Opening an App automatically logs out user

C

CMXander

Registered
Hi,

I was checking out how to change my login window at ResExcellence. I downloaded one and looked at it. I logged in as root and copied the original login files to my Desktop. I didn't changed any of the files for the login window. There were some folders in the Users directory that were from old deleted users accounts, titled "'user' deleted." I decided to clean up the Users folder and delete the folders. Then I logged out. After that I compared the copy or the original login window and modified one I downloaded, using Interface Builder. Again I didn't make any changes as of yet. I shutdown the machine and put it away.

Later I wanted to check my email and opened Mail.app. It started opening and and I got the little beachball and then I got logged out. I tried to log back in and it wouldn't do it. I t just stayed on the loading bar. The tasks window showed 2 copies of Finder running. I had to user cammand-control-reset to reboot the machine.

Terminal did the same thing in my account as well as when I logged in as root.

Any suggestions?

Alex
 
First thoughts: Guys cleverer than me say never log in as root , but it's a bit late for that now :-(.
Maybe that when you were transferring files as root their permissions changes to being owned by root (and therefore unusable by you)?
Best answer I'd say: re-install, go to NetInfo and make sure "Enable root access" remains off and learn from it :-)
 
I checked the permissions and then seemed to be normal. And under different circumstances I would agree with you, but the Terminal does the same thing to root.

As for logging in as root - point taken.
 
logging in as root had nothing to do with this, I log in as root every once in a while...If I want the same prefpanes etc to be available for everyone, it must be done via root. There's something elso gone ajar there, I'd really much liek to know.
 
Sorry, this one has me stumped. Anyone?
All I can think to do is a full re-install.
Wish I could be more helpful.
Please keep us posted.
 
Alright here is an update.

I made a backup of my Library (System and User) and then I partitioned it (I've been wanting to separate Classic and OS X forever but I hate reinstalls) and reinstalled Classic and OS X. Everything was working fine and I slowly put back the Library. When I put in the Mail preferences and files (so my old emails would still show up) the same thing happened to the same apps. So my guess is this, I either have corupted files or a virus.

I'll let you know what I find when I reinstall OS X in the next few days.
 
Hmm, generally when everything goes down, and you are returned to the login screen, it's because the loginwindow process has died for one reason or another. I can't even begin to guess what might be causing that...

Which reminds me of a completely unrelated handy tip: if everything is going haywire, bring up a terminal window, and kill loginwindow. That can get you out of a few jams.
 
I got everything to work properly. Partitioning my drive the first try helpped. I was able to run in OS 9 and check out my OS X partition using Norton Antivirus. Using the updated definitions I scanned the drive and the files checked out ok, but when it was scannning the compressed archives Norton would quit. When I opened the program again there was no record that it ran into an error. I narrowed down what files it was having problems (sure enough they were files in my email) and deleted them.

I backed up my stuff yet again and then did a reinstall. This time the first thing I did was test my email....very carefully. This time I didn't just put in the old preferences and I didn't throw in the mailboxes. I created the accounts that I had before then quit mail and put in the old versions (cleaned up with Norton) and restarted Mail. No problems.

I continued reinstalling programs and my machine has been working fine since.

Also, another precaution. In case I had gotten hacked I changed my password and I haven't enabled root access. When I do re-enable root, I'll change that password too. Then I'll beable to finish reapplying my personal mods to the system.

Thanks for your suggestions. They were helpful.

Alex
 
Originally posted by RS2_Russ
First thoughts: Guys cleverer than me say never log in as root , but it's a bit late for that now :-(.
Maybe that when you were transferring files as root their permissions changes to being owned by root (and therefore unusable by you)?
Best answer I'd say: re-install, go to NetInfo and make sure "Enable root access" remains off and learn from it :-)
Click to expand...

If you don't enable the root user it leaves "sudo" and "su" unusable as well.
If you're wanting to play around with the system at all this'll be one of the first things you do... it was the first thing I did :D
 
My comp crashed a THIRD time. This time I may have an answer, though. I was talking with one of the Mac guys here, at my work, about my problems and his thought was that the Mail.app program itself could be the cause. I have Mail checking 3 email accounts. With those accounts I download all the mail to the system. Two of the accounts have more than 1500 emails, and one has greater than 3000. I like to archive my email.

The guy I talked to gets to go to various developer conferences and really keeps up on what all the updates do and improve. His guess was that the version of Mail.app I was using wasn't able to handle all the email I have and thats why it kept dying. (Norton kept finding the Catalog B-tree files messed up everytime Mail died) He sugguested that I upgrade to 10.2.

I ran Nortons before I left work Friday and didn't find a virus. I did find the Catalog messed up, as had happened before. Fixed that. That didn't help, (same as before) and, same as before, none of that fixed the problem. So this weekend I went out and bought 10.2 (thank God Friday was payday) and updated my system. I rebooted after the update and checked out Mail and Terminal and no problems. Everything works, and in many cases works better than it had before.
 
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