Apple Event: May 7th at 7 am PT
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)
So, if it move it, why are we getting the message?
Copying & deleting seems very inefficient. CS 101 would say move. What if the home folder was on another disk? What would x do?
Robert
I don't know what X is...
But what I've read, when you delete a user from the system preferences, that user's home folder should be moved into the "deleted user's" folder.
My computer is making a copy of the User and putting it in the deleted user folder but also leaving that user on the computer. I just realized everytime I've tried to delete the user, it has placed another copy of it in the "deleted users" folder. I had 6 copies of it. I'm not sure why it's doing this.
I've gotten lazy 😟 😉. X is Mac OS X
Oh, Mac OS X is compressing them or at least making them into a dmg.
Deleted Users
fv.dmg
netscape.dmg
windows.dmg
Well, Mac OS X os letting me move the .dmg's to the trash & empty the trash.
Isn't there some option on delete user to say perminately delete all data or save data?
Sorry about my confusion over what was being done. Was writing from memory instead of running a trail.
Robert
Oh, I gotcha!
I can delete the "deleted users" like that as well. If its putting the account in the deleted user's folder it seems the user would have been delted, but I had 6 copides of the same user.
When I log in as a different user, I'm given the option "delete user" then I click okay, and afte loading for a long time, I have a copy in the deleted users folder and still the original user!
I don't know what else to try! Is there a terminal command I can use? I bought this computer from my preacher and I'm trying to fix it up and re-sell it but I can't until I get his account off :/
I found this...
This terminal code is to delete the user's file
sudo rm -rf /Users/example
and this terminal code is to delete the account
sudo dscl . -delete /Users/example
does that sound right? I'm guessing I replace where "example is" but with what? the name of the account?
you subsitute the short user name for the word example.
commands seem reasonable, but I have not tried them.
blue apple > System Preferences... > accounts
awesom! I think I'm getting somewhere. I lets me type that in and goes into a spill about repsecting other's privacy and asks for a password. I'm assuming thats the computer's administrator password? But it won't let me type. The black curser is there but when I type no letters appear.
Okay, I got it to take a password, apparently it just doesn't appear. But I got this response:
rm: illegal option
usage: rm(-f l i) (-dPRrvW) file...
Unlink file
Well, I need to see what you typed in to know exactly.
This command worked for me.
rm -rf web22
Where there any spaces in the name?
put quotes around the compete name.
rm -rf "web22"
did you put a space before and after -rf
--------------------------------------------------------------
Here is an overview of the terminal commands. Lets assume that your account has a short user name of mac.
Macintosh-HD -> Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal
#What is my short user name? Type the whoami command.
mac $ whoami
mac
mac $
#How to list all of your disks.
# The ls command is for list
mac $ ls /Volumes/
Audio CD Macintosh-HD Spotless Tiger-ext
mac $
# Let's say your flash drive is named Spotless
# cd is change directory
mac $ cd /Volumes/Spotless
# pwd is print working directory
mac $ pwd
/Volumes/Spotless
mac $
# The ls command is for list # l is long # F is type of file where / is directory mac $ ls -lF
total 134704
-rw-r--r-- 1 mac staff 64560 Mar 3 2009 A-picture-of-Youpi-key.png
drwxr-xr-x 83 mac staff 2822 Nov 7 14:52 Applescript files/
drwxrwxrwx 12 mac staff 408 Dec 13 2008 Christmas Cards/
drwxr-xr-x 9 mac staff 306 Dec 21 17:39 Christmas Cards 2009/
... trimmed ... What does all this mean?
drwxrwxrwx
d = directory
r = read
w = write
x = executeable program
drwxrwxrwx
|| | |
|| | all other users not in first two types
|| |
|| group
||
|owner
|
What type of entery is this? d = directory, - = file, etc.
Every Unix resource: files, folders, etc has an owner, group, other
A Unix resource has one owner.
A Unix resource has one group. A group contains a list of users.
To gain access to a file. You can be the owner, in the group, or not being the owner or in the group you ended up as other. The owner, group, or other has read, write, or execute permissions.
# l is long
# a is all to show hidden files & folders
mac $ ls -lFa
total 134736
drwxr-xr-x 41 mac staff 1496 Dec 22 17:11 .
drwxrwxrwt 8 root admin 272 Dec 24 13:55 ..
-rwxrwxrwx 1 mac staff 15364 Dec 23 12:52 .DS_Store*
drwx------ 4 mac staff 136 Jan 22 2009 .Spotlight-V100
drwxrwxrwt 5 mac staff 170 Sep 14 16:36 .TemporaryItems
d-wx-wx-wx 4 mac staff 136 Dec 31 1969 .Trashes
-rw-r--r-- 1 mac staff 64560 Mar 3 2009 A-picture-of-Youpi-key.png
drwxr-xr-x 83 mac staff 2822 Nov 7 14:52 Applescript files
drwxrwxrwx 12 mac staff 408 Dec 13 2008 Christmas Cards
drwxr-xr-x 9 mac staff 306 Dec 21 17:39 Christmas Cards 2009
... trimmed ...
# mv is move or rename
mv -i the-name the-new-name
# You can just rename the file back to what it was with mv command.
mv -i old-name new-name
Here is what these commands mean:
cd is change directory
pwd is a print working directory
ls is list
sudo is Super user do
mv is move or rename
For cryptic comments, you can always uses the manual command which is man. For example:
man mv
# Type the letter q to quit.
In case you have spaces in your filenames or directories, you need to escape them. See examples:
mac $ ls -l ~/"see it"
-rw-r--r-- 1 mac staff 3171 Oct 26 23:38 /Users/mac/see it
mac $
mac $ cd /Users/mac/Desktop/ttt\ html\ copy/
Do you know about tabing? Type in a few letters of a name then press the tab key. The computer will type out the rest of the name if it is unique.
Press the up arrow key to see the previous command(s).
To edit a command, use the left arror key to more left and the right arror key to move right. Use the delete key to delete the key to the left. Type a letter to insert.
history to see many previous commands.
mac $ history
2 man launchd.conf
3 history
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Robert
PowerMac OS X not enough disk space to delete user
