Snow Leopard bug can delete entire account data

[10TaTioN]

A bug has been reported in Apple's new Snow Leopard version of OS X that can result in the loss of an entire user account's data. The glitch seems to be triggered by using a Guest account and then trying to log back into a regular account.

According to multiple topics on the Apple Support discussion boards, the problem can occur when a user logs into their Mac's Guest account -- whether by accident or on purpose -- and then tries to log back into their regular account.

In some cases, users have reported finding their regular account empty of data, as though it were a brand new account.

Speculation is that something makes Snow Leopard treat the regular account like a Guest account, from which by default all data is deleted upon logout. Further speculation is that the problem occurs when the Guest account was already enabled in Leopard before being upgraded to Snow Leopard.

The problem started being reported within days after Snow Leopard's shipping, but the discussions are all still marked "not answered"

The only solution for getting the deleted data back is to restore it from a backup.

An article on MacFixIt suggests disabling the Guest account entirely, or at least disabling it and then re-enabling it so that it's a native Snow Leopard account. Another suggestion for those who need a temporary account is to create a new Standard account and use Parental Controls to restrict it.

Source: iTWire

 

[Wrigleyvillain]

From MacFixit:

UPDATE: Apple is aware of this problem and is working on a fix!
A number of reports on the internet are now covering the problem where user accounts are getting deleted after people have logged into guest accounts on their system. We covered this a few weeks ago in an initial report, followed by a secondary report that discusses some additional details of the issue and potential fixes.
Here are some summary points from the previous articles:
For affected systems, the problem seems to happen only when guest accounts were enabled for login under Leopard before updating to Snow Leopard
Guest accounts enabled in Snow Leopard work fine.
Disable guest account login if you do not use it
Use a standard "managed" account as a guest account alternative
Disable guest account and then re-enable to clear problems with how the system is handling it.

 

[newtekie1]

This seems like a problem we are more used to see from Microsoft, not Apple...odd for a OS that is supposed to not have any problems...

 

[AphexDreamer]

This seems like a problem we are more used to see from Microsoft, not Apple...odd for a OS that is supposed to not have any problems...

Its only the start, the more populer its gets the more problems its going to have.

For one because the more users using the greater the chance for something to go wrong

and

two becuase more people are using it its going to be a target among spamers, malware, trojan and virus makers alike.

 

[Wrigleyvillain]

supposed to not have any problems...

C'mon. I know Apple markets as having the simpler and thus better "it just works" user experience compared to Windows but who ever said OS X "has no problems"? It's software ffs, and an operating system to boot (no pun intended).

 

[newtekie1]

C'mon. I know Apple markets as having the simpler and thus better "it just works" user experience compared to Windows but who ever said OS X "has no problems"? It's software ffs, and an operating system to boot (no pun intended).

Watch the latest Mac vs PC commercial, the "Top of the Line" ad if you look on Apples site.

"I want a computer that just works...without tons of problems and headaches"
"Look lady, you are going to have those problems with any PC"
"I guess I'll go with a Mac then"

Not exactly worded in the "Macs have no problems", but saying the same thing, and their ads have done this for years now. Any standard consumer will see that ad as saying Macs have no problems. It is this reason that I have to deal with people on a daily basis that thing Macs are trouble free.

As I said, this is one of those major-fuck-up-problems that they like to imply happens only in the Windows world...

 

[Ripper3]

Wrigleyvillain, admit it, you meant that pun, you've been waiting to use it for years I imagine.

Funny thing is, I actually read about this bug, and then decided, why not upgrade to Snow Leopard? I had almost no intention of upgrading just yet until after I read about this bug. I am an odd one.
It's funny how it affects only upgraders with Guest accounts enabled before the upgrade. Maybe a few files get relocated during the upgrade process, and something is edited, so as the Guest account logs out, and the files are deleted, it's actually deleting from a regular user's directory. Seems like an explanation for it. Shame for everyone that's not got their stuff backed up though.

I do agree that Apple goes a bit too far with the "It just works" advertisement, I think they'll likely start to back off, although as mentioned, this is a bug that affects very few people. I've had the guest account enabled for about 2 days before, it was used once. So I imagine a lot of single-user Macs will have it disabled too.
I do wonder though, has there ever been such a big bug found in a Windows version? Where it just wipes your user account? (I know some people have found their documents folder relocated without their files being moved, but their files were still intact in their original place)

 

[[I.R.A]_FBi]

Oh noes! what will we do, no starbucks today?

 

[3870x2]

I had this happen on windows XP. Something got corrupted without my knowledge, and i was logged correctly into my account, but with a different documents and settings folder. So what did I do? I moved the documents over to my new account and everything was good, until I restarted, and it deleted that temporary account, and everything in it.

Just under one million songs, pictures of my family, videos, games, applications that resided on the desktop or folders in the desktop were instantly deleted upon restart.

for about 20 hours I was planning massive homicide (genocide?) on the microsoft windows corporation.

 

[Wrigleyvillain]

Not exactly worded in the "Macs have no problems", but saying the same thing, and their ads have done this for years now. Any standard consumer will see that ad as saying Macs have no problems. It is this reason that I have to deal with people on a daily basis that thing Macs are trouble free.

Ok, and I agreed with this all along, but I was calling out the comment by newtekie cause this is TPU and we are not "average consumers". Thus we know better- i.e. no software is bug or problem free.

And for the average consumer Apple's marketing is hardly false relatively speaking especially compared to Vista and especially when it first came out pre service packs and widespread driver support. Annoying and kind of smug especially to guys like us? Sure.