still want to change your user's shortname, follow Apple's procedure:

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1428

Like it says, though, you usually shouldn't do this. Also, you don't want to have a shortname with anything but numbers and letters in it--even if it worked, it'd be asking for trouble at some later date.

Keep in mind, by the way, that you can use "Firstname Lastname" in most authentication windows in addition to your shortname.