terminal doesn't login

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Level 1

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terminal doesn't login

Hello,

I will write in a non-very correct english (I am italian) and I want to offer you my bigger thanks for the attention.

I would want to use a certain phisyc-simulator that i found on the web (wich format is .exe), and so i've tried to get Wine, a free program that make you able to open .exe on OSX (in my case 10.5.8). Following the instruction for Wine's installation, I had to run a certain ./file but the wine installation wrote to me (in the terminal window) that this operation (the installation) can't be completed with the root user, but have to follow the same instruction with a secondary user.

So, i've tried by first to do the same installation's step in the Guest user (the one in wich you can't save changes by logging out) but the terminal stayed empty for several minutes. I thought that the problem could be the use of the Guest user, so i've come back to the administrator one and i've created a secondary user (with no administrator "power") , but the terminal doesn't work neither here.

Now, the terminal is still not working even with the ADMINISTRATOR user.

Can someone help me?

p.s.: i've some experiences with the terminal, by the need of compile and execute in fortran; it's not new;

i've already searched online a way to solve this problem (for example i tried to see the Console's messages, and i tried to remove the file com.app.Terminal.preferences (or something like that) while logged white the secondary user (but not the Guest one))

iMac, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Apr 19, 2015 4:33 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

seventy one

Level 7

27,424 points

Apr 25, 2015 2:38 AM in response to Emanuela61

According to this article 'Wine' will only work with Intel Machines.

http://www.davidbaumgold.com/tutorials/wine-mac/ So that is your starting point. Does your machine meet the requirements of the program.

I am not acquainted with Wine or the author of this article, but it does look as though it may clear up some of your questions.

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Answer 2

Emanuela61 Author

Level 1

0 points

Apr 25, 2015 2:47 AM in response to seventy one

Thanks you for the answer,

but now my problem isn't no more to install wine, but to use the terminal that is blocked in the login. It is white, and I can't use it.

For the steps shown in the link you sent me (thanks again), i've already installed Xcode 3.1.4 (the higer version for my Mac) and i'll try to get Homebrew:

but i will not be able to use the terminal commands that the guide uses.

ps. the mine is an Intel Machines one, like required.

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Answer 3

seventy one

Level 7

27,424 points

Apr 25, 2015 3:00 AM in response to Emanuela61

I do wish I could be of more help but It is not an area I am conversant with. My immediate thought is to see if the author of the article I mentioned is contactable. He may be of more help. I am not at all sure of where you are going with terminal but if you are referring to the Mac Terminal facility, I would say, be very careful what you do there. It is really only for people with extensive knowledge of the computer's systems and you could cause yourself big trouble if you wrongly enter details.

Thank you for the star.

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Answer 4

BobHarris

Level 9

53,147 points

Apr 25, 2015 11:44 AM in response to Emanuela61

Try deleting the Terminal preferences:

Finder -> Go -> Go to folder -> ~Library/Preferences (~ is tilda, typically found in the upper left corner of the keyboard).

select and delete: "com.apple.Terminal.plist"

If that does not work, then try removing (or renaming) the following files:

.profile

.bash_profile

.bash_login

.bashrc

These files do not exist by default, but you may have added them as part of some other installation. It is possible they got created in correctly. Of course most of the tricks for accessing invisible files involve using the Terminal, but yours is not working (assuming deleting the preferences didn't bring it back to life). Anyway, you could use a utility such as Onyx (there are others) which will provide a GUI interface to making files visible in the Finder

Onyx -> Parameters -> Finder -> [X] Show hidden files and folders

You can try creating a new account and see if Terminal works in that account. That would point to either the Terminal preferences or the original accounts .profile, .bash_profile, .bash_login, or .bashrc file.

If a new account's Terminal does not work, it could be something more global, such as shell initialization files in /etc, for example /etc/bashrc and /etc/profile but hopefully you would remember if you changed them.

Again if you have not solved your problem by the time you reached this point, then you might try installing an alternate terminal emulator, such as iTerm2 <http://iterm2.com/>. If this works and Terminal does not, then it is something specific to the Terminal App (not the shell initialization files, .profile, .bash_profile, etc...). If iTerm2 behaves exactly the same, then it is more likely the shell initialization files.

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Answer 5

Emanuela61 Author

Level 1

0 points

Apr 25, 2015 1:28 PM in response to BobHarris

Thank you BobHarris you are very nice.

-I've tried to delete the come.apple.Terminal.plist in the admin. account -----> doesn't work [does it exists in each accounts or is it just one for all?]

-iTerm2 doesn't work

-Installing Onyx and browsing to find the hidden files you told me ( .profile , .bash_login etc...etc..) THE FINDER GAVE UP WORK!!!

Even by cmd+rightclick on finder icon to click on re-open (traslated by italian "riapri") i had the error message 101800 or something like that.

I solved the problem by switching off the Mac with the button... Once turned-on again the Mac ( it was a moment full of pain 😢 ), all worked fine.

After had verified that the computer didn't had big problems after the trouble with the finder, i continued to search the hidden files.

They don't exist in my Mac but LUCKILY i had the impression that execute the login file in /usr/bin could be the solution: it worked!!!!!!!

I had this idea because of that the problem was just the login at the terminal.... A terminal window opened quickly and asked me with wich account I wanted to login... LUCKILY i wrote the good account_name and password and all gone fine!!! (the terminal works again)

So,

thanks to seventy one for the link http://www.davidbaumgold.com/tutorials/wine-mac/ (i think install Wine will not be a problem now)

thanks to BobHarris too

🙂🙂🙂

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Answer 6

seventy one

Level 7

27,424 points

Apr 26, 2015 12:36 AM in response to Emanuela61

And a big 'thank you' to you, Emanuela, for such a well written explanation. Your English is far better than you give yourself credit for.

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