Urgent help. User account disappeared. Now not booting up.

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote above:
"There is a red line/dash on the folders and says i can't view them because i don't have access..
So, how do I get access?"

If you haven't resolved this, I have a way that may work for you.

It will require an external drive. There can already be stuff on the drive, so long as you have enough space to hold the old (problem) user folder.

Try this:
1. Connect the external drive
2. Navigate to where you can see the old home folder that you can't access
3. Now, drag-and-drop the entire user folder to the external drive. Again, there has to be sufficient space on the external drive to hold the folder.

4. Now, click ONE TIME on the icon for the external drive.
5. Type "command-i" (eye) to bring up the get info box
6. Towards the bottom of the get info box, there is a section for "sharing and permissions". If you can't see the details, click the disclosure arrow to reveal them.
7. At the very lower-right-hand-corner there is a lock icon. Click it and then enter your administrative password. The lock should "UN-lock".
8. At the very lower-left-hand-corner there is a checkbox "ignore ownership for this volume". Put a checkmark into it.
9. Close the get info box.

Now, open the user folder that was giving you a problem.
Do the folders inside still have red "no entry" icons in them?

If they DO NOT, report back here, and I'll tell you what to do next.

 

[Huddsmac]

deleted due to seen reply above

 

[Huddsmac]

I can think of only one reason that you would be using the word "ROOT" in the user name.
That would be when you have enabled the root user (which is a step above the admin user in unix systems.)
That's why the sudo won't work - because sudo is not needed when you are logged in to the root user.
The root user allows you to make a lot of changes without needing an admin password. It's also a relatively insecure way of using your computer (because the rest of your computer is easy to access when the root user is enabled.)

You still need to fix the ownership of your normal user. You can use the same command that I posted earlier, but, you don't need the sudo in that command. Be sure to use the correct username both places in that command, so that your old user is the one that gets corrected. When you have got that task done, log out of your present user, and log back in to your usual account. If that is a successful log in, then you need to disable your root account, as you should never leave your root user enabled.
More info about the Root user here.

If I delete root user now will that delete this account I'm logged in on though??

oh man I'm confused.

 

[Huddsmac]

OP wrote above:
"There is a red line/dash on the folders and says i can't view them because i don't have access..
So, how do I get access?"

If you haven't resolved this, I have a way that may work for you.

It will require an external drive. There can already be stuff on the drive, so long as you have enough space to hold the old (problem) user folder.

Try this:
1. Connect the external drive
2. Navigate to where you can see the old home folder that you can't access
3. Now, drag-and-drop the entire user folder to the external drive. Again, there has to be sufficient space on the external drive to hold the folder.

4. Now, click ONE TIME on the icon for the external drive.
5. Type "command-i" (eye) to bring up the get info box
6. Towards the bottom of the get info box, there is a section for "sharing and permissions". If you can't see the details, click the disclosure arrow to reveal them.
7. At the very lower-right-hand-corner there is a lock icon. Click it and then enter your administrative password. The lock should "UN-lock".
8. At the very lower-left-hand-corner there is a checkbox "ignore ownership for this volume". Put a checkmark into it.
9. Close the get info box.

Now, open the user folder that was giving you a problem.
Do the folders inside still have red "no entry" icons in them?

If they DO NOT, report back here, and I'll tell you what to do next.

Hi thanks for reply.

I managed to get rid of that line before you posted, I cerated a new user account and made that admin, then logged in and had access to them folders.

Still a little messed up as trying to get access to old account, I'm currently in a new one, with same name, with access to all folders, yet missing various things, like my firefox bookmarks which i need, and FONTS folders??

 

[DeltaMac]

If you go into your System Preferences, then Users & Groups - what is your current user listed in that window? (It's at the top of the list, under Current User )

If you are actually logged in to the Root user, it will have the name System Administrator, and that it is an Admin user.

Directly underneath that, you can see what type of user you are logged into.
That usually will be either Admin or Standard

Also, what other users are listed (other than Guest User)?

 

[Huddsmac]

Hi.

Current user is 'my name' and the one i had to set up after the mess (also the same name as the one that messed up)
Then it says other users, 'james smith' and 'guest user'.

James smith was a demo one i set up a long time ago and never used until it all crashed, when that was the only one available, before i set up the second and repeated 'my name' which I'm using now.

thanks.

 

[Huddsmac]

If you go into your System Preferences, then Users & Groups - what is your current user listed in that window? (It's at the top of the list, under Current User )

If you are actually logged in to the Root user, it will have the name System Administrator, and that it is an Admin user.

Directly underneath that, you can see what type of user you are logged into.
That usually will be either Admin or Standard

Also, what other users are listed (other than Guest User)?

Hi Deltamac, hope you can help, I have still not been able to switch user here?

I would still like to get back to the old account was using before, so I can access my firefox tabs, but also regain control of my computer, it has been running very sluggish, though I heard this can be a result of the battery failing.

(by the way, is it a straight forward procedure changing the battery on this mac)?

Any tips on how I can easily get back into my old account? There is nothing in the login screen.