Security Update 2008-008 No user window.

Question

I do apologise if this is the incorrect discussion group, but I couldn’t find a email address to report this so I thought I would post it and it may eventually get to the right people.
I’ve just updated (using Software Update) the latest Security Update 2008-008. The Mac was running perfectly beforehand (all updates and security updates to date).
When using the Mac I regularly switch between user accounts, however I have found that after the update if I log out of a user account (with no admin privileges) the main user accounts window does not appear. (I am left with the desktop picture of the account I have tried to log out of and no menu bar.)
The only solution I have found to this problem (in each instance after the initial one, I have waited for 5 minutes to give the system a chance) is to hold down the power key until it switches off the Mac. The Mac then starts up fine and displays the user window, from there I can choose which account I want to use.
As I switch between these accounts throughout the day, shutting down the Mac, between switches, will seriously impede getting anything done.
Nevertheless, the above problem does not manifest itself when I have logged out of the admin account, this appears to be working as it should. The list of user accounts opens and I can choose an account as normal. Additionally, the problem does not appear if a user account is already open and I am logging onto another account from the fast user switching menu.
I realise the short term solution is to have an account open all the time, but this is not ideal, as the open account I am sure, will be using resources unnecessarily.
If however, someone has a more substantial solution then I would be most grateful for the suggestion.

Answer 1

Accounts are numbered 501, 502, etc. as the computer sees them, so that's the origin of the multiple trash folders. Each account has its own trash.
As you can read in an earlier post and through the links, safe mode does move some things to the trash so it does act as a temporary purge of items.
I just tried reading the file about what the most recent security update changes. I don't really understand most of it but I didn't see anything that specifically said log out modification to me. It is pretty hard trying to resolve logout issues and you seem to have this strange combination of accounts that work and don't work.
One thing you haven't done but could try is booting from your installer disc and run Disk Utility's repair drive (not permissions but drive). Actually, running Applejack does a reduced version of the same thing but it's worth a try if only to see what it reports about drive condition.
Dock. I am not sure what the dock would have to do with this. You could try removing the com.apple.dock.plist file from your home directory > Library > Preferences folder. Just move it to someplace else temporarily and see if that clears up anything on a logout.
It appears that this Secuirty update 2008-008 (10.4.11) is causing an ever increasing circle of problems as more posts are appearing in various places on the Internet.
This happens after any kind of update, but especially an update which changes components of the operating system. It is really a matter of matter of perception. It looks like there's a lot of problems because the hundred people who do have problems post here to ask about the problem. What you don't see are the thousands (millions?) of people who do not post because they did not have a problem.
There's been recent discussions as to what steps are truly necessary in doing a minimal problem update.
I think #1 to which all agree is to make sure you have a backup of your computer in case you do need to back out of it again.
Some like to boot from their installer discs or an external backup and verify (and if necessary repair) their internal drives as well as drive permissions. This is done with Disk Utility.
You can also go to the step of booting into safe mode to do the install.
I like to download the update onto my computer and install it from there rather than let Software Update do it. I know a few people who had problems with doing the update via software updater found a manual install to work.
Repair permissions again afterward.
It also helps to only install one update at a time and to run the computer for a while to make sure it is behaving well.
Almost all of the above steps (except backup) have been questioned as to necessity because probably many people have done successful updates without doing them. I say they can't hurt, they can very likely do good (especially if your computer isn't regularly maintained), so why not do them to be safe.
I cannot bear the idea, but having spent the last 20 or so hours trying to solve this problem, I am left with reinstalling the entire system from scratch. I cannot believe that this is my only alternative. And for the moment at least it will remain on the shelf.
Well, I am not a computer expert (just another Mac user with a few years on the clock) and I am running out of ideas. Maybe somebody else will happen by who can figure out what is going on. Can you think of anything that is different about the problem accounts that makes them different from the others? Any special software installed?
Incidentally, how much free space do you have on your hard drive? Sometimes stragne issues can arise if drives are getting over full.