Accidentally set Finder sharing and permissions for everyone to no access

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Accidentally set Finder sharing and permissions for everyone to no access

I have a relatively new MacBook Air. In reviewing the sharing and permissions settings for the Macintosh HD and for user known as "everyone", I changed the setting from "ready only" to "no access" thinking that this would block access from other users (like other family members). Well, it did, but I'm part of "everyone" and now have no access to my Air.

I have tried rebooting and accessing Safe Mode (Command/Shift/V) and I can see the status information as the machine tries to lauch in Safe Mode, but then the screen turns white leaving me with no interface through which I can launch Finder and correct my stupid mistake.

I welcome suggestions. Thanks in advance.

Tom

MacBook Air, iOS 5.1

Posted on May 4, 2012 4:15 PM

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Answer 1

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John Galt

Level 10

140,918 points

May 4, 2012 4:19 PM in response to tom_marsden

reset home folder permissions

1. Boot Lion Recovery by restarting the computer while holding the Command ⌘ and R keys.

2. When the Repair Utilities screen appears, select Utilities from the Menu Bar, then click Terminal.

3. In the Terminal window, type resetpassword and press Return.

4. The password reset utility window will appear. Do not select a new password.

Instead, click on the icon for your Mac's hard disk at the top. From the dropdown below it, select the user account with the problem.

5. At the bottom of the window, you will see Reset Home Directory Permissions and ACLs. Click the Reset button.

The reset process may take a couple of minutes. When it finishes quit the programs and restart your Mac.

This should work.

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Answer 2

tom_marsden Author

Level 1

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May 4, 2012 5:03 PM in response to John Galt

Thanks for the quick response, John!

I followed your suggestion but with no success. Can you recommend an alternative approach?

Thanks,

Tom

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Answer 3

John Galt

Level 10

140,918 points

May 4, 2012 5:58 PM in response to tom_marsden

Are your Preferences > Users & Groups set so that you need to log in every time you start your Mac, i.e "automatic login" is "off"? If so what happens when you attempt to log in normally? Can you select your account and log in?

Are there other user accounts on this Mac?

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Answer 4

captfred

Level 7

26,422 points

May 4, 2012 6:01 PM in response to tom_marsden

See Neil's user tip:

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-2240

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Answer 5

tom_marsden Author

Level 1

0 points

May 5, 2012 9:32 AM in response to captfred

Option A1 did the trick for me. Thank you very much, Neil. You saved me several hours of time getting to and from the nearest Apple Store for a consultation with the staff at the Genius Bar!

Tom Marsden

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Answer 6

shantals

Level 1

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Aug 4, 2012 6:18 AM in response to tom_marsden

Neil's tip worked for me. Thank you

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Answer 7

rmDude

Level 1

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Aug 25, 2012 11:13 AM in response to tom_marsden

I had this problem just about 15 minutes ago. My mind was ready to shut down trying to figure out what to do. All the other forums say that a reinstall was needed or I needed Disk Utility, blahblahblah.

But Neil's Tip worked PERFECTLY! Neil, you are a genius, whoever you are. Tom, thanks too, for linking Neil's tip!

Thanks Much!

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