Safari install + Reset keychains = Data + App loss!!

[Bakey]

Hey there folks,

My ex-boss has just been in-touch with me and left a text message informing me that he has just installed the latest Safari update [which I'm assuming means he's just insallted the beta of v3] - after the install his MacBook has asked him if he would like to reset his keychains, to which he said "yes".

Upon doing so all of his installed programmes and data appear to have gone!?

Before I actually call him has anybody out there got "any" ideas as to what this may sound like??

Muchos thanks in advance people...

 

[Eidorian]

It sounds like their login keychain doesn't match the stored one. /Applications should be just fine but they probably don't have access to their home directory.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107854

 

[mkrishnan]

If his *apps* are gone (which is not a keychain issue), hmmm....

It sounded at first like on reboot, for whatever reason, on reboot, the system could not use his home directory and made him a new one. The same sort of thing as when someone changes their home directory's name. Meaning that his old stuff is in another user directory in /users.

(Ahhh, Eidorian's explanation of the keychain issue makes sense, although... as said, not if his apps are really gone.)

However, that should not have torched his apps unless they were installed on a per user basis.

Any chance he installed Leopard and not Safari 3? And perhaps did an archive and install or something?

 

[Eidorian]

Well if /Application is trashed it's a much bigger problem then just losing access to your user account.

Maybe they meant their Dock? You install programs to the Dock, right?

 

[Bakey]

Thanks folks - I'll send over the info and see how he gets on!!

Many thanks once again...