URGENT! HELP NEEDED! login problems

[yoyo5280]

On sunday my dad and I bought the brand new 24" iMac, it is a great machine. However today when I went to login, all of the user accounts had disappeared and was replaced with "other...". When you click on it, it will ask you to type in your username and password but no matter what you type it will never let me on.

I heard you can do this using terminal a while back, by hiding user accounts. However nobody here has done this, and as everybody else's account does not work it, so it raises some suspicions. My mom immediately thought we had been hacked, which I refuse to believe but it still is possible. We were using the beta of Safari and my sister had been using google images to find wallpapers. I downloaded Quicksilver, Adium, and Amua. That is it.

We booted into single user mode and all accounts are there.

I am very very very angry, and I want to know has happened. My G4 macmini still works, and this one is three days old and completely bust!


Right now we are stuck with reinstalling the OS, is it a good idea to use the time machine backup?

 

[Sky Blue]

Try booting off the install CD and reseting a password.

 

[yoyo5280]

My dad is reinstalling the OS

We are peeved.

WHAT HAPPENED ;(

 

[Jethryn Freyman]

There's an option in System Preferences > Accounts > Login Options that can have the login window displayed as only the "Other" login screen, not listing individual accounts.

 

[yoyo5280]

However, nobody clicked this and our previous passwords stopped working.

 

[Pyrotechnic]

Does not sound good.

Hope you get it sorted ?

 

[kolax]

However, nobody clicked this and our previous passwords stopped working.

Are you all using admin accounts or something? Did someone rename their home folder?

 

[snberk103]

Since its a new machine, call AppleCare. You are covered, you have paid for it, and they will talk you through the steps faster than we can ask questions and have you answer by forum postings. They, unlike us, are professionals.

 

[yoyo5280]

There was only one admin user,but still all user account passwords werechanged over night. Nobody had changed them.

I prefer to ask mac rumors, as I have had some bad experiences with apple care.

When I get home I will see if its fixed.

I'm peeved to say the least. Very very peeved.

 

[Jethryn Freyman]

all user account passwords were changed over night. Nobody had changed them.

So, when you noticed this login problem, you passwords no longer worked? Are you sure you typed in the correct user name to login? Password files could have been corrupted, but I can't see how that would have happened.

 

[yoyo5280]

So, when you noticed this login problem, you passwords no longer worked? Are you sure you typed in the correct user name to login? Password files could have been corrupted, but I can't see how that would have happened.

Ahh.. would a corrupted login file change the login preferences aswell?

 

[Jethryn Freyman]

Ahh.. would a corrupted login file change the login preferences aswell?

Possibly a corrupted login preference file, though I don't know how it would have happened.

I was referring to the hashes password files. If they were corrupted, your passwords wouldn't work. Now that I think about it, corrupted hash files shouldn't have changed the login menu. The only user that has access to them is the root user, and a power failure shouldn't hurt them, since they are only written to when a password is changed, and only read from when a password is entered.

 

[yoyo5280]

Yes. So you can imagine why this troubling.
Operating system reinstalled, with boot camp backup.

Nerve wracking to say the least.
I am writing this on my macmini, I will use the iMac later but for now it will remain off.