"Unknown" Login Item - Can't remove!

Question

"Unknown" Login Item - Can't remove!

There is an Unknown item in my Login Items that I cannot remove. It is listed as Unknown name and Unknown kind.

Looking at the Login Items plist file only shows the 2 login items I have but not the Unknown one. I can't remove it because it says that it is managed by the system administrator and the minus sign is grayed out.

I would like to remove this Login Item. Any suggestions on how to approach this? Thanks

iMac 2 GHZ Intel Core Duo, Mac OS X (10.5.5)

Posted on Oct 2, 2008 4:53 AM

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Answer 1

roam

Level 6

13,631 points

Oct 2, 2008 5:51 AM in response to Bruce Carillon1

So have you tried logging in to your System Admin account and then tried to operate on that user's account to delete it?
If you don't have Admin privileges, you'll need to contact the person who does and ask them to remove it.

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Answer 2

orangekay

Level 5

4,085 points

Oct 2, 2008 7:50 AM in response to Bruce Carillon1

Just delete the loginitems and loginwindow prefs files.

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Answer 3

Oct 2, 2008 7:56 AM in response to roam

When I log in with the local admin account I'm not able to control the login items for the user. I can select the user but there is no login items tab. The local admin account does not have the unknown login item.

I've got a feeling this unknown item is related to the fact that all of our Macs are managed from a Mac server and the accounts are network accounts.

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Answer 4

nerowolfe

Level 6

13,090 points

Oct 2, 2008 8:13 AM in response to Bruce Carillon1

Mac_Tech wrote:
When I log in with the local admin account I'm not able to control the login items for the user. I can select the user but there is no login items tab. The local admin account does not have the unknown login item.

I've got a feeling this unknown item is related to the fact that all of our Macs are managed from a Mac server and the accounts are network accounts.

It may be a necessary login item for the network. Why do you want to remove it and why don't you ask the network admin about it? Usually "playing around" with these things on a network is frowned upon. You might corrupt the network by removing things like this.
Again, check with the network IT people. They should know.

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Answer 5

orangekay

Level 5

4,085 points

Oct 2, 2008 8:34 AM in response to Bruce Carillon1

An "Unknown" item is almost always a symptom of corruption.

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Answer 6

Oct 2, 2008 12:33 PM in response to orangekay

I am the network and Mac admin at my location. I want to remove it to see if it is the cause of several kernel panics my Macs are having when users' log out. I tried removing the the plist files and the Unknown item came back.

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Answer 7

baltwo

Level 9

62,362 points

Oct 2, 2008 1:34 PM in response to Bruce Carillon1

I hate to sound like a broken record, but I strongly suggest that you'll get cogent answers posting to the server forum, despite your insistence that it's a client problem. It's a networked client controlled by a server admin (you).

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Answer 8

Oct 2, 2008 1:46 PM in response to baltwo

Thanks baltwo, I didn't see where you suggested that...

I'm willing to try anything because it is really getting old fast. I'm noticing KPs when users log in during network mounts from their login items as well as when they log out.

This all started after 10.5.5 and ARD client update 3.2.2 were installed. I'll try the server group.

Thanks

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Answer 9

baltwo

Level 9

62,362 points

Oct 2, 2008 4:36 PM in response to Bruce Carillon1

Maybe I was just getting you confused with someone else who was having KPs dealing with managed users. Anyway, the OS and ARD updates point to server conflicts; although, I've been wrong before.

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Answer 10

Oct 2, 2008 5:12 PM in response to baltwo

I upgraded the server to 10.5.5 with software update... do you think I should try the combo update as a possible solution. I know in the past delta updates have been problematic.

I suppose I could elect to not manage the clients and see if the KPs stop. What do you think?

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Answer 11

baltwo

Level 9

62,362 points

Oct 2, 2008 6:22 PM in response to Bruce Carillon1

Sorry, I don't have a server to muck with, just know enough to suggest the server forum.

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Answer 12

Mweb

Level 1

0 points

Oct 24, 2008 5:55 AM in response to Bruce Carillon1

I had that problem with a mysterious server as a grayed out login item and found that there was an SMB Mount for that user specified in AD. After removing the AD entry, the login item still showed up grayed out on the Mac. At that point, I didn't spend a lot of time trying to surgically remove it, but just rebuilt the (mobile) user account. After the account rebuild, the ghost login item was gone.

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