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How to fix all privileges once and for all?

Phrasikleia

Phrasikleia

macrumors 601
Original poster
Feb 24, 2008
4,082
403
Over there------->
I've been plagued by privileges demons ever since starting over in a new user account. I'm the only user of this MacBook Pro (2008 Penryn, running 10.5.8), and I want all-access privileges all the time. How do I go about making that be the case?

Thanks.
 
You start signing in as root, but that's a very very bad idea. I'm an experienced Unix/Linux administrator and I don't even do that.
 
depends on what your problem is doesn't it?

If you want/need the higher level of access, then login as root all the time, but it isn't recommended by anyone.

if you post your problem, we can try to help you here.
 
Well, I started a new user account and am having problems installing certain software in it. My Canon software (DPP and EOS Utility) for my cameras and my Palm Desktop software for syncing my old Tungsten T will not install properly. The Canon software returns "error = 6", and the Palm install just fails. These things worked fine in my previous user account.
 
You can check the Console logs right after the failure to see if there are any more detailed messages there.
 
angelwatt said:
You can check the Console logs right after the failure to see if there are any more detailed messages there.
Click to expand...

Does this tell you anything?

(click to enlarge)

ConsoleLog1.png
 
angelwatt said:
Not on its own, but that's what Google is for. I used the error as a search piece and turned up others with the problem. Here's one from a guy, but the problem remedied itself, potentially from an Apple update. Here's a discussion on another forum, though no solution. And yet another one. Seems like the Canon software was not well tested before release. Have you tried the Canon site to see if there are any updates?
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll have a look at what you found there. Yes, I tried the Canon site. It was actually the recent update that got me into this mess. I tried to update, and it failed. The only support on Canon's site seems to involve Snow Leopard, which I don't have. I can't even find a place where I could send them a question.
 
Phrasikleia said:
Well, I started a new user account and am having problems installing certain software in it. My Canon software (DPP and EOS Utility) for my cameras and my Palm Desktop software for syncing my old Tungsten T will not install properly. The Canon software returns "error = 6", and the Palm install just fails. These things worked fine in my previous user account.
Click to expand...

Did you make this new user an admin?
 
Phrasikleia said:
Yes, the new user is an admin.
Click to expand...

Just making sure, I didn't see that mentioned anywhere here.

Can you be more specific about the problems you are having? Does the installation fail? Does it tell you that you don't have privileges?
 
Some progress...

Kudos to angelwatt for suggesting I see what the Console might tell me. I noticed it kept bringing up a few different files starting with com.apple.launch, so I pulled those out of my preferences folder. That fixed the problem I was having with installing from the Canon CD. However, as soon as I tried to update that installation with the new version that Canon just released, I got that "error = 6 code" again. Ack!
 
Ugh. Now no matter how many times I try, I cannot get the darned thing installed again!! If I could, I would just leave it with the version that came on the CD. That would be fine. I'd like to have the new features, but I could go without running the updater. I guess dumping the com.apple.launcher files wasn't the solution after all. I have no idea what I did that got it to install. :(
 
I'm not sure if this is the same issue you're having but I was having owner issues especially with VMWare Fusion when I set up a new user account and deleted my old one. Transmit (the FTP program) actually has a nifty feature that allows you to set the owner of the drive (and all subfolders) or a specific folder to be your new user account. This may help you, let me know if you need me to walk you through it. I can't recall if I did this to the entire drive or just the folders that were bothering me. I feel like it would be better to do it only with the problematic folders (and their subfolders)
 
duky said:
I'm not sure if this is the same issue you're having but I was having owner issues especially with VMWare Fusion when I set up a new user account and deleted my old one. Transmit (the FTP program) actually has a nifty feature that allows you to set the owner of the drive (and all subfolders) or a specific folder to be your new user account. This may help you, let me know if you need me to walk you through it. I can't recall if I did this to the entire drive or just the folders that were bothering me. I feel like it would be better to do it only with the problematic folders (and their subfolders)
Click to expand...

Hmm. I do own an old copy of Transmit. I haven't updated it in years, but maybe my copy has that feature. I guess it's worth trying.

Another thing I tried last night was starting yet another fresh user account, and I couldn't install in that one either. Would that suggest that the problem does not involve anything in my user library?
 
duky said:
I'm not sure if this is the same issue you're having but I was having owner issues especially with VMWare Fusion when I set up a new user account and deleted my old one. Transmit (the FTP program) actually has a nifty feature that allows you to set the owner of the drive (and all subfolders) or a specific folder to be your new user account. This may help you, let me know if you need me to walk you through it. I can't recall if I did this to the entire drive or just the folders that were bothering me. I feel like it would be better to do it only with the problematic folders (and their subfolders)
Click to expand...

Phrasikleia said:
Hmm. I do own an old copy of Transmit. I haven't updated it in years, but maybe my copy has that feature. I guess it's worth trying.

Another thing I tried last night was starting yet another fresh user account, and I couldn't install in that one either. Would that suggest that the problem does not involve anything in my user library?
Click to expand...

Whatever you do, absolutely DO NOT apply permission changes (of any type) to your entire drive, or to any system-related folders or subfolders. You will cause your system to be unbootable, and will have to reinstall. Only apply permissions to a folder below the root level.

That said, permissions could definitely be at fault with issue like that, just be careful where you change them.

jW
 
duky said:
I'm not sure, it does sound like you could do with a fresh install but I assume there's something preventing you from doing that otherwise you would have already tried that?
Click to expand...

Only the fact that it already cost me a lot of time and lost productivity to get (almost) everything up and running again in the new user account. I'm one of those people who has a lot of apps, utilities, preferences, etc. that are all set up just how I like them. Some of these apps are things I bought years ago (and haven't upgraded because they work fine), so I'd have to remember what they all are and find all the serials, etc. I figure it would take me at least two full days to start over from a fresh install. Also, I need to buy a new external drive to back things up before I do anything so drastic. It would just be a huge project when all I really need right now is to get this Canon software and my Palm software working again. Everything else is functional.
 
I just tried installing from the Canon CD while booted into safe mode. That too resulted in an "error = 6" message. I'm about to give up. Apparently, I'm going to have to find some whole weekend to waste on a complete system reinstall. :(
 
Phrasikleia said:
I just tried installing from the Canon CD while booted into safe mode. That too resulted in an "error = 6" message. I'm about to give up. Apparently, I'm going to have to find some whole weekend to waste on a complete system reinstall. :(
Click to expand...

Well, you can do an archive and install first, which will keep your files in place. Though, it may keep in place some file that is causing the problem. Though, since it's happening across users the issue may reside in the core system files, which would get replaced. You'll still want to do a backup though just in case something goes wrong.
 
angelwatt said:
Well, you can do an archive and install first, which will keep your files in place. Though, it may keep in place some file that is causing the problem. Though, since it's happening across users the issue may reside in the core system files, which would get replaced. You'll still want to do a backup though just in case something goes wrong.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll consider that, but my understanding is that's a lengthy procedure as well. Wouldn't I still have to reinstall all of my applications and third-party utilities?
 
Phrasikleia said:
Thanks, I'll consider that, but my understanding is that's a lengthy procedure as well. Wouldn't I still have to reinstall all of my applications and third-party utilities?
Click to expand...

According to Apple they sugget you'll likely want to reinstall applications afterward, which sounds like it does keep at least some of the applications around. When I was suggesting this, I was thinking more about the Migration Assistant, which does move all of that.

Archive and Install installations require the largest amount of available disk space because you need to have room to preserve your existing System and the new one you are installing. This is a good choice if you've already backed up your important files and are trying to resolve an existing issue. Mac OS X-installed applications, such as Address Book and Safari, are archived, and new versions are installed in the Applications folder. For a list of which files are archived, see this article.

Some applications, plug-ins, and other software may have to be reinstalled after an “Archive and Install.” Fonts that were installed in the Fonts folder in the top-level Library folder can be installed in your new system by copying them from the Previous System folder.
Click to expand...
 
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