HELP!!!! I've lost permissions to my Applications folder!!!

[grrr223]

Thank you everyone for your help with Hotline and OS X. I haven't looked at it too much, but maybe I'll just switch to Carracho or use Pitbull. But anyway...

I tried to delete something out of my applications folder and it won't let me. Somehow the owner has been set to System, and the group has been set to admin (I'm unsure about the group actually). Is there anyway to change this, such as logging in as root? Although once I do that, I don't know what to do from there. Thank you, I love OS X, but this Unix permisions stuff is both a blessing and a curse all in one.

 

[elfin buddy]

i dont know exactly how to log into the mac os x gui as root user, but i know how to do it through unix. the root user is the system (as far as i know), so it can do anything as root. just log in as root (if u know how to do that) and do whatever u need to if u dont know how to change permissions through unix, just ask! good luck!

 

[colocolo]

I can think of 2 ways around this; in both, you'll have to use terminal.app, so open it.

Also, you must remember your root password, which you typed when you installed the system

1.- type:

sudo chmod 666 <file name>

it will ask for the root password, type it.

after that, everyone will have permission to read/write that file, so you shouldn't have problems deleting it.

2.- type:

sudo chown <your user name>

password stuff again...


then, you will be the owner of the file/folder again, so if the owner has permissions you will be able to delete it as well


just be sure you wont mess anything up when you delete stuff by this method!

 

[evildead]

With the GUI

you can just do a getinfo on the applications folder and change the permissions that way. There is a pull down menue for it. You will need to be an admin to do it.

As for root. There is a way to be come root. Real root not the admin account that you set up when you installed OS X. Its under the network utility. I forget all the details but If some one wants to know ... message me and I will post it. I dont have a Mac infront of me right now to look.

Real root has much more privilages than the admin acount you set up at install. Apple didnt want to give realy root access to users in fear of us screwing things up. As real supper user (root) you can mess things up really really bad. Unless your a UNIX head... or you want to be one, you dont need superuser access.

 

[colocolo]

The thing is, if the file/folder is owned by system, chances are you won't be able to change the permissions of it unless you LOG in as root.You have to do quite a few steps too this awy and it will probably take more time. Also, don't forget to relog as your normal account afterwards to avoid the potential dangers brought by a root account.
To change the permissions using the GUI, you must first:

Open Applications->Utilities->Netinfo

Under the menu Domain->Security->Authenticate
- Domain->Security->Enable Root Use- relog as root, and change the permissions

Don't forget afterwards to relog as your normal user and disable root, just in case! you probably don't want to run the risk of screwing your system

 

[mac15]

unix is pretty hard

 

[evildead]

UNIX

UNIX is not that hard... you just have to use it and not be afraid of the terminal.


I learned it .... so any one can

 

[madamimadam]

Quick reminder, to log in as the root user in OSX.* you must have gone to the login preferences of the system preferences, gone to login window and changed from "list of users with accounts on this computer" to "name and password entry field"

 

[colocolo]

hey evildead, not much to do with the thread but what do you plug in your usb 2.0 card?

 

[grrr223]

Thanks everyone, I did what colocolo said to do, both of them, and I'm not sure which one did it, because I didn't notice immediate results after either, but I think I relogged in or something, and now i'm back to happily deleting things from my applications folder .

Hey, did you forget to add <filename> at the end of this?

2.- type:

sudo chown <your user name>

password stuff again...

so it looks like:

2.- type:

sudo chown <your user name> <filename>

password stuff again...

cuz that's what i typed in. thanks again

 

[colocolo]

Yep, I forgot the <filename>

 

[dantec]

TO activate root from the GUI

Just go to Sys prefs... Go to the login window, and select the checkbox "show other user" (on the second tab).

Log out, choose "other" from the login window and type in root and your root password... And VOILA! Now just delete the app from there...

 

[dantec]

Originally posted by colocolo
hey evildead, not much to do with the thread but what do you plug in your usb 2.0 card?

Evildead just popped it into his PCI slot... Note: If you have an iMac or portable you don't have PCI slots... (only powermacs do)

 

[colocolo]

Yes, i know where he plugged it in, i just want to know what (peripheral) does he plug in there, as I don't know of many that use that standard, and I'm curious

BTW, what is the transfer speed of USB 2.0?

 

[colocolo]

Can you log in as root just by setting the preference to "show other user", without enabling the root user logging first in netinfo? that sounds kind of a flaw to me...

 

[madamimadam]

Originally posted by colocolo
Can you log in as root just by setting the preference to "show other user", without enabling the root user logging first in netinfo? that sounds kind of a flaw to me...

No, root user is disabled by default because of the deep level of the system that is accessable by that user. You do actually have to go into NetInfo first and enable it.

 

[colocolo]

Good, thats what I thought.. if it could have been just enabled from the system prefs would have been some potential security risk!

 

[dantec]

Originally posted by colocolo
Can you log in as root just by setting the preference to "show other user", without enabling the root user logging first in netinfo? that sounds kind of a flaw to me...

No first... you must enable the root user... then you can do the GUI trick... That other was meant to be used for Remote apple events but you can use it for root too...