Several issues concerning Account names and Login Options - PLEASE HELP!

I

ignavilla

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While trying to change the Admin and the Standard names from "Jack" to "Me" and "Silvia" to "You" I somehow managed to delete an application found at the admin's 'Login Items' section under System Preferences>>System>>Accounts>>Me/Admin. Before changing the names I noticed that under Login Items there was only ony application (do not remember the name), and now that I just logged in again the WHOLE system is set to factory settings. Now, under system prefs, the application is no longer to be found under Login Items. All of what I had set in my desktop upon login in was moved into what it seems is a secondary user's account. If I go under users, and click on the the admin's short name "JJ" I only see Desktop and Library. Under "Me" I see what is supposed to be my desktop and ALL my documents..... I know this is all very confusing. I just logged in and all of the sudden I see another desktop, not the same dock items, nothing of what I had set up before!!!!
How can I reset "ME" into "JJ".....?? I see "ME" as a regular Folder icon and "JJ" as the little-house icon. I know I haven't lost my things because they are under the "ME" folder.

It seems to have reset Safari into factory settings too because all my bookmarks are also gone.

Also, how can I change the "JJ" short name because it doesn't let me do it through the admin's section.

PLEASE HELP!!!!
 
Did you manually change one user's homefolder at some point or try to change the user's shortname? Because those things are bad and result in very bad things, such as what you're discovering now. Btw.: Why would you want one user to be called "You"? If I were that person, I'd _always_ try to login through "Me", because I'm never "You", I'm always "Me". :P
 
i believe i did...... what can i do now!?!?! I am sure I just need to add an application into the Login Items from the applications section... but dont know where to find it... and the ME and YOU was just an example...
 
Most here agree it's a bad idea to change the account names. The problem begins, because you haven't actually changed the accounts that your system expects to see - and logging out, then back in creates those same user folders with the same old names, with nothing in them except the defaults, and that's where you are now....

Here's an Apple support article that will help you get back to where you were.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107854

Also in that article, you'll find a link that will allow you to change the short name. It's 40 steps, and not one to use unless you really need to do that....
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106824
even the developers who have created scripts to make the process easier, don't recommend changing the account name!
Come back if you are still stuck....
 
ignavilla said:
i believe i did...... what can i do now!?!?! I am sure I just need to add an application into the Login Items from the applications section... but dont know where to find it... and the ME and YOU was just an example...
Click to expand...

If you change the name of the HOME directory (the one with the HOME icon), that map gets diconnected from the user.

One way to get it back is to rename it back to its original name, or create another user with the (i think short) name of the new name. Short names are in general not changed as they are the physical reference for the system when dealing with the user. You can easiy change the normal name as that is just for display purposes only.

Good luck, Kees
 
hey kess,
thanks for you help.... i did what you told me, but the HOME directory's name remains the short name, and the new name is shown as a separate user (regular folder icon). Don't know if I should try to drag all the folders from that regular folger into the HOME directory's folder one by one... this would also mean having to replace the basic folders that are already found in the HOME directory (Desktop, Library, Pictures) - all with different non-folder-like icons.

what do you think???? Just dont understand how could a little small change like that create such a big problem...!!!
 
hey kees,
thanks for you help.... i did what you told me, but the HOME directory's name remains the short name, and the new name is shown as a separate user (regular folder icon). Don't know if I should try to drag all the folders from that regular folger into the HOME directory's folder one by one... this would also mean having to replace the basic folders that are already found in the HOME directory (Desktop, Library, Pictures) - all with different non-folder-like icons.

what do you think???? Just dont understand how could a little small change like that create such a big problem...!!!
 
If you need the files in the new name, rename your home directory shortusername_new, then rename newname -> shortname

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