Terminal won't run - shell set to illegal value

Does it happen if you set up a new account?

Do you get the advanced option menu i while logged in as yourself you click on any other account?

> Am I right in supposing my account's shell is set to /dev/null?

If it is, it shouldn't be. Open System Preferences/Accounts, click the padlock and enter your password then right-click your account to bring up the advanced options. You should see the login shell settings - the default is /bin/bash

It may be necessary to delete the Terminal preferences.

Finder -> Go -> Go to Folder -> /Users/yourShortUsername/Preferences

then drag the file com.apple.Terminal.plist into the trash.

It is possible to specify a different shell, or a wrong shell via the Terminal's preferences.

The fact that bash launches successfully in other accounts tells me there is nothing wroing with bash and its related system files (e.g., /etc/profile).

You've checked that the Account's default shell is /bin/bash.

You wiped out the shell's plist so it would create a fresh new one.

The only thing I haven't seen you check is the various shell startup files:

~/.bash_profile

~/.bash_login

~/.profile

~/.bashrc

See if something weird is going on in the ones that are there (assuming some are indeed there).

I also checked out /private/etc/shell and compared the contents with what others said should be in there, and the problem doesn't appear to be there, either.

Just to make sure here. I hope you just had a typo in that statement and meant /private/etc/shells. It should look something like this:

# List of acceptable shells for chpass(1).

# Ftpd will not allow users to connect who are not using

# one of these shells.

/bin/bash

/bin/csh

/bin/ksh

/bin/sh

/bin/tcsh

/bin/zsh

Although I don't think it matters whether this file exists or not at the time bash is launched.

I agree with X423424X, that you need to look at the shell initialization files, as mentioned.

You can also try using iTerm.sf.net, which is an alternate terminal emulator. If it behaves the same (or similar) to Terminal, then it strongly indicates something related to initialization files.

If iTerm works, then it ports to something specific to Terminal.

The fact that you don't get the advanced option menu on your account still, to me, indicates something wrong above the shell problem.

If you log into the other Admin Account and try to bring up the advanced option menu on your original account what happens?

Log in as another user. Use any admin credentials to unlock the Accounts preference pane. Can you now open the Advanced Options sheet for the problem account? If not, what do you get from the following:

dscl . -read /Users/fubar UserShell

where fubar is replaced by the name of the problem user?

When I logged into the other admin account, my original account didn’t appear at all in System Preferences

??? You mean System Preferences->Users & Groups

When you say that this is an account that you *have* to use for work, could that mean that your SysAdmin created it and has done something to block out your terminal access?

OK so if that account isn't showing up in Users & Groups and the dscl command is given you Record not found basically the system is telling you that that account does not exist.

And you say you are able to log in from the log in screen into this account? And when you do you can use it normally? Is there anything strange or out of the ordinary about your install that you haven't mentioned?

I'm at a loss, Linc should have something.