Cannot access primary user account - even with Install CD

Question

I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out how to solve a OSX problem for a friend that ran into some problems on his iMac. For some reason, he wasn’t able to log onto his user account – the only one on this computer. He didn’t try to change his password, but something strange must have happened.
We tried to reset the password with an OS X install disc, but I couldn’t even find, much less access his user account. Thanks to the help of some folks at the Genius Bar of an Apple store, we were able to log onto the Root account and create a new account. I tried t recreate the original user account, but the computer wouldn’t allow it, as that account was already being used. If that user account was still active, why wasn’t I able to reset it with an install disc?
I’ve rebuilt the volumes with Disk Warrior, and repaired permissions with Disk Utilities. I’m at a loss on how to deal with accessing the original user account, which has a lot of important data. I’ve copied the user data to an external drive, and I’m thinking I might be able to import various files – email data, photographs, and various documents, but I’m hoping there be an alternative to what seems like a tedious route. Other than using an install disc to reset the password to the user account it can’t seem to recognize, are there any other ways to gain access to this account?
My friend’s computer is a G4 iMac running, I believe, 10.3.9.

Answer 1

There are several possibilities as to why a user account may
not be correctly available or a password to it reset to fix it.
One of them may be, if the short name of the computer or of
an account was changed by the user; and later the system
may appear different or changed, with some of the user acct
settings or preferences no longer as they were prior to that.
There is a way to create a new admin level user account and
then move the older user info into the new account; then go
in and delete the other one. I am not certain as to how to do
this; but the topic has come up in these discussions, and the
general path is about the same from Panther through Leopard.
A few details may be named different, but similar as things go.
• Mac OS X: *How to change user short name* or home directory name:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1428
• How do I change owner's name in my Mac:
http://www.askdavetaylor.com/howto_change_owners_name_applemac.html
While these kinds of details may not be behind the exact problem in
the computer in question, directory and user account issues do often
have similar causes. Often, they are user-caused events. If the general
Directory of information on the hard disk drive has a problem, the use
of a third-party disk tool such as Disk Warrior is usually advised. If that
were needed, usually more evidence across the system would appear.
There may be a way to use a Setup Assistant to recreate a new user
experience and start over with a new admin account and user name.
Then go into the system to ferret out the old user info.
+Sorry I can't be of more help; as I am being distracted by an elderly+
+person who can't figure out why I am online or what it means to be.+
Good luck & happy computing!