[Nuslos]

If I change a mp3 file to open in iTunes by default, it will go back to opening in Audacity when I restart. If I make Firefox my default browser, it will not be when I restart (it keeps asking me if it should be default)

[analogika]

If you are actually running your computer logged as root, then that just means that doing so has already ****ed things up to a point where I'd just wipe the entire drive and reinstall everything.

Don't run as root. And no, that's not facetious advice.

[Art Vandelay]

It is true that you shouldn't be running as root but it is not likely that you will need to reinstall. Most likely the LaunchServices cache is corrupted. Delete the appropriate LaunchServices cache file in /Library/Caches and restart.

[- - e r i k - -]

Don't run as root

[Nuslos]

Hm. So why exactly is using the root account bad?

[- - e r i k - -]

Because the system is not designed to run as root. You are more likely to f*ck up big time with file permission than not, delete something you shouldn't and generally screw up.

Run as an admin. It gives you all the power you need with none of the problems.

[JKT]

Not to mention that it is incredibly insecure. You give access to the entire system to anyone who can find a way in. You shouldn't even run as an admin account for day to day operation for similar reasons. In OS X it is completely unnecessary anyway as you can do almost anything from a normal account so long as you know an admin username and password.

[analogika]

In a word: It turns Mac OS X into Windows, except with better hardware and driver support.

'Nuff said?

Oh, and do a search - the "why not run as root" discussion has been done to death over the past six years.

Start here (from 2002): http://forums.macnn.com/84/mac-os-x-...t-run-as-root/

Nutshell:

1) Apple disables it with good reason. If you go through the trouble of having to enable the root account without knowing why it's disabled, you revoke your license to use it.

2) The more people seem to know about *nix systems, the *less* likely they are to log in as root. That should tell you something.

3) Root is like crack (Score:5, Funny)
by Anonymous Coward

Don't smoke it. I did once and got hooked. I ran Mac OS Updates as root. ****, I even had sex with my girlfriend as root. Man, that caused some permissions problems. When I started the road to recovery (logging in as Zacks) my girlfriend was all like: "**** no! You can't get any cause you don't own me an I don't go groups. You don't have the power to read, write OR execute so get out of my FACE" So I was all HELL NO bitch. And she wuz like you do not have root (superuser) privlages so get out of my TruBlueEnvironment! So then I went chown and chmodded her ass to me. Dat be-otch be up in my hizzouse. What what. Holla! [nicked from slashdot]

[- - e r i k - -]

[Nuslos]

o_o

[Big Mac]

Originally Posted by Nuslos 

Hm. So why exactly is using the root account bad?

What or who made you think it was a good idea?