Broken home folder - how to log back in ?

Hello, I'm having serious issue on my MacPro 10.7.4, as I can't log in any more.
Issue:
My setup:
System 10.7.4 on MacProSSD (internal SSD)
Data on my software RAID0 on 2 internal HD.
Unfortunatly I had the bad idea to move my home folder on the RAID0 cluster.
One of the 2 hard drives just died, making impossible to reach any data on this side !
So now, I just get an error trying to log back, as I guess the system can't find my home folder.
Tentative:
I just set up a second partition on my SSD, installed lion again and boot from here.
So I can have access to the original SSD file system.
I'd like to modify some files to update the path to a new home folder. (not on the RAID obviously but still on SSD).
Could be done by terminal / command line...
I used to know how to do that on linux by modify /etc/password, but I can't find the same files on OSX.
Question:
Do you have any idea on how to modify / update the system user path, so I could boot again from by previous partition ?
Thanks for your help !

yep, I did not create a second one.
I can still log as guest with safari only, but that doesn't help much...

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Sorry for the delay - perhaps bump sooner next time.
I use 10.5.8 and don't recall seeing this. A picture may help.
My advice is:
Backup Home folder and perhaps whole disk to an external disk or DVD with eg Carbon Copy Cloner
Install the free AppleJack
Reboot holding cmd s until you see text
Wait until text stops
Type: applejack AUTO shutdown
Hit return key
Don't touch but prepare for a long wait - may take hours the first time
You can probably ignore the many error messages
Reboot after it has shutdown
First boot will take longer than usual as it rebuilds caches
I find AppleJack far better than Apple's Disk Utility.

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Couple of possibilities:
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Turn your Mac off now and do not use it until you have bought a copy of DataRescue (about $100) and used it to try to recover.
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Hi mazde, and a warm welcome to the forums!
Could be many things, we should start with this...
"Try Disk Utility
1. Insert the Mac OS X Install disc, then restart the computer while holding the C key.
2. When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.)
*Important: Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.*
3. Click the First Aid tab.
4. Select your Mac OS X volume.
5. Click Repair Disk, (not Repair Permissions). Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk."
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
Then try a Safe Boot, (holding Shift key down at bootup), run Disk Utility in Applications>Utilities, then highlight your drive, click on Repair Permissions, reboot when it completes.
(Safe boot may stay on the gray radian for a long time, let it go, it's trying to repair the Hard Drive.)
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Hi,
Could still do with trying to work out if this is possible. If anyone has any ideas / suggestions it would be much appreciated.
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MC SE7EN wrote:
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http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107854

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Keywords:
Mac OS X 10.4.11
FileVault: On
System: Restarted
Home folder: still somewhere in the hard drive but not yet in my account
Initial bad manipulation: home folder > get info > ownership & permissions > you can > No Access
<and> Owner > No Acces
Hello all,
Here is my problem:
Basically, I do not have the home folder in my account when I log in.
Hopefully I remember well what have led to this consequence.
To begin, in the finder menu for the home folder I opened the get info pop-up. Then, under "Ownership & Permissions" I have replaced "Read & Write" by "No Access" both in "you can" and under "Details - Owner".
Per consequence, I couldn't read a document in this folder. Hence, I've tried to to go backward and change the "No Access" to "Read & Write" but it couldn't work.
Then, I restarted the session - but because I had filevault turned on - it screwed.
Then, when I logged in back I got this message:
"The home folder for user "XX" is not located in the usual place or cannot be accessed.
The home or users folder may have been moved or deleted. If the home folder is located or the network, he server may be unavailable temporarily. If you continue to have problems, see your administrator."
Do anyone have already encountered a similar problem?
Thanks a lot,
/

HFG,
One more thing, from this other admin account (good one) I went in terminal and >I observed that the folder that I'm having trouble with does not have the "d" letter.
Basically, it's written:
"-rwxr-xr-x 1 bobip bouba 23701154564 Nov 12 15:31 lol.sparseimage"
What you think? Souldn't be coded as "d_rwx...
Remember what I wrote earlier:
A FileVault account instead puts all of its data into an encrypted disk image - in fact an encrypted sparseimage. If FileVault is enabled, the home folder for that account no longer directly contains the Documents, Pictures, and other data subfolders - all that the home folder really contains is a single file named username.sparseimage. When you log in to the FileVault account and give your password, this disk image mounts and you can access your files.
That "lol.sparseimage" does contain all your data, but it is a file and not a folder, which is why its permissions start with a "-" and not a "d". It is a "disk image file," very similar to the .dmg files that you download from the internet. When a disk image file is opened it will mount a "virtual" disk volume, which behaves very much like a real external disk volume.
Let's call the shortname of your FileVault account "fv" as Robert did. So as I wrote earlier, when you are logged out, your file structure is going to look like:
HD>Users>fv>fv.sparseimage
When you log in, the name of the lol folder is changed to .fv, with the lol.sparseimage file still inside. The leading period hides it from finder. But more importantly, a "virtual disk" named "fv" mounts and opens, which contains all your stuff. The "fv" disk icon is hidden from Finder and doesn't show on the desktop, but it is there.
The mounted disk volume "fv" has access permissions just as a file or folder does, and looking back at what you did, *I think you changed the permissions on that mounted volume*, and not on the sparseimage file that holds it - you would not have seen the sparseimage file from Finder. If you did this then the permissions for both the HD>Users>fv folder and also for the sparseimage file were probably OK all along. I'm not sure what you've now done to them, which is why I advised backing up before doing anything.
So to sum up - there are three different entities that need to have the proper permission structure for the FileVault account to work properly:
1. The folder "fv" in /Users (assuming you are logged out. If logged in it would be .fv)
2. The *sparseimage file* "fv.sparseimage", which is inside that fv folder.
3. The *disk volume* 'fv" that mounts when the fv sparseimage file is opened and the correct FileVault password is given.
I tried creating a test filevault account to check these permissions, and you could try to reproduce what I found. My suggestion in trying to fix things is to do it from Finder, not from Terminal.
I would
1) Log out of the FileVault account,
2) From the other admin account, [enable the root user (Tiger)|http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1528?viewlocale=en_US], and then log in as root.
Then from the root account:
1) Do a Get Info on the folder /Users> fv. Set the owner to fv, with Read only access, set Group to fv with "No Acess" and set Others to "No Access.' Do not click Apply to enclosed items.
2) Do a Get Info on the file fv.sparseimage. Set the owner to fv, with Read and Write access, set Group to fv with No Access, and set Others to "No Access.' Do not click Apply to enclosed items.
3. Double-click the fv.sparseimage file (and cross your fingers!). When asked for a password, give the password from the FileVault account, not your current root password. Look on the Desktop for a new "fv" disk icon.
(Your stuff is in there - if you have ANY type of backup storage, even a thumb drive, you could double-click the fv disk icon and copy the most valuable files somewhere else)
Do a Get Info on the fv disk icon, and set the owner to "unknown" with Read and Write Access, the Group to "unknown" with No Access, and Others to No Access. Most importantly, *check the box for "Ignore ownership on this volume"*. Do not click Apply to enclosed items.
So again, the three Get Infos (as seen from the root account) on my fv folder, my fv.sparseimage file, and my fv mounted volumes look like this:
!http://i34.tinypic.com/krf4h.jpg!
The important permissions are those under "Details". Ignore the part that says "*You have*: No Access." ( You are root, and you actually do have access)
If all seems well, then right-click >eject the mounted fv disk icon on the desktop, log out of root, and try logging back into your Filevault account.

My home folder and my Hard disk icon have dissapeared from my mac. How do I get them back?

My home folder and my Hard disk icon have dissapeared from my mac. How do I get them back?

Try a restart. If the problem is the same, try deleting the com.apple.finder.plist.
Either hold down the option key while using the Finder “Go To Folder” command
and select your user Library in your home folder or use the Finder “Go To Folder” command and enter ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.finder.plist. Move the .plist to your desktop.
Relaunch Finder (command - option - esc) and test. If it works okay, delete the plist from the desktop.
If the same, return the .plist to where you got them from, overwriting the newer ones.
If you prefer to make your user library permanently visible, use the Terminal command found below.
Show User Library
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I've found a solution, no need to post a response. Thanks!

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