I'm trying to delete a user but the error, "you can't delete the user account because there isn't enough space on the disk to save the ocntents of the user's home." How can I delete it? Can I use a blank CD or delete a bunch of files on the user and then delete the user?
Thanks!
PowerMac, Mac OS X (10.2.x)
Hi, just checking, have you emptied the trash?
Delete some really big files for that user, might even try...
Safe Boot, (holding Shift key down at bootup), run Disk Utility in Applications>Utilities, then highlight your drive, click on Repair Permissions, reboot when it completes.
(Safe boot may stay on the gray radian for a long time, let it go, it's trying to repair the Hard Drive & clear caches.)
Thanks! Ill try to safe boot. I've deleted a lot of the files and emptied the trash and that cleared up a lot. But I still have 777509 KB left to get rid of before I can delete the account.
Look in that Users Home folder for Movies & Music, & Documents folder for big files.
OmniDiskSweeper is likely the easiest/best, and is now free...
http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omnidisksweeper/download/
And if needed, you can use Terminal to run it in admin mode to see files/folders your user can't see...
http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/how_to_recover_missing_hard_drive_space/
Requiring space to delete a users doesn't jive with how I understand delete user.
Is this a filevault id?
Would need space to open. Might still want to open to delete. Who knows.
Why does it need space.
Not that I know a thing about this. I was under the impression that it either deleted the user & all content or if directed x would move the home folder to a deleted folder.
I made enough room for the account to be deleted but now when I click delete it just processes it until the rainbow wheel appears and then it stops and doesn't delete the account. I don't know how else to delete it.
I think what you need to do is to run disk utility and be sure you got a good filesystem.
/applications/utilities/disk utility
My computer doesn't have disk utility. I think it's too old. how else can I repair the disk?
Nevermind! I found it
Some versions of OSX only delete a user if it can be backed up, I'm thinking you might instruct on Teminal & -rm???
I'm not sure how to delete the user from the terminal. I repaired both disks on the computer and erased one of the disks but still the account won't delete. I made a new user and re-assigned it the administrator but no luck.
I made a new user and re-assigned it the administrator but no luck.
What do you mean by "no luck". Did you get some sort of error message when creating the new account?
Your machine created the account, but you could not log in?
...
You you could clean out the files on the user you want to delete. Delete files until you fhave deleted all the you want . Empty the trash can. Little or not additional space should be used since the files are moved to the trash can.
...
BDAqua. You sure X copies the home folder? I'd have expect X to move the home folder to the deleted folder. With a move no more space should be used.
I have a backup copy of 10.2. Guess I could reload to see what is going on. I'll wait thou.
Robert
BDAqua. You sure X copies the home folder?
Just some versions, not sure which, but I think much later ones.
I mean no luck as in it still won't let me delete the old account.
I click "delete account" and the pop up comes up that says I will lose any unsaved files and the user will be moved to deleted users. So I click okay and the loading bar to the left spirals for a long time and then it stops and I still have the account.
I have deleted most of the files on the user I'm trying to delete, reparied both disks, verified permissions, and wiped the disk.
But I want this account off because it has the full name of the computer's former owner and probably still some personal info on it.
What do you mean by copy?
do you mean you end up with two copies of the home folder?
do you mean that it copies the home folder to deleted folder then erases the home folder? If you mean this, you are using copy informally as in everyday speech. A copy would be very time consuming. I'd say X moves the home folder to the deleted folder. X filesystem supports fast moving of files & folders. For instance, the terminal mv command does the move.
Use of copy in this context confuses me.
I suspected some mess up in the file system, but that doesn't seem the case. Then I sugggested deleted files and folders in the home directory of the user. This should get around any problems with deleting the users.
Robert
I think it just "moves" it or copies it maybe to a Deleted User's folder, then deletes the original.
PowerMac OS X not enough disk space to delete user
