Can't log in to macbook pro

I don't see a video, so have you tried reinstalling Mac OS X?

It should not Format the Hard Drive, I am not sure if there is an archive and install option in snow leopard, but if there is, select it.

Do not reinstall, it will not help. (Regarding 10.6 install options - there are none. It will auto-archive and install unless you erase via disk utility)

After entering your password, hold the shift key then click login and keep it down? Does it login now?

If it logs in fine, then go into system preferences --> accounts --> login items. Delete the items in here using the minus sign at the bottom. Log out and try log in again - if the same, use the shift key again.

I'm not going to write more right now, as it's too much typing if I don't need to do it - so let me know how that goes and we can take it from there

Ok, if still not logging in with shift key held, then we can reinstall or restore from time machine. But there is another solution which will be quicker. Because it's getting to the login screen, and this issue occurs when we try to go into your user, it stands to reason this is a user issue, so putting down a new system is unlikely to resolve it.

If you boot to your install disk and go into "reset password" from the utilities menu. On that screen select your HD and look in the drop down list for... I can't remember off the top of my head, but there aren't many options and it'll most likely say root, maybe master... the one that's not your user anyway. Then enter a password for this and repeat it. What we've done is enable the root user (God mode), so do not mess around in this user unless you've very confident.

Restart the machine, this time select the new "other" icon at the login screen. Username = root, password is whatever you set it to. Can you log in here? If so, navigate to HD/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/Library

In there you'll find a folder called prefer "Launch agents" - rename this folder or move it to the desktop folder in your user.

Try log into your user again, if same, go back to root user.

This time, in the same location, look for a folder called "preferences" - again, rename or move and try login again.

If still the same, same procedure, but this time rename the entire user library and then try login.

We can move these files and folders back - if you put them back in location or rename to original name, it'll be as though we did nothing. When you login it will automatically rebuild these folders, but it will be as though it's a new machine almost - we can get most of it, if not all of it, back though

🙂

What was it by the way? If you've pulled out the preference folder or library folder, then you might want to drag the content of the old folder into the new folder and select "DO NOT REPLACE" -- this way it'll keep the new (good) preferences, copy the rest of your preferences and leave the 'bad' preferences in the folder you pulled out

Ok - so you'll be missing all your prefs then. So you can do it like I said above, or you can just set stuff up again - mail is the only annoying one (com.apple.mail.plist)

You might want to disable "root" -- Enabling and using the "root" user in Mac OS X