Missing Users from Login Dialog

by louperez--2008 Nov 16, 2010 3:57AM PST

Ok here's an odd one. Using my Core2 iMac with no issues after updated to 10.6.5 (Combo Update). Last nite, I logout only to see the Logon Window come up no longer showing any users .. just "Other"? I don't even have "Other" enabled in my Login Preferences?

Making matters worse, no username/password I specify is accepted meaning I cannot logon to the machine. So I do the following:

- Boot to an external startup drive
- run Disk Utility
- the Internal HD does NOT appear on the desktop but does appear in Disk Utility
- Run Repair Disk and Repair Permissions which both make repairs.

Reboot to Internal HD. Still only the "Other" user appears. I haven't had time to do it yet but was going to try booting in Target Disk mode to see if I can access the internal HD.

If not I guess I can just do a clean install and recover from my Time Machine backups. Anyone else seeing this issue? Any other ideas?

Discussion is locked

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Missing Users from Login Dialog

by zwolfinger Nov 16, 2010 11:01AM PST

I'm having the exact same problem on my 1st generation Mac Mini.

Bump.

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Missing Users from Login Dialog

by zwolfinger Nov 16, 2010 11:04AM PST

oops - make that 3rd generation Mac Mini - not 1st....

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Work-around

by zwolfinger Nov 17, 2010 1:10AM PST

Based on other threads I'm following on the issue, until a fix is found, you can reinstall Snow Leopard from the DVD, then apply the 10.6.4 combo upgrade and not upgrade to 10.6.5. Should at least get you back up and running.

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Fixed

by louperez--2008 Nov 18, 2010 11:58AM PST

Reinstalled Mac OS 10.6 from media:

> Used the same username and password of my previous account
> Upon restart following the reinstall, the machine auto logged on and all my account data and files were intact
> Other user folders were on the HD but the "Accounts" Control Panel only included my account
> I deleted those user folders and recovered them from Time Machine backup which created the accounts also.
> Downloaded Mac OS 10.6.4 Combo update and other Software Updates

I'm staying with 10.6.4 on this machine for a while unless I read about some fix. This must be hardware related this iMac is my oldest Mac. I have 2 other MacBook Pros which are both upgraded to 10.6.5 and they have not experienced this issue (thankfully)!

So overall this was a recoverable situation but annoying and time consuming. Reminded me of the Windows OS horrors of past

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(NT) Well done.

by mrmacfixit Forum moderator Nov 18, 2010 10:19PM PST

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Reset PRAM?

by sturner--2008 Nov 19, 2010 5:36AM PST

There is a possiblity that resetting the PRAM may also help.

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What doesn't always work.

by connectionfailure Dec 8, 2010 7:49AM PST

I am in the middle of feeling the pain of this bug right now.
No, it's not a corrupt directory
No, it's not bad permissions
Reinstalling the 10.6.5 combo updater didn't fix it either.

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Then do what the original poster did

by mrmacfixit Forum moderator Dec 8, 2010 9:38AM PST

Reinstall the OS, in their case 10.6 from the DVD, and all will work again.

It was only then that they downloaded a combo update.

P

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This fix worked for me, try this

by crissilva Feb 8, 2011 4:07PM PST

I had the same problem, no users in login window and just the "Other..." option. Try this:

1. Boot from DVD and open Utilities>Password Reset in the menu bar.
2. In the window select your HD, maybe you'll only see in the available users dropdrown list the "System Administrator (root)". Set a new password for it and save changes. Restart.
3. Login as "root" with the password you've already set.
4. Once you're logged, open System Preferences>Users and recreate the accounts using the same short names you had (you can check it out by browsing the Users folder on HD). A dialog will ask you if you want to use the existing folder for the new account, confirm and create it. Do the same for each user you had.
5. Close "root" session and try logging with the recreated users. Everything must be in place as you left it.
6. (Optionally) Disable root login from Directories Utility.

Good luck!

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worked perfectly!

by edwardphoto Mar 12, 2011 12:31AM PST

Thx to the above poster! Crissilva

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