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Users folder now hidden on 10.9.3?? (SOLVED!)
- Thread starter fisherking
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I didn't have OnyX installed until after I noticed this problem and tried to fix it.
Some people are suggesting this might be deliberate, that Apple might be trying to hide more and more of the OS, but I don't think thats the case. If you run Disk Utility and "Repair Disk Permissions", it complains that the permissions on "Users" and "Users/Shared" are wrong, it changes them (it removed 'group' and 'other' write permissions). But then a reboot changes them back, so its not just the hidden flag that is being changed.
If it was an attempt at hiding more of the file system, it was poorly executed.
Some people are suggesting this might be deliberate, that Apple might be trying to hide more and more of the OS, but I don't think thats the case. If you run Disk Utility and "Repair Disk Permissions", it complains that the permissions on "Users" and "Users/Shared" are wrong, it changes them (it removed 'group' and 'other' write permissions). But then a reboot changes them back, so its not just the hidden flag that is being changed.
If it was an attempt at hiding more of the file system, it was poorly executed.
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New Theory
So, I'm wondering if it's not actually due to 10.9.3, but rather one of the other updates from today. As I stated, I've lost my Users folder as well, but I'm still on 10.9.2.
BUT, I have automatic updating turned on in the App Store, and behind the scenes my machine ended up installing iTunes 11.2.
Thoughts?
So, I'm wondering if it's not actually due to 10.9.3, but rather one of the other updates from today. As I stated, I've lost my Users folder as well, but I'm still on 10.9.2.
BUT, I have automatic updating turned on in the App Store, and behind the scenes my machine ended up installing iTunes 11.2.
Thoughts?
No, I don't think it can be deliberate, but I wonder if somehow *some* of us are downloading a update that we shouldn't be seeing until the release of some extended file exchange capability: we're losing access both to other users' drop boxes, and to the Shared folder. It doesn't seem coincidental that this effectively means each user is 'isolated' and can no longer (easily) swap files with other users. This would make sense if Apple were planning of introducing something AirDrop-ish for intra-Mac transfers...
I downloaded and installed iTunes 11.2 at the same time as 10.9.3. Would be a truly bizarre problem if it's iTunes-related, but your experience seems to suggest it is.
When running Disk Utility, is everyone else having an infinite number of ACL problems with iTunes files?
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Permissions for /Users are screwed up on the computers which have an invisible /Users folder. On those computers, anyone can write into /Users, which is not how it should be set. You can temporarily resolve this by repairing permissions but they get reset on reboot.
Did anyone having /Users set to invisible update from 10.9.2? With the computers I have available, only the ones which were running 10.9.3 build 13D61 have the issues with /Users.
This is getting weird...
Disk Utility tells me Permissions differ on “Users”; should be drwxr-xr-x ; they are drwxrwxrwx – but Users was read only to begin with.
As far as I can tell, the permissions within Users are correct and the only problem is the visibility. If I open another user's folder it's read only; all folders therein are no access with the exception of Public and Sites. That's right, yes?
EDIT: by 'we're losing access to other users' drop boxes' I meant because of screwed visibility, rather than screwed permissions.
No, /Users should be read only but is not on my computers with the problem. You should not be able to just drop any file into /Users without authentication if permissions were correct. This is independent of the permissions of the subfolders within /Users.
Did you update from 10.9.2?
Sorry, I now suspect I was talking out my arse in my last post.
/Users itself *does* revert to 'wide open' (and invisibility) on a restart.
Too many restarts, sudos, and permission repairs. My head's starting to swirl.
Re updating, yes it was the Software Update 10.9.2 > 10.9.3 incremental. I installed iTunes 11.2 at the same time.
Subsequently I over-installed with the 10.9.3 Combo updater in hope of a cure.
I'm considering backtracking to 10.9.2...
I mean EVERYTHING is gone in my dropbox. Also, I've synced my iPhone with the new iTunes and dropbox is gone from my iPhone as well. I'm signed in correctly so I signed out and re-signed in and nothing.
Now, I'm staying in a Hilton Garden Inn today, could it happen to be this local network? I've never seen this before until I update to 10.9.3 last night!
So, missing User Folder, User/Shared Folder and now Dropbox!
What's next?
jkk
Now, I'm staying in a Hilton Garden Inn today, could it happen to be this local network? I've never seen this before until I update to 10.9.3 last night!
So, missing User Folder, User/Shared Folder and now Dropbox!
What's next?
jkk
btw...anyone else have their Shared folder hidden as well?
those 2 for me: Users, and within that...Shared.
both visible after running the terminal commands, and haven't rebooted yet.
i ALSO ran onyx, maybe the day BEFORE updating.
and i got the same permissions error about the users folder...repairing that changed nothing.
ah, well...at least i'm not alone in this...
those 2 for me: Users, and within that...Shared.
both visible after running the terminal commands, and haven't rebooted yet.
i ALSO ran onyx, maybe the day BEFORE updating.
and i got the same permissions error about the users folder...repairing that changed nothing.
ah, well...at least i'm not alone in this...
I saw that but not tried it as I am a bit Terminally challenged and that first line don't look quite right.
The default name for the main volume is "Macintosh HD"....is the example in your post appropriate for "Macintosh HD"?
I have renamed my main volume to a single word and can't see how/what to substitute with my single word name.
Thanks for any help!
Was just coming hear to spread the good news. It does indeed work.
I'm too dumb to know why this should 'stick' from the recovery partition and not when sudo-ing from startup volume.
I'm also too dumb to know if the chmod 755 is a *necessary* part of the fix, when the two folders were previously defaulting to 777.
But... IT WORKS!!
----------
cd /Volumes/MikesVolumeName
That would be:
cd /Volumes/YourMainVolumeNameHere.
For future reference, anytime there is a space, you add in the "\" before the space. So yes, the "Macintosh\ HD" example is correct.
The very same thing happened to me yesterday! I also had 10.9.2. I was so frustrated I decided to "recover" the machine. After format and reinstall, the folder is still hidden. Any suggestions? My mac works perfectly and hardware diagnostics didn't show anything but I'm wondering, what else might have happened that we haven't noticed yet?
I played about a bit with my second Mac, and the fix does *not* take unless you've zapped the PRAM first.
Would be curious to know if PRAM zapping followed by a simple chflags from the startup disk would permanently change the visibility of Users and Shared. I didn't think of trying this before applying the given fix, and now I've run out test machines...
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