Having severe permissions problem in 10.5.5 --

[KaplanMike]

No, this isn't the problem with strange messages when you repair permissions. This is serious -- and damn strange.

My machine starting acting all screwy last night -- start-up was stopped at the gray Apple screen before the gearwheel is visible -- and no amount of repair or start-up options would fix it. I was led to do something I've almost never had to do: reinstall the OS.

Now, the machine will boot, but it's acting as if I'm not the administrator, which I am. I can't even access the second drive in the machine ("you do not have sufficient access priveleges"). I repaired permissions. I've set up a new admin account. I've checked in the Accounts Preferfence that I'm operating as Admin. When I go to Get Info on the second drive, it tells me I have "Custom" access, and won't let me change the Permissions settings, even after I type in my password.

I've got a hunch all this -- the failure to boot last night and the permissions problems this morning -- are all connected, but I can't figure out to what. Nothing else in my system has changed in months.

Suggestions anyone? Please??

 

[wrldwzrd89]

This sounds like ACLs being on folders they shouldn't. This is fixable with a little Terminal command, once you've found the offending folder(s):

sudo chmod -N /path/to/folder

Where /path/to/folder is the path to the folder. An easy way to get this is to drag the folder to the Terminal window.

To check whether or not a folder has an ACL:

ls -le /path/to/folder

 

[KaplanMike]

Thought ACL's didn't matter...

This sounds like ACLs being on folders they shouldn't. This is fixable with a little Terminal command, once you've found the offending folder(s):

sudo chmod -N /path/to/folder

Where /path/to/folder is the path to the folder. An easy way to get this is to drag the folder to the Terminal window.

To check whether or not a folder has an ACL:

ls -le /path/to/folder

Actually, I was getting those messages, but Apple support docs says it's okay to ignore them...

I'm not getting them since I reloaded the OS...
But now I've got an even bigger problem -- one of my two drives is "locked" and won't let me access any of the files!!

 

[wrldwzrd89]

Actually, I was getting those messages, but Apple support docs says it's okay to ignore them...

I'm not getting them since I reloaded the OS...
But now I've got an even bigger problem -- one of my two drives is "locked" and won't let me access any of the files!!

You're confusing the messages you see when you repair permissions with an altogether different issue. Those are NOT related. I know this because I encountered an issue very similar to yours. That command fixed it.

 

[KaplanMike]

UPDATE: Things working. For now.

Based on advice from another Forum post, downloaded MacPilot and unlocked my second drive, and managed to get that working. Whew!