Accidentally changed short name...

M

marissaimac

Registered
I'm new here so I apologize if someone has already posted this...but here it goes.

So I got my iMac at a Guitar Center so the home directory was called "guitarcenter." I tried changing today but just clicking once on it, it highlighted so I could change it, which I did without thinking. I then restarted my computer later on and it appeared that I had lost everything. However in the finder, there is a folder with the name that I had tried to change my short name to ("Marissa' Computer") Everything is in this folder, but now I have NO idea how to get it back to normal and it's driving me crazy!!! Can anyone help me??

Thank you so much!!

oh and i have an iMac G5 with OS 10.3
 
marissaimac said:
I'm new here so I apologize if someone has already posted this...but here it goes.

So I got my iMac at a Guitar Center so the home directory was called "guitarcenter." I tried changing today but just clicking once on it, it highlighted so I could change it, which I did without thinking. I then restarted my computer later on and it appeared that I had lost everything. However in the finder, there is a folder with the name that I had tried to change my short name to ("Marissa' Computer") Everything is in this folder, but now I have NO idea how to get it back to normal and it's driving me crazy!!! Can anyone help me??

Thank you so much!!

oh and i have an iMac G5 with OS 10.3
Click to expand...

Also try GET INFO and change the owner (with rights) to whatever user you are now.


Kees
 
I had a friend do this.

I moved everything from the new folder back into the old user folder and restarted and it was fine.
 
You have a used Mac that the store set up for their own use, or just for display. You have no idea how the system may be screwed up now (and not just your attempt to change the user name). You will be much better off by booting to the restore disk, and performing an erase and install. That will completely erase the hard drive (you will lose everything you might have added yourself) and reinstall all the original set of software.

Or, you can change the name of your present user folder to something else, and change the name of the folder that YOU renamed back to guitarcenter. When you then restart, you will be back to where you were before.

Here's Apple's instructions for changing the short name.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106824
It's very simple! (only 40 steps! - LOL! )
Here's another page with another method, but even that page doesn't recommend even doing it.
http://homepage.mac.com/frakes/MOSXPT/content/shortusername.html
 
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