Manually created folders in the Home folder won't be hidden to other computer users

First, I noticed this in Mountain Lion, so it's not Mavericks to be considered the responsible.
All Mac users (ok, except guests and limited) come with a home folder, which contains some default created subfolders that are not accessible by other users on the same Mac. That said, I created a couple of folders under my home folder, in order to store some personal data there: I believed that every newly created folder in there would automatically become unaccessible to other users as well as the default ones. Actually not: after a co-worker of mine logged in, navigating to my user's home folder, I spotted the prohibition sign at every system created folder, but not at the folders I manually created! In fact they were accessible, with full rights to read and write. I manually set their permissions and now I hope noone may see those folders content.
Is it a common behaviour? I expected different.
Thanks

hi there,
yes it is common, since any newly created folder has the default set of permissions, which in current OSX versions and most other unixoid systems is "755" or "rwx r-x r-x".
If you want to change this to the more private setting ("700" or "rwx --- ---"), as used by the subfolders within your home directory in OSX, you need to use the terminal command "chmod" or the Info-Panel within the Finder to alter the permissions manually.
hope this helps,
Chris

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MacWord BASIC help, please! Creating folders (finding the "home folder")

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Hi there and welcome!
Conceptually the 'Home' folder is where your stuff (music, pictures, movies, documents, preferences, etc) is kept in the computer. Since OS X on the Mac allows multiple user accounts each user has their own 'Home' folder. When reading documentation shorhand for the Home folder may be expressed by the ~ (tilde) symbol.
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Creation of folders within the home folder on a new user

I sold my Dual 2.0 G5 to a friend. Instead of doing a clean install of Tiger, I made a new user in his name and deleted my old user. In his home folder there was just 'desktop' and 'library' folders. Once we opened up iPhoto, a 'pictures' folder was created automatically. And once we opened iTunes a 'music' folder was created. I'm wondering how to have the OS automatically create the other folders:
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I'm wondering if there is a way to have the OS create these. Or if that even matters.
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"The home folder could not be created because the network name cannot be found" error in AD users and computers

Our home folders are stored on a non-windows NAS device and with Windows XP and 2003 we've always got the above error when creating or modifying users home folders, even when the shares were al ready created and being used.
However this was never really a big issue as the error that popped up was really for information and finshed with a "we've modified the user properties anyway, please create the share manually" type message.
Unfortunately now we are moving to windows 7 and 2008R2, this last part of the the message is missing and it won't accept the correct value.
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The KB article is almost what we have apart from theitalic underlined
part
Consider the following scenario:
You use a domain administrator account to log on to a computer that is running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2.
You use the Active Directory Users and Computers Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in to connect to a domain controller.
You open the Properties dialog box of a user account.
The user account has sole access to a shared folder path that cannot be accessed by the administrator account.
You set the Remote Desktop Services Home Folderattribute to the shared folder path.
NoteThis attribute is located on the
Remote Desktop Services Profiletab.
You click Apply or OK.
In this scenario, you receive the following error message:
The home folder could not be created because: The network name cannot be found.
Note If you click Apply or OK again, no error message is returned. However, the setting is not saved.
I think the important bit is
The user account has sole access to a shared folder path that cannot be accessed by the administrator account.
We manually create the shares on our NAS and then just want to enter the path in the profile tab, I suppose the question is how to we stop it trying to create the shares ?

Can I merge or combine 2 "album artwork" folders? I have saved music onto an external server from 2 computers but the artwork that I have manually imported remains in the default folder in the music/itunes/album artwork folder on the respective PCs. Thx

Can I merge or combine 2 "album artwork" folders? I have saved music onto an external server from 2 computers but the artwork that I have manually imported remains in the default folder in the music/itunes/"album artwork" folder on their respective PCs.
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(like I have my library- can the other files be saved remotely)
Thx

i'm using iTunes 10 BTW

Sharing the Home folder & all sub folders

I've had my mac networked with a couple of Windows PCs for a long time. Now I've bought another mac & have networked them together. So I'm not new to networking, but am new to networking 2 macs together.
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I'm guessing this is possible. I went to 'Get Info' on the Home folder & it looks like if I set permissions so they are as follows:
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Matt:
Sorry, I should have said that this is how I've been trying to do it.
I can mount both Home folders on both computers & browse them. But when I try to copy files from 1 location to the other I get error messages saying:
'The operation cannot be completed because you do no have sufficient priveliges for the some of the items'.
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"The home folder...isn't located in the usual place or can't be accessed" after 10.9 AD bind.

Okay a little backstory here because I'm trying to eliminate or identify what I feel might be a bug in OS X Mountain Lion and Mavericks. Just FYI, I'm not our institution's AD admin, I just have rights to bind and query for this and that, but I can't make changes or really investigate our AD domain server/s:
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Can anyone tell me if I need to update the script for Mavericks, and how? Or should this be working and the bug is in Mavericks itself?

Is there a way to create folders in the pictures app?

Since I got my Playbook I've been very impressed with the camera quality, way better than my phones 1.3. So I've been taking a lot of pictures. I have taken a lot of my car because I'm making a website for it and want a lot of pictures of it, I take some random ones just for the fun of it, and in school my friends take pictures of themselves with it (it blows the ipad 2's camera quality away) I'd like to put them in separate folders in the pictiures app so that way I don't have to go through all of them and if people want to see the pics they took in school they don't have to go through all of the ones of my stuff on there. I know there is automatically a folder for downloaded pictures, and another for wallpaper like if you got a wallpaper app and download pictures from it. All of my pictures I've taken are in the "camera pictures" folder, so is there a way I can create folders in the app and organize them?
Solved!
Go to Solution.

If you create the folders as a child within the main pictures folder, then they will show up in the app separately. I have many folders with pictures in.
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Love Me - Love My BlackBerry
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Help with understanding the Home Folder plus User Accounts

I just got the IMac (replacing an ageing...that is an understatement...Grape iMac from long ago) and this is my first go at the OSX. My previous iMac had OS9.2
I am having a problem understanding the Home folder and the Users to a point. The concepts are fine, it is the changing of names that is the problem. When I first started the iMac and went through the set-up and finally looked at the file structure, there was the Home Folder with a name, which i guess was pre-entered during set-up since I did not enter it (lets call it JOE). There was also 1 User, JOE with all the iLife folders. Since I did not like the name, i went to the Systems Preferences, into Accounts and found that JOE is an Admin. So, I changed the name to, lets say BILL, who still is an Admin. I also changed some settings and made BILL the auto log account. OK so far I am happy. I go back to the HD and find that now there are 2 users (folders), BILL and JOE, and that the Home Folder is still named JOE butall the iLife files are now under BILL.
So I went and also renamed the Home Folder to BILL, so everything looks fine. But when I restarted the iMac latter it lost all the settings (mouse, etc.) This is really getting confusing.
Here is what I want to do (after some reasearch):
I want to change the Short Name (JOE) but so far I have read that you can not do that. Where did this name come from (basically my first initial and my last name) because I don't want my Home Folder to be named that. I found somewhere that the only way to do that is an Erase and Install. I am willing to do that since I have a backup of all the iLife files on an external disk anyways and I have not put anything new yet.
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Welcome To Discussions kapklo!
First you need to sort out the extra Home folder issue, that was created by changing the Short Names.
The info in one or more of the articles linked to below, will help you with that.
Return to Default Desktop, Apparent "Loss" of Home Directory
My home folder and desktop are different than before
Recover from renaming your Home folder, authored by Dr Smoke
Then you can change the Short Name using this Change Short Name The Easy Way.
Or you could do an Erase & Install, making sure you enter your preferred Short Name, during the setup process.
ali b

What are the correct permissions for the Home folder?

Since buying my first mac (G4 iMac) I've since bought 2 other macs & transferred my home folder from the older computer each time. Since then I've messed around with the permissions of the Home folder a few times to try share files & folders between my Windows PCs. So the permissions of the Home folder on all computers could be messed up a little.
I want to set up permissions how they should be set up as default.
I created another user account with admin priveliges & it looks like the Home folder should be set up as follows:
Owner: 'my name'
Access: Read & Write
Group: admin or 'my name'
Access: Read only
Others: Read only
And the sub folders (Documents, Pictures etc.) should be set up as follows:
Owner: 'my name'
Access: Read & Write
Group: admin or 'my name'
Access: No access
Others: No accesss
Is this correct, & if so shall I just set permissions on my Home folder exactly the same as the new account I set up?
Or is there some way of resetting permissions for the Home folder?
(I know repairing permissions with Disk Utility doesn't do this).
Power Mac G5 Dual 2.3, 2.5 GB RAM, 20 Cinema Display | MacBook Pro 2.0 15" Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Mac OS X does not have a built-in way of doing this, but you can make one yourself. Open the Script Editor in the /Applications/AppleScript/ folder and enter the following:
do shell script "chmod 755 ~"
try
do shell script "chmod 700 ~/Desktop"
end try
try
do shell script "chmod 700 ~/Documents"
end try
try
do shell script "chmod 700 ~/Library"
end try
try
do shell script "chmod 700 ~/Music"
end try
try
do shell script "chmod 700 ~/Pictures"
end try
try
do shell script "chmod 755 ~/Public"
end try
try
do shell script "chmod 755 ~/Sites"
end try
This script can be saved as an application, which makes it possible to fix the permissions on a home folder with two clicks. The try statements are included so that the script will run if a folder doesn't exist. If the ~ object is a symbolic link, the permissions on it may not be changed; you can use the code block
tell application "Finder"
set the_home to POSIX path of (home as alias)
end tell
do shell script ("chmod 755 " & the_home)
in this case. The rest of the script works as before.
(12450)

Can I change the Home Folder of users with Group Policy (or in another centralized way)?

I know how to change the Home folder of users from AD Users & Computers -> their Properties -> Profile tab. But this is not very practical when one has users spread across many OUs, and with users being added and removed often.
So I am wondering whether there is a way to do the same with a GPO. The closest thing I found was Folder Redirection, with which I can change the location of particular profile folders for each user, but not the location of the whole profile.
Is there a way to redirect the entire location of users in a centralized way, using a GPO or some other mean?

I would recommend reading that about the management of roaming profiles: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc784961(v=ws.10).aspx
You can involve the use of Powershell scripts for the management of roaming profiles:
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/12460.powershell-automate-roaming-profile-folder-permissions.aspx
http://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/scriptcenter/Check-if-an-AD-user-has-a-45ed5d1c
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties or guarantees , and confers no rights.
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Management of test accounts in an Active Directory production domain - Part III
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How do I install OSX onto a new SSD (in the place of my optical drive) without transferring all data across. However, with the applications, system and library on the SSD to improve the speed, but keep non essential items (the home folder) on the HDD

I have a mid 2009 13 inch unibody 2.53GHz MacBook Pro. I'm finding that it doesn't run as quickly as it used to.
A genius in the Apple store suggested that I replace my optical drive with an SSD, however only use the SSD for OSX, applications, system and library. Keep all documents, pictures, music etc on the current hard drive.
I would be grateful if someone could help me with:
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2) transferring applications, system and library folders across to the SSD so that they still function
3) changing my settings so that OSX reads the home folder from the current hard drive, as well as all the applications' data (documents, music etc...)
However, I would like to run iMovie, with all events etc solely from the SSD to speed up the process of editing movies.
If anyone could help with this, it would be much appreciated.

If you got the data transfer cable with your SSD, the procedure should be pretty simple - and there should be step-by-step instructions in the box. You're simply going to remove the bottom case of your computer (using a Phillips #00 screwdriver), take out the two screws in the bracket holding the hard drive into place (using same screwdriver), remove the drive and (use a Torx 6 screwdriver) remove the four screws that hold the hard drive in place. Then put in the SSD and reassemble the machine.
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Clinton

How can I share the home folder with different accounts on the same mac?

Hi, here's a question:
How can I share the home folder with different accounts on the same mac?
The whole point being not to have to install all my apps, and move all my files each time between users.
The second thing would be to be able to modify one document on one account, and have it changed on the other account without having to copy it.
I would like to have a pro and a private account on my mac.
Thanks for you answers,
Doug

Your apps should not be installed in your home folder--they should be in /Applications where every user can access them.
If you want to share things between users on the same Mac, use the /Users/Shared folder. Keep your home folder private. Trying to defeat the protections on the home folder subfolders just gets messy. I've never bothered to figure out all of the problems associated with it so I can't explain how to do it.
Even with using Shared, you would need to alter the ACLs on the shared folder in order to allow both users to modify the documents.
You must create a Group in Users & Groups and put each user in that group. Then create a folder inside /Users/Shared where you want to share the various files.
Then, add an ACL to the shared folder that gives the group special permissions. on that folder.
sudo chmod -R +a "<sharinggroup> allow delete,chown,list,search,add_file,add_subdirectory,delete_child,file_inherit,directory_inherit" /Users/Shared/<sharing folder>
Replace <sharinggroup> and <sharingfolder> with the name of your group and your folder. Then, run the command in the Terminal.
With that ACL, each user in <sharinggroup> will be able to alter the files created by any user in the group in that <sharingfolder>.
Essentially, the client OS is not designed for true file sharing among the individual users. It is designed to isolate each user account from the others.

How do I remove my iWeb pages from the Home folder so I can publish to a new host?

I have moved my MobileMe site to a new service (GoDaddy). The basic transfer went very smoothly. With one tiny hitch: the new URL text.
IWeb places web pages in folders, each folder being a "site." The name of the root folder automatically becomes a "pointer" to the web site -- and part of the URL text.
My current root folder is named DavidChartrand -- me. So..... when I published everything over to GoDaddy the text "DavidChartrand" was attached to my URL.
Instead of seeing www.davidchartrand.com in the URL bar, visitors see: www.davidchartrand.com.com/DavidChartrand
GoDaddy staff says this is simply a quirk in iWeb's design. Fine, but it's annoying. Is there anyway I can keep using iWeb but somehow remove the root folder.....that is, remove my site pages from the root folder and and then re-publish? GoDaddy tech support swears it has many former MobileMe/iWeb users who have done this successfully but offered had no idea how.
David

The way iWeb publishes its websites, in its own folder, the normal URL is http://www.domain_name.com/Site_name/Page_name.html. This is a normal URL for any web host.
If you want to get rid of the site name you will need to publish your website to a folder on your hard drive and upload only the contents of the website folder to your server with a 3rd party FTP client like YummyLite, Transmit or Cyberduck. That will get rid of the site name in the URL.
Of course remove the existing website foldr from the server beforehand.
I believe the folder you publish to on GoDaddy is named public_html. You might try renaming your website to "public_html" and publish to GoDaddy. In theory iWeb will see the website's folder already on the server and publish the website file into it.
It works that way with HostExcellence.com which names the home folder the same as the domain name associated with it. This tutorial explains more about it: iW16 - Using HostExcellence.com with iWeb
OT

How to delete the home folder of a deleted account?

After I set up a new account, I transferred everything from my old macbook pro to my new iMac (so it has a moutain lion system. I'm sure you know it. Just want to make it clear ) through migration assistance from time machine. Then I realized that an extra account (my old one) plus many unnecessary data had been transferred to my new iMac. Therefore, I decided to delete this old account.
HOWEVER, when I deleted the account, I failed to delete the home folder--I chose to delete it securely; but after it started backing up, I simply cancel the backup (which is a HUGE mistake) Then I found the account was deleted but its home folder stayed-- it occupied over 150GB of my new iMac.
Could anyone tell me how I can delete the home folder securely?
in addition, since I only want to transfer iphoto pictures, iTune music and some important documents to my new account, should I simply copy thme to an external drive and transfer them to my new account?
Thanks a lot for your help!

In system preferences, create a new account again, using the short name of the "deleted" account. You may be prompted to re-use the old home folder. Log out and log in to test it worked. Then log in as your new admin, and do the delete process again. Don't choose to securely delete this time - just a regular delete.
When you have time to spare, go to Disk Utility, and use the Erase tab to securely erase free space on the drive. This will accomplish the same thing that your originally tried to do. Use the fastest method - anything more secure is a waste of time. You may need to run it overnight - it can take several hours.
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Manually created folders in the Home folder won't be hidden to other computer users

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