Making and sharing user accounts

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Making and sharing user accounts

Okay-I have spent five hours trying to find a solution in Manuals, Support and similar questions but didn't find anything similar. Maybe I was searching in the wrong places but now I need direct help.

This is my question :

I need to duplicate my admin account to a new user account( admin) that will let me access the entire volume and all the data within.

I have tried -

1. I have turned on File sharing from System Preferences, shared the new user account (Also everyone), added files/folders to share the entire original user folder...gave all users Read and Write permission...just about everything...

2. I have run Disk Utility and repaired permissions ( the report said some permissions can't be repaired)

3. I have done everything the manuals here have asked me to do...

4. Went to each folder->Get Info->checked Shared Folder. Even after that folders in the new account it says- I have no access( remember I am an admin the new account too)

Could anyone help me please?

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.8), iPhone 4, iOS 5.1

Posted on Apr 4, 2012 6:39 AM

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Answer 1

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Nammy Author

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Apr 4, 2012 1:46 PM in response to Nammy

I have now solved my problem, but this process was THE most tiring task in my entire computer life!! Phew!! If anyone has the same question, just reply to this message and I will try to help you out.

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Answer 2

BDAqua

Level 10

239,225 points

Apr 4, 2012 4:38 PM in response to Nammy

Great work & perseverance! 🙂

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Answer 3

Jun 10, 2012 11:31 AM in response to Nammy

I agree the guidance on this isn't great! I have also performed the steps you've set out above but can't create a new user account with access to all files / folders in the other admin account - if you have the solution I'd love to hear it.

Thanks,

James

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Answer 4

Nammy Author

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Jun 11, 2012 12:04 PM in response to James Roberts

Hello James, Sorry about the late reply, I was otherwise occupied. Here is what I did >

1. Make another user account, whom you want to give privileges.

2. Open Finder (after logging in to your own username) and in the left-hand panel, below the DEVICES section, select your hard-disk. Choose your username under "users". Right-click or use the menu bar to choose the option "Get Info".

3. In the "Get Info" box, scroll down and check the box beside "Shared Folder" but this is not enough!

4. Scroll further down to the area "Sharing and Permissions" and click on the "lock" image on the right corner below the list and supply your admin password to unlock it.

5. Now use the " + " symbol on the left corner below the list to add the users you want. Whether you want to give Read/Write/Both privileges can be chosen by the up-down arrow beside each user's name in the list.

6. DO NOT forget to click on the "wheel" image in the center below the list to check "Apply to enclosed items" which will include all the sub-folders, etc . Otherwise the other user gets access that is limited to the root shared folder only!

7. Now log in to the other user's account and verify in Finder if you can access your (admin user) files from this user account. I think this should work.

8. If you do not want to share your entire user account, you can perform the above steps to specific folders or even just files.

9. Its slightly more complicated if you want to share music or photos as you will have to "Add to Library" all the respective music/photo folders that can now be accessed from the new user's account too.

I hope I did not confuse you further, do let me know if anything is not clear 🙂

-cheers-

-Nammy

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Answer 5

Jun 11, 2012 12:34 PM in response to Nammy

Thank you very much for this, it's really helpful whereas the guidance on Apple's support site seems quite poor overall.

It's disappointing that sharing music is more difficult though since, even if each existing library is added in one account, it would presumably need to be manually added in the other again afterwards and the process would need to be repeated when new music is added?

I primarily want to add another user to separate out our views of Safari and other basic configurations etc (so that each of our website logins and so forth are preserved in Safari.

It's just my girlfriend and I, so we obviously want to see the same photos and share the same music libraries but want to use different accounts for other areas such as Safari (as mentioned) and appearance etc. I'd have expected there to be a way to do this easily? I was sure there used to be going back a few versions of OS X but I may be imagining it?

It may also be that there's a much simpler way to achieve this in the first place and I have missed it.

Thanks for your help though.

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Answer 6

Nammy Author

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Jun 11, 2012 12:52 PM in response to James Roberts

Thanks James 🙂 I thought this was a very tedious process too but can't find any other solution. I have been a windows user for a long time before I switched to mac in 2008 and the learning process is still on.

You are right about there may being a simpler way. I am the only user of my mac, so have no idea about sharing iPhoto or iTunes. I suggest you post a new discussion in the respective areas ( iTunes ; iPhoto ) and maybe the mac gurus will be kind enough to help you !!

-all the best-

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