Can't Customize, Change Settings, or Move Files -- Permissions Issue?

Question

Hey all:
Just got a new MBP w/ 10.5.2. Successfully migrated most of my user settings and applications from the old Tiger HDD (old laptop died a horrible death).
The problem is that aside from everything appearing to be the same, I'm finding that I don't have the access to do a whole lot with my own files. Several different problems that "seem" like they're stemming from the same accessiblity/permissions issue include:
Intermittent trouble downloading files with Firefox's default download tool.
Complete inability to change desktop background.
Programs fail to remember setting changes after quit and re-launch.
System Preferences do not remember changes to settings.
Certain files can not be moved, renamed, opened, or deleted w/o admin authorization, or in some cases, at all.
The problems started after I migrated the old system over after having an interim user account running for a few days prior. After migrating, I attempted to reconcile the two together and that's when things got hairy.
In the past couple days, I have tried:
1.) Archive and Install (preserving User settings - now down to just one admin).
2.) Changing permissions to system read/write, admin read/write, everyone read only for the entire /User directory, applied to all enclosed items.
3.) Repairing Permissions (which took about 10 minutes!)
I'm at the end of my rope here. I'm stuck with my OS acting the way it wants to, which is the exact way it was after being archived and reinstalled, no matter what changes I try to apply in the Finder, Preferences, or in any programs.
I'm thinking maybe a clean install and then migrating over the backup I just made on my external HD will get me my stuff without whatever troublesome thing is freezing me out, but I'm not really sure, and I don't really understand much about command lines in Terminal.
Does anyone have any ideas? Many thanks.

Answer 1

Oddly enough I just had a spastic moment with a mouse click and put my Drop Box in the Trash (I keep the Delete thing in my window toolbar, which is handy, but can lead to accidents)... Since I was playing with it I noticed its absence immediately. Realized what I had done after a moment's reflection, and put it back. Which just goes to confirm something I ALWAYS do before I empty the Trash: open it and see what's in there first, then click empty.
As to whether removing ACLs is for advanced users only: well, up until Leopard that's the way it always was, there were, until now, NO ACLs on the users folders. So should everyone have been an advanced user until now? Did you ever delete a folder in Jaquar or Panther or Tiger and empty your Trash without checking? Indeed, if you use Time Machine, available in Leopard but not before, you are already protected from such goofs, since you can recover things accidently deleted using Time Machine, so actually you are in better shape with Leopard than ever before, WITHOUT the ACLs if you use Time Machine. Until Leopard there was neither belt nor suspenders to automatically protect you from losing data. Leopard supplies both.
The situation reminds me of the continuing debate about virus protection on the Mac. Personally, I have seen various anti-virus programs cause all sorts of problems, and it has yet to protect any Mac system from anything (since as yet there are no Mac system viruses). Anti-virus software may have saved some users of Microsoft Office who share files with Windows users from getting a macro virus in their Word docs, and it might have kept a Mac user from passing on some email virus to some Windows users by forwarding stuff from the Internet. But still.... if you don't use MS Office or forward email junk, you get no benefit and may get some problems.
Same seems to me to be true of ACLs: it is possible to get a benefit (you can't accidently toss your Movies folder and lose data, assuming you mindlessly empty your Trash and don't have a backup), but an awful lot of people are having an awful lot of problems.
Francine
Francine
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