Username different from Homefolder name - cannot login

[Hans7D]

Before I start with the problem, I am a newbe with Mac OS so please be patient with me. We have a number of iPhones, iPads and even an old iPod Classic at home that are all used happily on a daily basis. It is only recently that I started replacing our Windows systems for MacBooks and of course this is vastly different.

Here's my problem. I purchased a used Macbook 12 (June 2017) for my daughter two days ago. The lady that sold it to me had put it back to factory settings but in the process she apparently had to choose for a user name and password in order to present it to me in working condition. Again, I am a newbe on this.

Back home I tried to change the user name and pass word. On the Internet I found that this works through System preferences>Users and Groups and than click on the Lock symbol. Here I changed the user name and also I changed the name of the Home folder to the same name as apparently this should be the same. After clicking OK apparently something had gone wrong. If I click the lock again I get an unlock screen that asks for user name and pass word but no combination of old and/or new username and password wil unlock this. I think this is because the home folder name and user name are no longer the same but in order to fix this I need to log in - and I can't. The strange thing is that I can get past the initial lock screen upon starting the MacBook but I cannot get deeper.

Next I tried the nuclear option, format the whole thing and re-install Mac OS. This works apparently through clicking Re-start in the Apple-menu and pressing the Command-toets + R during re-start. Further down this process I end up with the same problem, I cannot log in and as far as I can see for the same reason, I made a mistake in renaming the user name and home folder. I am stuck and don't know what to do. There is no data yet on the machine so nothing is lost if it is completely wiped.

What should I do? If I need to provide more information please tell me.

 

[ssmed]

You need to wipe the disk and decide on your username and home folder name during installation - AND then stick to these. It can be very useful to make an Admin account and then add users afterwards as this can avoid children particularly locking themselves out of their account!

If you can log in using another account as an administrator - unlikely from your description, it is possible to correct the systems recognition of the home folder via the users and groups panel in system preferences. Control click on the user name to reveal advanced options and the you will be able to change the home directory, be warned - THIS is not for the faint-hearted and you should get more advice.

Hope this helps. Not quite sure how you got to this point after a re-install, so do let me know if I have missed the point.

 

[Hans7D]

You need to wipe the disk and decide on your username and home folder name during installation - AND then stick to these. It can be very useful to make an Admin account and then add users afterwards as this can avoid children particularly locking themselves out of their account!

If you can log in using another account as an administrator - unlikely from your description, it is possible to correct the systems recognition of the home folder via the users and groups panel in system preferences. Control click on the user name to reveal advanced options and the you will be able to change the home directory, be warned - THIS is not for the faint-hearted and you should get more advice.

Hope this helps. Not quite sure how you got to this point after a re-install, so do let me know if I have missed the point.

[doublepost=1535313736][/doublepost]Thanks for your reply ssmed. I tried to wipe the disk but I can’t - I need to log in to do that which is not possible. I am stuck in a loop here.

Again, there is no data on it yet so nothing is lost when the disk is wiped and MAC OS is re-installed. I just can’t. Would it help if I go to an Apple store? I have the original purchase invoice so I can prove it is legally mine.

 

[DeltaMac]

I think you should try again with your "nuclear" option.
But, now boot to Internet Recovery, where you can erase the internal drive completely.
Restart, holding Shift-Option-Command-r
When you see the menu screen, choose Disk Utility, and erase the drive. Format as Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
Quit Disk Utility, then choose "Reinstall macOS"
This will take from 30 minutes to an hour or more, mostly depending on the speed of your internet connection.
When that is complete, the new user setup screens will appear. DO NOT enter any information about the old user account, just enter your own information.

 

[DeepIn2U]

[doublepost=1535313736][/doublepost]Thanks for your reply ssmed. I tried to wipe the disk but I can’t - I need to log in to do that which is not possible. I am stuck in a loop here.

Again, there is no data on it yet so nothing is lost when the disk is wiped and MAC OS is re-installed. I just can’t. Would it help if I go to an Apple store? I have the original purchase invoice so I can prove it is legally mine.

I feel your pain! I ran into a very similar situation with a brand new 2018 MBP I owned and messed up the 'administrator' default account. Since the Touch ID in my system is hardware based similar to encryption and the security keys for encryption I was wary to do anything as a few others on these boards rendered their machines as useless.

Solution:

OSX: How to Create a New User Account if You Cannot Access Your Admin Account

Reboot the computer. At the chime press and hold down the COMMAND-S keys to start into Single-user Mode.
You will boot to a black screen with scrolling white text, release the keys and wait for it to finish.
Enter the following lines at the command prompt pressing RETURN after each:

mount -uw /
rm /var/db/.applesetupdone
reboot​

After you reboot the computer you will be taken to the Setup Assistant. When you get to the point where you are asked to set up your new user account, create a new admin account. Be sure to name this user account something different than the admin user account that already exists on the system. When you finish the Setup Assistant, it will automatically log you into the new account.

You can transfer your files from the old account to the new one. Once you have moved all your files into your new account, you can delete the old account using Accounts or Users & Groups preferences.

[NOTE: You may not be able to delete the account you're currently having issues with ... BUT These steps will allow you to sign into iCloud ... launch App Store ... download OSX High Sierra and create a bootable USB Drive to Re-image our Mac and start from scratch).

 

[Hans7D]

I think you should try again with your "nuclear" option.
But, now boot to Internet Recovery, where you can erase the internal drive completely.
Restart, holding Shift-Option-Command-r
When you see the menu screen, choose Disk Utility, and erase the drive. Format as Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
Quit Disk Utility, then choose "Reinstall macOS"
This will take from 30 minutes to an hour or more, mostly depending on the speed of your internet connection.
When that is complete, the new user setup screens will appear. DO NOT enter any information about the old user account, just enter your own information.

 

[Hans7D]

DeltaMac, thanks for your suggestion. I will try this when I get home tonight. I guess that this may work because I do not re-install the OS from the internal drive but from the Internet which is an external drive

 

[Hans7D]

DeltaMac, thanks for your suggestion. I will try this when I get home tonight. I guess that this may work because I do not re-install the OS from the internal drive but from the Internet which is an external drive

DeltaMac, this did not work. The MacBook downloaded OS version Sierra while High Sierra already was installed and it refused to install a lower version. Why it happened like this, beats me.

Anyway, I tried a slightly different version of what DeepIn2U suggested, this came from here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/log-out-big-mistake.2045161/ and works like this:

1. boot computer and hold the "command" key and the "s" key.
2. wait for terminal show
3. release keys
4. type without the quotes: "/sbin/mount -uaw"
5. press enter
6. type without the quotes: "rm /var/db/.applesetupdone
7. press enter
8. type without the quotes: "reboot"
9. press enter

This worked like a charm and I am back in business with my fantastic little machine. Thank you all for your support, you guys are great!!

 

[ssmed]

DeltaMac, this did not work. The MacBook downloaded OS version Sierra while High Sierra already was installed and it refused to install a lower version. Why it happened like this, beats me .....

The machine will download the original OS when using recovery options. I think it would have been OK if you had erased the HD - I have done this many times when deleting beta operating systems. I don't think Sierra will install on APFS and instead needs HFS+ formatting

Anyway, hope that your daughter has a great time with the computer.

 

[DeltaMac]

ssmed is correct about the APFS formatting. High Sierra does that for you, and you have to erase the drive completely to go back to the older HFS+.

The user setup/reset works fine, of course, and got you working again.
The Internet recovery does download the original system your Mac had when new, AND allows you to competely erase the boot drive --- which is sometimes the best plan on a used system, (You may not know what the previous owner messed with when they "reset to factory settings" Full erase can only be complete from another boot device, and Internet Recovery boots your Mac from Apple's remote server. That is different from the Recovery system, which is a hidden partition on your boot drive. You can't erase the boot drive completely when booted to your Recovery system.
Another option for complete erase is to boot to a different external drive, such as a bootable macOS installer on a USB flash drive. That method will give you whichever system version YOU want, without being limited to what is already installed --- or going back to the original shipped system, which, in your case, means a compete format of the boot drive.