[The3rdMan]

OK - Im a newbie to mac so hopefully i explain everything sufficiently. File vault just erased all my system preferences. Yesterday I shut down my mac to restart and I clicked on skip on the file vault encrypt menu. When I restarted all preferences are gone - everything in Firefox, ITunes is missing my entire library, the dock is back to original settings, the icons on my desktop are extra large. All my files are still there however, thankfully, as is the image for my desktop background. I have done a search thru these forums and tried the suggested sparse image repair thru disk utility - however i was not allowed access to my primary user account when attempting to fix it thru my admin account (as suggested). Also, now when I try to turn off file vault an error message stating that I do not have enough disk space to turn it off and that I need over 4000 GB to do so.

A. Is there any way to recover my preferences?
B How to I permanently shut off file vault and fix any problems it created?

Thanks for any suggestions........

[mac128k-1984]

If you have access to your data but not your preferences, then I suggest you back up that data first, then reload OSX.
I'm not a file vault user so I have no real advice other to start over but getting a back up done is crucial because if you do start messing around with the settings you may end up losing your data.

Any particular reason why you turned file vault on? For me I saw no need and the risk far outstripped the benefit for me. I use a macbook when I travel but I make sure nothing that is confidential is on that so the need of File Vault is not there.

[rehoot]

I don't use the file vault, but if you recover from this an alternative way to secure your important files is to use Disk Utility (in Applications/Utilities) to make an encrypted disk image with AES-128 encryption. Use a very long password with upper case, lower case, numbers, and symbols. I have a couple images like that. I have a small one for the small files that I update most often, and then it is easier to copy the entire DMG to a backup file every day that it changes. If you make one giant image, then if you change one file you have to back up the whole thing or create a secure copy of that one file.

[frdmfghtr]

I had a similar problem once when trying to turn off FileVault. The reason you get the error message is because you really do need more disk space, but not 4000 GB (That's about 4 TERAbytes!)

To turn off FileVault without a reinstall first:

BACK UP YOUR DATA! That is key to any and every operating situation you will ever find your self in. Daily is perfect, weekly good, monthly barely acceptable.

Next, move some of your largest files to a directory on the drive not protected by FileVault. Make some temporary directory somewhere outside your home directory structure and stick the big files there. Heck, just move all your documents. Don't move things like the library directory or the pictures/music directories, just your documents.

Next, reboot. A dialog box should come up stating that FileVault is using more space than it needs and will suggest shrinking the encrypted volume. Let it do that. You may have to move some more files if you don't get this prompt, since there is probably some threshold of wasted space that must exist before FileVault will shrink the volume.

On reboot, try shutting off FileVault. You should be able to do so if you moved enough data outside the home directory.

Finally, move your data from the temporary directory back into the proper locations in the home directory.

FileVault, from what I have read, is a dangerous idea. It converts your entire home directory into one encrypted volume; one corrupt chunk of data could destroy the entire encrypted volume. (Can anybody support or refute this?)

Now fi you will excuse me, I need to go back up my hard drive; it's been three days since I last did it.

[Drizzt]

It's a two edged sword, I wouldn't enable it without an automatic backup (which I have).

It protects all your data without discrimination but can lose everything if it get's corrupted.

I know that my computing habits are safe with it, but it still is a risk.