[simonmartin]

Hi,

I have just found that I can't create a new user or change rights of an existing user.


I seem to still have admin rights over the box but I can't give anyone else admin rights.

My netInfo logs look like this:

Dec 22 10:31:37 localhost netinfod local[139]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 2
Dec 22 10:31:37 localhost netinfod local[139]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 1
Dec 22 10:32:21 localhost netinfod local[139]: Remote user (null) may not modify property _writers_users in directory 52
Dec 22 10:32:21 localhost netinfod local[139]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 53
Dec 22 10:32:21 localhost netinfod local[139]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 51
Dec 29 15:58:20 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 2
Dec 29 15:58:20 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 1
Dec 29 15:58:24 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (null) may not modify property _writers_users in directory 52
Dec 29 15:58:24 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 53
Dec 29 15:58:24 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 51
Dec 29 16:02:37 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 2
Dec 29 16:02:37 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 1
Dec 29 16:02:39 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (null) may not modify property _writers_users in directory 52
Dec 29 16:02:39 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 53
Dec 29 16:02:39 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 51
Dec 29 16:08:17 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 2
Dec 29 16:08:17 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 1
Dec 29 16:09:18 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (null) may not modify property _writers_users in directory 52
Dec 29 16:09:18 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 53
Dec 29 16:09:18 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 51
Dec 29 16:10:00 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (null) may not modify property _writers_users in directory 52
Dec 29 16:10:00 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 53
Dec 29 16:10:00 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 51
Dec 29 16:10:23 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (null) may not modify property _writers_users in directory 52
Dec 29 16:10:23 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 53
Dec 29 16:10:23 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 51
Dec 29 16:21:10 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (null) may not modify property _writers_users in directory 52
Dec 29 16:21:10 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 53
Dec 29 16:21:10 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 51
Dec 29 16:21:22 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (null) may not modify property _writers_users in directory 52
Dec 29 16:21:22 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 53
Dec 29 16:21:22 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 51
Dec 29 16:23:50 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 2
Dec 29 16:23:50 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 1
Dec 29 16:24:21 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 2
Dec 29 16:24:21 localhost netinfod local[138]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 1
Dec 29 16:49:49 localhost netinfod local[162]: Remote user (null) may not modify property _writers_users in directory 52
Dec 29 16:49:49 localhost netinfod local[162]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 53
Dec 29 16:49:49 localhost netinfod local[162]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 51
Dec 29 16:50:00 localhost netinfod local[162]: Remote user (null) may not modify property _writers_users in directory 52
Dec 29 16:50:00 localhost netinfod local[162]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 53
Dec 29 16:50:00 localhost netinfod local[162]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 51
Dec 29 16:50:18 localhost netinfod local[162]: Remote user (null) may not modify property _writers_users in directory 52
Dec 29 16:50:18 localhost netinfod local[162]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 53
Dec 29 16:50:18 localhost netinfod local[162]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 51
Dec 29 16:50:29 localhost netinfod local[162]: Remote user (null) may not modify property _writers_users in directory 52
Dec 29 16:50:29 localhost netinfod local[162]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 53
Dec 29 16:50:29 localhost netinfod local[162]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 51
Dec 29 17:34:30 localhost netinfod local[122]: Remote user (null) may not modify property _writers_users in directory 52
Dec 29 17:34:30 localhost netinfod local[122]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 53
Dec 29 17:34:30 localhost netinfod local[122]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 51
Dec 29 17:34:54 localhost netinfod local[122]: Remote user (null) may not modify property _writers_users in directory 52
Dec 29 17:34:54 localhost netinfod local[122]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 53
Dec 29 17:34:54 localhost netinfod local[122]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 51
Dec 29 17:35:03 localhost netinfod local[122]: Remote user (null) may not modify property _writers_users in directory 52
Dec 29 17:35:03 localhost netinfod local[122]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 53
Dec 29 17:35:03 localhost netinfod local[122]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 51
Dec 29 17:47:30 localhost netinfod local[122]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 2
Dec 29 17:47:30 localhost netinfod local[122]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 1
Dec 29 20:15:56 localhost netinfod local[122]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 67
Dec 29 20:16:24 localhost netinfod local[122]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 67
Dec 29 20:16:37 localhost netinfod local[122]: Remote user (null) may not modify property _writers_mcx_settings in directory 67
Dec 29 20:16:37 localhost last message repeated 3 times
Dec 29 20:37:32 localhost netinfod local[122]: Remote user (null) may not modify property _writers_users in directory 52
Dec 29 20:37:32 localhost netinfod local[122]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 53
Dec 29 20:37:32 localhost netinfod local[122]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 51
Dec 29 20:37:43 localhost netinfod local[122]: Remote user (null) may not modify property _writers_users in directory 52
Dec 29 20:37:43 localhost netinfod local[122]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 53
Dec 29 20:37:43 localhost netinfod local[122]: Remote user (unknown) may not modify directory 51

Why am I 'Remote user (unknown)' ?

Can anyone help me past this?

Simon
London Uk

[pat++]

First try to repair disk/permissions with disk utility. If it's not enough, here is how to recreate your NetInfo database :

- Open Terminal and save the list of users with their respective user id in a file :

nidump passwd . | grep /Users > ~/Desktop/users.txt

- open the file with TextEdit, and look for the user which has user id 501. Make sure you remember his short name (this is the first user you'll need to recreate in the netinfo database). I'm assuming here that you are using this user to enter the commands.

- boot into single user mode (hold command-S during startup)
- enter the following commands when you are on the black screen :

mount -uw /
rm -rf /var/db/netinfo
rm -f /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
sync
reboot

- Then Mac should reboot and you'll see the Apple setup assistant.
- Enter the information required to create the first user (which had user id 501)
- Finally, go in System Preferences, and create all the users beginning with the one having the smaller user id number (502) and continue with the following ones for each user.
(The order is important, this is to make sure your users are created in the same order, so that each users is assigned his original user id)

That way, you'll have a clean Netinfo database. Notice that your users won't loose any data in their home directory.

[simonmartin]

Originally posted by pat++:
First try to repair disk/permissions with disk utility. If it's not enough, here is how to recreate your NetInfo database :

- Open Terminal and save the list of users with their respective user id in a file :

nidump passwd . | grep /Users > ~/Desktop/users.txt

- open the file with TextEdit, and look for the user which has user id 501. Make sure you remember his short name (this is the first user you'll need to recreate in the netinfo database). I'm assuming here that you are using this user to enter the commands.

- boot into single user mode (hold command-S during startup)
- enter the following commands when you are on the black screen :

mount -uw /
rm -rf /var/db/netinfo
rm -f /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
sync
reboot

- Then Mac should reboot and you'll see the Apple setup assistant.
- Enter the information required to create the first user (which had user id 501)
- Finally, go in System Preferences, and create all the users beginning with the one having the smaller user id number (502) and continue with the following ones for each user.
(The order is important, this is to make sure your users are created in the same order, so that each users is assigned his original user id)

That way, you'll have a clean Netinfo database. Notice that your users won't loose any data in their home directory.

Pat,

Thanks for that. I did remove the netinfo db three times in the end but eventually the setup assistant couldn't even create a standard user at all.

I ended up doing a clean install.

Just picking up the pieces now. At least it was an opportunity do do an 'Erase and install' of Panther rather than an upgrade.

Hopefully this installation will prove a bit more robust.

Thanks again for your help, everyone.

Simon