Losing access privileges!

[Shacklebolt]

My powerbook... my powerbook... my poor poor powerbook.

All of a sudden, I'm having major access problems on MY OWN powerbook. I can't modify the desktop AT ALL because "I don't have significant access privileges." I'm the only one who uses it! I've gone into the system preferences and tried to figure out the problem (and I'm moderately computer savvy) but to no avail. For other programs, I have to enter passwords for a bunch of functions that I've never had to enter passwords for before. I can't imagine what I've done to cause this problem.

Any ideas on how to fix it?

 

[bankshot]

Sounds like one of 3 things happened:

• Your account somehow lost administrator privileges. To check this, go to System Preferences, Accounts, your username, Security. Make sure 'Allow user to administer this computer' is checked. Actually that's for Panther, I don't have my Tiger machine in front of me. May be slight differences, but similar.
  
• Your files somehow took on ownership of a different account. That would be weird. Since you said your desktop is affected, try this:
  
  In Finder, go to your home folder, right-click on Desktop, click Get Info. Check under Onwership & Permissions => Details. Make sure you are listed as the owner, with Read & Write access.
  
• Somehow your numeric userid got changed. This would be really weird. The effect is basically the same as the second one above, so try that.

Hope this helps shed some light!

 

[Soulstorm]

Sounds like one of 3 things happened:

• Your account somehow lost administrator privileges. To check this, go to System Preferences, Accounts, your username, Security. Make sure 'Allow user to administer this computer' is checked. Actually that's for Panther, I don't have my Tiger machine in front of me. May be slight differences, but similar.
  
• Your files somehow took on ownership of a different account. That would be weird. Since you said your desktop is affected, try this:
  
  In Finder, go to your home folder, right-click on Desktop, click Get Info. Check under Onwership & Permissions => Details. Make sure you are listed as the owner, with Read & Write access.
  
• Somehow your numeric userid got changed. This would be really weird. The effect is basically the same as the second one above, so try that.

Hope this helps shed some light!

In addition to that, you can repair permissions. Open the disk utility located into "Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility" to do that.