2010 MacBook: Can't unlock Preference panes

I have a mid-2010 MacBook running OSX 10.7.4. Computer's operation is normal except for this issue. The issue is that I cannot use the administrator password to unlock preference panes or install software, but it works when logging in. I have tried restarting, resetting PRAM, repairing and verifying volumes from the repair utility, etc. The Users and Groups preference pane is locked, so I cannot create a new administrator account. I have also tried changing the password. The computer occasionally reverts (seemingly at random) to the old login screen (two text boxes, one for username and one for password on a gray background), and on this screen I cannot login either. I would like to confirm that the username is correct when I enter it, so you know that isn't the issue. The password is definetely correct, as I mentioned earlier. When installing software, it recognizes that the password is correct/incorrect (when incorrect, the box shakes), but it just closes quickly, having decidedly not installed the software.
Thank you for any help!

I believe I have the same problem but when I try to delete the com.apple.HIToolbox.plist file I get the following message:
The operation can’t be completed because an unexpected error occurred (error code 100022).
To clarify, my problem is that I have lost my admin privelages dispite being logged in with the admin account.
At the password stage of installing any package, when I enter my password, the password the dialogue box will disapear but I will not have advanced a step in the package wizard.
Also, when trying to unlock the padlock in system preferences, once the password is entered, the dialogue dispaears and the padlock remains locked (but is highlighted like when you hover over it).
I know I'm entering the right password because if I enter any other password, I get the standard wrong password reaction. I am also definately an admin, it says so under my name in 'current user' sidebar of 'users and groups'.
I am running Mac OS X 10.7.2 on a 2.3Ghz Macbook Pro.
Any help is greatly appreciated that doesn't involve reinstalling the system.
Many thanks,
Dan.

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Is there a way to select file format, color space, bit depth, resolution at this point rather than preferences?
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from lightroom?
Thanks
Steve z

You can set up and name "external editing presets" which thereafter can be directly used in the "Edit in.." part of the right-click context menu - instead of re-customising the options on the main "Edit in PS" function. So you might set one up for 8-bit AdobeRGB TIFF into editing program A (referred to by identifying its program executable) and another for 16-bit ProPhoto PSD into program B, again identified by its executable, or whatever - (perhaps either or both might be one or another version of Photoshop).
However - there is no means of setting any other pixel dimensions than Original (as currently cropped by LR) in this external editing setup. LR does not provide the half-size, normal, double-size etc choices that ACR offers in its "output options". Once you are in (say) PS you can downsample as you wish, and LR will then treat that just the same when it returns from its round-trip.
However both in PS directly, and in LR (with or without PS involved), if you just leave the image at its original pixel detail, you can still achieve a downsampled output on-the-fly whenever necessary. The added complexity of running different res versions of the same image, will IMO usually exceed the added difficulty of editing a larger-than-immediately-required file in PS... especially if there is a good chance that you might next require a full-res example of the same thing anyway!

Unlock preference panes via ARD

Hi all,
I have a group of about 75 macs that I manage, all with local user accounts. Is there any easy way to use ARD to unlock System Preferences / Print and Fax for each of them, to allow them to add printers?

I'm not sure that's the right approach... You probably want to put a printer configuration to the machines instead.
Offering the sage advice of Dave Saywer...
Take a look at this document:
How to Setup 300 Printers in Just Under 3 Minutes
http://www.acc.southernct.edu/files/SetPrintersInMacOSX.pdf
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TS4404 Most of the options in preference panes in OS 10.9 can no longer be set by administrators

I'm sure I'm not the only person with this problem. I am running Mavericks on a 21" iMac Early 2008. I have applied all updates. When I try to change preferences on almost all of the preference panes it can't be done. I click on the button and nothing happens. Not sure what log file to look in and my searches have not even come close to finding a solution on this site.
For instance I can open the preference pane for network settings, unlock the settings but when I click on advanced nothing happens. If I try to connect to a different network nothing happens. Another example: If I change the default browser in Safari or any other browser (again all updated) it always goes back to the setting that it had when I logged in. It will let me select other browsers and then close the preferences for the browser but when I launch a web address it launches the browser that was set at login.
I found one article about loggin in safe mode twice might help. No effect cleared all caches with OnyX still no effect on System Preferences. System did crash recently did a shutdown via remote shell login (SSH) and ran "shutdown -r now" command from terminal on my phone. I don't know if this was the cause as it wasn't noticed until sometime later.

Thanks for the idea. I followed the advice in your link and after figuring out to add a user using terminal I was able to do it. Part of the problem was the users and groups did not work to add or modify users. The new user worked fine. I still couldn't find anything wrong with my preferences in any of the usual places. So I backup up my data. deleted my user account and created a new account for me then restore all my data. To try to stay on the safe side I no longer give myself admin privileges but use the new account for that. Hopefully this will keep it less likely from occuring again.
Thanks again for your help

System Preference Pane Errors

Good evening everyone,
I'm currently having some issues with my iMac in relation to the System Preference 'preference panes' and the Bluetooth connection to my machine. A large number of preference panes are giving me two types of errors when trying to open them in System Preferences. I've listed the two errors below, followed by the panes that aren't working based on the stated error:
Error Type 1 - "You can't open (preference pane name) preferences because it doesn't work on an Intel-based Mac.
     - Desktop & Screen Saver
     - Security & Privacy
Error Type 2 - "Could not load (preference pane name) preference pane.
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     - Keyboard
     - Mouse
     - Trackpad
     - Bluetooth
     - Sharing
     - Users & Groups
     - Parental Controls
     - Accessibility
All other preference panes seem to be working correctly. I only noticed this issue because my Bluetooth mouse and trackpad stopped working and several suggestions mentioned looking at settings, which I can't do. If someone could help me correct this/these issues it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Eric

Try this...
Safe Boot , (holding Shift key down at bootup), use Disk Utility from there to Repair Permissions, test if things work OK in Safe Mode.
Then move these files to the Desktop for now...
/Users/YourUserName/Library/Preferences/com.apple.finder.plist
/Users/YourUserName/Library/Preferences/com.apple.systempreferences.plist
/Users/YourUserName/Library/Preferences/com.apple.desktop.plist
/Users/YourUserName/Library/Preferences/com.apple.recentitems.plist
Reboot & test.
PS. Safe boot may stay on the gray radian for a long time, let it go, it's trying to repair the Hard Drive.

Weird Security Preference Pane

I can open Security Preferences Pane but then it shows weird allignment on "Automatically update safe download list" as you can see in the picture below.
I can check the "Automatically update safe downloads list" but then after I close System preference and reopen, the check box will be unchecked again.
Anyone know how to fix this? I'm running 10.6.8
Thanks!!!

pcbjr wrote:
I am at 10.6.8 with all security updates in place.
My Sys Prefs>Security>General does not have "Automatically update safe downloads list"; it has "Automatically install important security updates".
Am I missing something?
pcbjr: Just realized I've been replying to you and not the OP, Et Filia Desiree, without realizing it. What are you doing in the middle of this thread, which has nothing to do with you?
Et Filia Desiree: please ignore all the distracting posts. But I don't understand why your second screenshot, besides showing the old wording, is not showing the misalignment that appears in the first. This thread is getting very confused.

How can I get sound on my MacBook Air after installation of Lion? "No output devices found" on the system preferences pane of my MacBook Air.

Since installing Lion on my MacBook Air, I get no sound and ITunes playback doesn't move. The Sound Preference pane states "No output devices found." The Bluetooth connection to a WiFi speaker works, so it must be a software problem. Anyone?

For sound, try the audio output port and connecting to the RCA audio input ports on your Pioneer receiver. Use something like this:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/PODCONNECTOR/
Ciao.

My settings won't stay set as I set them in preferences pane os maverick . Can someone please help me.

Can anyone help me resolve a problem I've been having . When I open preference pane & set my personal settings ,i.e Dock settings ,display settings to the way I prefer it's fine while I'm using computer but when I shut down & the next day I start up the settings are back to where they were before I went near them .
This problem is really annoying as the idea with the preference pane is for my particular preference . Please can somebody help me resolve this very annoying problem , After all it is a MacBook Pro running the latest software . Thank you .

Back up all data.
This procedure will unlock all your user files (not system files) and reset their ownership and access-control lists to the default. If you've set special values for those attributes on any of your files, they will be reverted. In that case, either stop here, or be prepared to recreate the settings if necessary. Do so only after verifying that those settings didn't cause the problem. If none of this is meaningful to you, you don't need to worry about it.
I've tested these instructions only with the Safari web browser. If you use another browser, they may not work as described.
Step 1
If you have more than one user account, and the one in question is not an administrator account, then temporarily promote it to administrator status in the Users & Groups preference pane. To do that, unlock the preference pane using the credentials of an administrator, check the box markedAllow user to administer this computer, then reboot. You can demote the problem account back to standard status when this step has been completed.
Triple-click anywhere in the following line on this page to select it:
{ sudo chflags -R nouchg,nouappnd ~ $TMPDIR.. ; sudo chown -R $UID:staff ~ $_ ; sudo chmod -R u+rwX ~ $_ ; chmod -R -N ~ $_ ; } 2> /dev/null
Copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C.
Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.
Paste into the Terminal window (command-V). I've tested these instructions only with the Safari web browser. If you use another browser, you may have to press the return key after pasting.
You'll be prompted for your login password. Nothing will be displayed when you type it. You may get a one-time warning to be careful. If you don’t have a login password, you’ll need to set one before you can run the command. If you see a message that your username "is not in the sudoers file," then you're not logged in as an administrator.
The command may take a few minutes to run, or perhaps longer if you have literally millions of files in your home folder. Wait for a new line ending in a dollar sign (“$”) to appear, then quit Terminal.
Step 2 (optional)
Take this step only if you have trouble with Step 1 or if it doesn't solve the problem.
Boot into Recovery. When the OS X Utilities screen appears, select
Utilities ▹ Terminal
from the menu bar. A Terminal window will open.
In the Terminal window, type this:
res
Press the tab key. The partial command you typed will automatically be completed to this:
resetpassword
Press return. A Reset Password window will open. You’re not going to reset a password.
Select your boot volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name) if not already selected.
Select your username from the menu labeled Select the user account if not already selected.
Under Reset Home Directory Permissions and ACLs, click the Reset button.
Select
 ▹ Restart
from the menu bar.

Macbook not unlocking pref panes

Hi, currently running OS X Yosemite 10.10.2 on a Retina MacBook Pro 13.3 inch mid 2014 model. My Mac seems to be having trouble unlocking any sort of preference panes, which doesn't allow me to add/remove user accounts and alter various other settings. Another problem is that upgrading Flash Player doesn't seem to work, it simply stops responding, and to add to that Safari constantly stops responding seemingly randomly, more often so when I need to enter a password/username for an account. The Safari issue is the main annoyance as when it stops responding I can Force Quit the application but then no matter what I try to do I cannot open the application again until the computer has been rebooted. Any ideas on the issue? I've reinstalled Yosemite twice now and restored files via Time Machine both times and the same issue is coming up.

Hi, currently running OS X Yosemite 10.10.2 on a Retina MacBook Pro 13.3 inch mid 2014 model. My Mac seems to be having trouble unlocking any sort of preference panes, which doesn't allow me to add/remove user accounts and alter various other settings. Another problem is that upgrading Flash Player doesn't seem to work, it simply stops responding, and to add to that Safari constantly stops responding seemingly randomly, more often so when I need to enter a password/username for an account. The Safari issue is the main annoyance as when it stops responding I can Force Quit the application but then no matter what I try to do I cannot open the application again until the computer has been rebooted. Any ideas on the issue? I've reinstalled Yosemite twice now and restored files via Time Machine both times and the same issue is coming up.

I can't connect to the internet. I keep getting an 'error in the network preferences pane'

Hi
I am having difficulties connecting my 2102 macbook air to the internet using 10.9.1 mavericks. The problem is that when I select the networck in the preferences networks panel, the panel extends down and says
Preferences Error
There was an error in Network perference pane.
my machine keeps serching under the network menu item but it cannot connect to any network. I can connect tho this network no problem using my iphone or through my main computer which has a wired link.
I have tried an apple hardware test which showed up as having no problems.
What should I do?

Some users with various Wi-Fi problems have reported that they were given the following instructions by Apple Support, sometimes with success. After completing the procedure, you'll have to recreate all your settings in the Networkpreference pane. Make sure you know how to do that before you begin. Taking screenshots of the preference pane may be helpful.
Step 1
Back up all data.
Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:
/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration
Right-click or control-click the highlighted line and select
Services ▹ Reveal
from the contextual menu.* A folder should open with an item named "SystemConfiguration" selected. Move the selected item to the Trash. You may be prompted for your administrator password. Reboot and recreate the network settings.
*If you don't see the contextual menu item, copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combinationcommand-C. In the Finder, select
Go ▹ Go to Folder...
from the menu bar, paste into the box that opens (command-V). You won't see what you pasted because a line break is included. Press return.
Step 2
Reset the System Management Controller.
Step 3
Reset the PRAM.

I have a mid 2010 Macbook Pro running Snow Leopard and foolishly upgraded to Yosemite. Is it possible to go back in time with Time Machine and reinstall Snow Leopard. Then upgrade to Lion or Mavericks? Any other ideas on how I can exit Yosemite?

I have a mid 2010 Macbook Pro running Snow Leopard and foolishly upgraded to Yosemite. Now have numerous problems. Is it possible to go back in time with Time Machine and reinstall Snow Leopard? Then upgrade to Lion or Mavericks? Any other ideas on how I can exit Yosemite?

Once you get yourself back to Snow Leopard, if you still want to upgrade somewhat, I would suggest the following:
1. Get an external hard drive that you can use for experiments with new OS versions. You could partition it into 2 or 3 partitions. You could then clone your existing Snow Leopard system to one partition using Carbon Copy Cloner (well worth $40) or SuperDuper ($25).
2. Buy OS X Mountain Lion for $20, through the Apple online store (I don't think it's available through the App Store). Apple has decided to make it very difficult for anyone to get Mavericks unless they have already downloaded it.
You will receive two e-mails from Apple, one containing a PDF with a redemption code, and one with the password you will need to unlock the PDF. Using the code, you will download Mountain Lion from the App Store, where it will appear among your Purchased items.
After ML finishes downloading, its installer app will launch itself. When you see this launch screen, QUIT the install app immediately! Go to your applications folder, find the Install OS X Mountain Lion app, and copy it to a safe location outside of your Applications folder. Keeping one or more copies will allow you to reinstall without unnecessary aggravation if you later need or want to do that. At this point, you can re-launch the Installer in the Applications folder and let it run. You can install it on a clean partition on your external HD, or you can allow it to upgrade the Snow Leopard clone you created on your external drive, or you can do both. This should allow you to test how everything works for as long as you like.
3. If you left yourself a free partition on your test drive, try a clean install of Yosemite and set everything up from scratch (do not migrate anything). This will allow you to see whether your problems with it were related to something in your Snow Leopard system.

I can't unlock my MacBook Pro "find my mac" any suggestions?

OS X Yosemite Version 10.10.1
MacBook Pro (15" Mid 2012
I can't unlock my MacBook Pro "find my mac" any suggestions?
Cheers
Taff

Philly_Phan,
Can I take this step by step?
I want to activate the "Find my Mac" option in System Preferences and saw the message below.
Are you able to guide me from here? I did something yesterday and got the message that my mac had been locked by my Mac?
My apologies but i can't seem to fond where I went to get this message. I hope this helps you to help me.
Cheers
Taff

Macbook pro 17" digital audio option not showing in Audio preference pane

I seem to be having a problem with the Digital Audio setup with my macbook Pro 17" 2006, running Snow Leopard, when I go to select the SPDIF option in the Audio Prefernce Pane it doesn't give that option!, like it did in Leopard and Tiger of which I had running on this Macbook pro.
Running Snow Leopard this option seem to be missing, I looked in the Midi Setup etc in Utilities as that how I worked around it in Tiger as well as Leopard.
I also have the same problem with my other newer and last of the Macbook Pro 17" model as ti doesn't show in the Audio Preference pane either. Is this an omission in the OS or with my hardware as had no proble,s connectiong to a Sony MD and Tascam MD rack system before. I can always go back to using the older OS if thats the problem but find it hard to believe that All of my Laptops 15" & 17" are all up the swany with the same SPDIF problem.

also posted this question in the MacBook forum. Problem eventually solved by trashing iTunes preference files & the iTunes application, then re-installing iTunes.

Can I put OS X Yosemite on my 2010 macbook pro with current operating system 10.6.8?

Can I put OS X Yosemite on my 2010 macbook pro with current operating system OS X10.6.8? I just bought a new printer and it requires minimum 10.7

You cannot get Mavericks because it has been replaced by Yosemite. Your machine will work just fine with Yosemite, but you don't have to upgrade if you prefer not to.
You should always maintain a backup. Hard drives fail, data are lost. A backup is a security blanket for your data.
Basic Backup
For some people Time Machine will be more than adequate. Time Machine is part of OS X. There are two components:
1. A Time Machine preferences panel as part of System Preferences;
2. A Time Machine application located in the Applications folder. It is
     used to manage backups and to restore backups. Time Machine
     requires a backup drive that is at least twice the capacity of the
     drive being backed up.
3. Time Machine requires a backup drive that is at least double the
     capacity of the drive(s) it backs up.
Alternatively, get an external drive at least equal in size to the internal hard drive and make (and maintain) a bootable clone/backup. You can make a bootable clone using the Restore option of Disk Utility. You can also make and maintain clones with good backup software. My personal recommendations are (order is not significant):
1. Carbon Copy Cloner
2. Get Backup
3. Deja Vu
4. SuperDuper!
5. Synk Pro
6. Tri-Backup
Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on backup and restore. Also read How to Back Up and Restore Your Files. For help with using Time Machine visit Pondini's Time Machine FAQ for help with all things Time Machine.
Although you can buy a complete external drive system, you can also put one together if you are so inclined. It's relatively easy and only requires a Phillips head screwdriver (typically.) You can purchase hard drives separately. This gives you an opportunity to shop for the best prices on a hard drive of your choice. Reliable brands include Seagate, Hitachi, Western Digital, Toshiba, and Fujitsu. You can find reviews and benchmarks on many drives at Storage Review.
Enclosures for FireWire and USB are readily available. You can find only FireWire enclosures, only USB enclosures, and enclosures that feature multiple ports. I would stress getting enclosures that use the Oxford chipsets especially for Firewire drives (911, 921, 922, for example.) You can find enclosures at places such as;
1. Cool Drives
2. OWC
3. WiebeTech
4. Firewire Direct
5. California Drives
6. NewEgg
All you need do is remove a case cover, mount the hard drive in the enclosure and connect the cables, then re-attach the case cover. Usually the only tool required is a small or medium Phillips screwdriver.

In settings can't open iCloud or internet accounts. Get message that preference pane can be opened.

Since upgrading to Maverick it can't open iCloud or internet accounts in settings. Get a message the the preference pane won't open.

Same here.
This was a big problem when switching from 10.7 to 10.8 and now it seems te be back, bigger than ever when going to 10.9.
All icloud related programs are effected: ical, icloud, adressbook, mail.
Systemprefereces goes easily to 100% cpu load and things like com.apple.icloud or com.apple.internetaccounts turn not responding.
At this moment it does not crash on my imac 2012. It still crashes om the imac 2009 and macbook 2009.
Someone mentioned to use keychain repair but that must be done in English mode!. It crashed in dutch mode.
I have not found a overall solution yet.
Will keep on looking or go back to good old 10.8.5.
Armand

2010 MacBook: Can't unlock Preference panes

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