Help multiple home folders!!

thereubsterthereubster
Posted:
in Genius Bar edited January 2014
OK my girl has accidentally copied her entire home folder to her desktop (dont ask me how, I wasnt there) Now when she logs in, its the new home folder that opens not the original (10.3.2 BTW). How does she get back to how it used to be. There was only one user on her iBook, but can she switch back to the old user? Or is it just a matter of deleting the new home folder and then the old one will automatically be used?

Thanks for any suggestions

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 3
    baumanbauman Posts: 1,248member
    The Desktop is in her home folder... If she truely has moved her home folder (~/) into her Desktop folder (~/Desktop), you have bigger problems than logging into a different home folder...



    I want to take my computer desk, and put it inside my top drawer. It's taking up way too much space.
  • Reply 2 of 3
    thuh freakthuh freak Posts: 2,664member
    that's quite a peculiar problem. unlike bauman's analogy, in computers it is possible to do this. i suggest checking out netinfo. If you open /Applications/Utilities there should be a NetInfo Manager or NetInfo something program in there. Once you open that, you should be able to navigate through the settings to /users/. From there, you should be able to find your girl's username (don't mind the other users, they are unixy requirements). Check out the home folder property under her user. It should be something like "/Users/name/" (it may or may not have the trailing slash, i can't remember). If it is not, then you should change it to "/Users/name/" replacing "name" with the short name of the user. To change the prop, you'll have to gain root access, theres a lock icon somewhere in that netinfo window which will give you that access. You'll be asked to save your update too.



    If you didn't have to change the home property, then try renaming the erroneous folder. If she can still carry on for a day or so, and no "missing file" or "unknown path" type problems occur, then you can rest assured in deleting the extra folder.



    If you did have to change the home folder property, then you may have a harder time. You may have to migrate application preferences and settings back to the real home folder. Not a hard process, but lets hope its not the case. If it is, don't delete the extra folder just yet. Oh, and she'll have to logout and back in for her revived home folder to come back to use.
  • Reply 3 of 3
    thereubsterthereubster Posts: 402member
    Thanks guys I fear it is as bad as thuh Freak suggests, because thats exactly what's happening, shes getting missing file and unknown path errors and all the iApps think its the first time they've been used.... Sigh I think I will be able to explain it all over the phone, shes on the other side of the world at the moment
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