Startup Items with Terminal

Hello.
Is it possible to place files into a users startup items via the Terminal? I have a need to write some UNIX scripts to configure systems, and this is part of the config. The items are Flash files which need to run when the machine logs into a specific account.
Thanks, A.

Yann Bizeul wrote:
This is not done using startup items, account specific actions are configured more easily using Accounts preference pane, by tweaking Startup tab.
Actually, it is called the *Login Items* tab. Anything that can be configured as an application can be added to run at login time. One way to do what the OP wants is to wrap the code in an AppleScript saved as an application using the "do shell script" Applescript command, allowing some pre or post processing in the script, or calling a series of shell scripts if desired. Or for more elaborate, interactive processing with easy access to the Mac GUI, it can all be made into an AppleScript Studio project.

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Reboot loop: Help me delete all login items with Terminal

I updated my Macbook (5,1) from Lion to Mountain Lion and began soon thereafter to get the error that the computer had restarted after a problem. For a few days the computer would nevertheless reach desktop after a restart and could be used.
I thought that perhaps the error came from the login items and saw on Rogue Amoeba's site that SoundSource isn't yet compatible with ML. Removing it seemed to cure the problem.
But as of this morning the computer is stuck in a restart "loop". It shows the apple and spinner and a grey progress bar. When the bar is almost completed (a millimeter or so remaining) the computer restarts and does the same thing all over.
I have now managed to get to the recovery partition with cmd-r. I have repaired the disk with DU and I would like to remove all login items using Terminal but haven't got a clue how to do it. I have searched but don't find good walkthroughs. So I would very much appreciate help on how to do this.
My login items are Skype, Dropbox and iTeleport.
Cheers and many thanks
/p

Thanks for the replies.
@ mende1 - I did hold cmd-R to reach the recovery partition. How do I now leave safe mode (if it is stuck in that) and boot normally?
@ Thomas - DU seems to be successful in repairing the disk. It doesn't report any errors - just says what it is "checking", "updating" and "adjusting" (not a very long list at all) - but it concludes with partition map appears to be OK.
My other Mac has all my files so I don't mind reinstalling on this one, except for the fact that I would have to reinstall all the applications and I don't have them with me where I am at the moment.
If I choose to reinstall when booted with cmd-r will it re-download or install from a local copy? Re-downloading will take forever because I only have mobile (3G) broadband here.
Do I have any other options?
Thanks for helping.
/p

Automatically creating startup items with a new account

I'm managing some Macs on an Active Directory network. They're all tied in and working fine as AD connected computers, but as an administrator of these Macs I'd like to make it so that when a user logs in to the domain, the Mac automatically adds some startup items to their account. (We don't have network home directories or anything like that) Is there some way I can setup an AppleScript or some default settings somewhere to handle this?

the answer might depend on whether you are creating the accounts or allowing the users to create their own. I would think it shoudl be possible to create an AppleScript or an Automator job that woudl prompt for the correct information and the create the new user and copy the necessary file(s) and make the necessary settings.

Clear all dock items - with Terminal command

Hi!
I need an command for clearing all dock items. I have good command line skill but couldnt find a way to just clear it all. Somebody have?
Thanks.
(I know Server could help me do that but i belive server takes to much time to fully apply than just using small tools for wath my need is.)
Hmm. Found one way :-). Manually edit the prefs file on the user login.

Thanks for the replies.
@ mende1 - I did hold cmd-R to reach the recovery partition. How do I now leave safe mode (if it is stuck in that) and boot normally?
@ Thomas - DU seems to be successful in repairing the disk. It doesn't report any errors - just says what it is "checking", "updating" and "adjusting" (not a very long list at all) - but it concludes with partition map appears to be OK.
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/p

I cannot install Creative Suite 5.5 on my Windows 7 Professional. I keep getting error message: "Exit Code: 15 - Media DB sync failed". I have disabled UAC and Startup items and Services with no luck. Can you please help?

I cannot install Creative Suite 5.5 on my Windows 7 Professional. I keep getting error message: "Exit Code: 15 - Media DB sync failed". I have disabled UAC and Startup items and Services with no luck. Can you please help?

I am sorry Erickkasner but there is no longer direct support provided for Creative Suite 5.5 installation issues.
You are welcome to post any specific errors you are able to discover within your installation log to this discussion. Since you are using Windows then Exit Code 15 could mean one of the following:
Installer database is corrupted
Update pending to your operating system
Improper permissions set for the Media.db
The installation log file should provide additional insight into the exact error you are experiencing. Please make sure to use the find command to look for the words 'ERROR' and 'FATAL' to locate the relevant error messages.

Slow down after upgrading OS, issue with Startup item

Problem description:
slow after updating OS
EtreCheck version: 2.1.5 (108)
Report generated January 14, 2015 at 10:45:00 PM EST
Click the [Support] links for help with non-Apple products.
Click the [Details] links for more information about that line.
Click the [Adware] links for help removing adware.
Hardware Information: ℹ️
MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012) (Verified)
MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro9,2
1 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 2-core
4 GB RAM Upgradeable
BANK 0/DIMM0
2 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok
BANK 1/DIMM0
2 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok
Bluetooth: Good - Handoff/Airdrop2 supported
Wireless: en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n
Video Information: ℹ️
Intel HD Graphics 4000
Color LCD 1280 x 800
System Software: ℹ️
OS X 10.10.1 (14B25) - Uptime: 1:36:4
Disk Information: ℹ️
TOSHIBA MK5065GSXF disk0 : (500.11 GB)
EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB
Macintosh HD (disk1) / : 498.88 GB (251.85 GB free)
Core Storage: disk0s2 499.25 GB Online
MATSHITADVD-R   UJ-8A8
USB Information: ℹ️
Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)
Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub
Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
Thunderbolt Information: ℹ️
Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus
Gatekeeper: ℹ️
Mac App Store and identified developers
Kernel Extensions: ℹ️
/Library/Extensions
[not loaded] org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxDrv (4.2.6) [Support]
[not loaded] org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxNetAdp (4.2.6) [Support]
[not loaded] org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxNetFlt (4.2.6) [Support]
[not loaded] org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxUSB (4.2.6) [Support]
Startup Items: ℹ️
VirtualBox: Path: /Library/StartupItems/VirtualBox
Startup items are obsolete in OS X Yosemite
Launch Agents: ℹ️
[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist [Support]
[loaded] com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist [Support]
[not loaded] com.xamarin.mtvs.buildserver.plist [Support]
Launch Daemons: ℹ️
[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist [Support]
[loaded] com.google.keystone.daemon.plist [Support]
[loaded] com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist [Support]
User Launch Agents: ℹ️
[loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist [Support]
[not loaded] org.virtualbox.vboxwebsrv.plist [Support]
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SpeechSynthesisServer Application (/System/Library/Frameworks/ApplicationServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks /SpeechSynthesis.framework/Versions/A/SpeechSynthesisServer.app)
EOS Utility ApplicationHidden (/Applications/Canon Utilities/EOS Utility/EOS Utility.app)
Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️
FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 16.0.0.235 - SDK 10.6 [Support]
Default Browser: Version: 600 - SDK 10.10
AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 11.0.10 - SDK 10.6 [Support]
AdobePDFViewer: Version: 11.0.10 - SDK 10.6 [Support]
Flash Player: Version: 16.0.0.235 - SDK 10.6 Mismatch! Adobe recommends 16.0.0.257
o1dbrowserplugin: Version: 5.38.6.0 - SDK 10.8 [Support]
QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
googletalkbrowserplugin: Version: 5.38.6.0 - SDK 10.8 [Support]
Unity Web Player: Version: UnityPlayer version 4.6.0f3 - SDK 10.6 [Support]
DirectorShockwave: Version: 11.6.8r638 [Support]
JavaAppletPlugin: Version: Java 7 Update 71 Check version
User internet Plug-ins: ℹ️
aliedit: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.6 [Support]
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Java [Support]
TeXDistPrefPane [Support]
Time Machine: ℹ️
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      14% com.apple.WebKit.Plugin.64
      5% WindowServer
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146 MB softwareupdated
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94 MB loginwindow
90 MB Safari
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1.73 GB Inactive RAM
746 MB Wired RAM
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Add more RAM or cut back on concurrent applications. Startup Item is irrelevant.
Try these in order testing your system after each to see if it's back to normal:
1. a. Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM
    b. Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)
2. Restart the computer in Safe Mode, then restart again, normally. If this doesn't help, then:
Boot to the Recovery HD: Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the Utilities menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
3. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions: Upon startup select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions as follows.
When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the main menu. Select Restart from the Apple menu.
4. Reinstall Yosemite: Reboot from the Recovery HD. Select Reinstall OS X from the Utilities menu, and click on the Continue button.
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible
            because it is three times faster than wireless.
5. Reinstall Yosemite from Scratch:
Be sure you backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive because the following procedure will remove everything from the hard drive.
How to Clean Install OS X Yosemite
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible
            because it is three times faster than wireless.

Cannot create new folders on desktop. Cannot drag new items onto desktop. Desktop in Finder opens with Terminal. Not sure if this has anything to do with upgrading to Mavericks but I need help if anyone has ideas. Thank you.

I can no longer create new folders on my desktop. The option to do that is now light gray on the drop down menu and can't be selected.
I cannot drag new items onto desktop any longer either.
The Desktop in Finder opens with Terminal.
Folders and items on Desktop open and work normally.
Not sure if this has anything to do with upgrading to Mavericks but I need help if anyone has ideas.
Thank you.

Take these steps if the cursor changes from an arrow to a white "prohibited" symbol when you try to move an icon on the Desktop.
Sometimes the problem may be solved just by logging out or rebooting. Try that first, if you haven't already done it. Otherwise, continue.
Select the icon of your home folder (a house) in the sidebar of a Finder window and open it. The Desktop folder is one of the subfolders. Select it and open the Info window. In the General section of the window, the Kind will be either Folder or something else, such as Anything.
If the Kind is Folder, uncheck the box marked Locked. Close the Info window and test.
If the Kind is not Folder, make sure the Locked box is not checked and that you have Read & Write privileges in the Sharing & Permissions section. Then close the Info window and do as follows.
Back up all data.
Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:
xattr -d com.apple.FinderInfo Desktop
Copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C.
Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.
Paste into the Terminal window (command-V). You should get a new line ending in a dollar sign (“$”). Quit Terminal.
Relaunch the Finder.
If the problem is now resolved, and if you use iPhoto, continue.
Quit iPhoto if it's running. Launch it while holding down the option key. It will prompt you to select a library. Choose the one you want to use (not the Desktop folder.)

A few months ago, my G5 started up with the address book and mail opened at startup. They are not in startup items, and I cannot get this to stop. Any suggestions?

A few months ago, my power mac G5 began starting up with the address book and mail already open on the desk top.
Neither of these is in my startup items, so I am at a loss as to stop this behavior.
Any suggestions?

Are they in Login items under System Preferences/Users/Login Items?
In the Dock, right click the Address Book and Mail icons, select Options, and make sure "Open at Login" is not selected.

I am facing with the following problem whenever i start my laptop.Insecure Startup Item disabled."/Library/StartupItems/MobileBrServ" has not been started because it does not have the proper security settings.

I am facing with the following problem whenever i start my laptop(Macbook Air,OSX 10.9.4).
Insecure Startup Item disabled.“/Library/StartupItems/MobileBrServ” has not been started because it does not have the proper security settings.

Open /Library/StartupItems/ folder and locate the file then remove it. You have installed incompatible software. If you don't believe this is correct, then determine what software installed the item and contact the developer for help.

New user - Opening a file on first login, then removing from startup items

I'm trying to write a script to open a pdf welcoming a new user on an imaged mac. I've written the script "Welcome.app" below
tell application "Preview"
open "OS X Tiger:Users:Shared:Welcome.pdf"
end tell
do shell script "rm /Users/Shared/Welcome.app"
I'm having problems with permissions this way. I've tried changing the user and group but no luck so far.
It was suggested to me to try using "defaults write loginwindow etc" to
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Any suggestions?
Netrestore generic image Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Create a second copy of the loginwindow.plist file in the User Template's Preferences folder with the name loginwindow.original.plist, and use the following two commands after the tell block:
do shell script "mv ~/Library/Preferences/loginwindow.plist ~/.Trash/loginwindow.plist"
do shell script "mv ~/Library/Preferences/loginwindow.original.plist ~/Library/Preferences/loginwindow.plist"
The script will then disappear from the startup items, but will remain on the hard disk.
(12565)

Startup items

My prefs settings have somehow changed and my startup items are not working - retrospect / suitcase etc - my fonts in Photoshop and Quark etc are also not loading - I have ran the utility disc a few times and it was fixing the problem, but now it's not.

Repairing the permissions of a home folder in Lion is a complicated procedure. I don’t know of a simpler one that always works.
Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the page that opens.
Drag or copy — do not type — the following line into the Terminal window, then press return:
chmod -R -N ~
The command will take a noticeable amount of time to run. When a new line ending in a dollar sign ($) appears below what you entered, it’s done. You may see a few error messages about an “invalid argument” while the command is running. You can ignore those. If you get an error message with the words “Permission denied,” enter this:
sudo !!
You'll be prompted for your login password, which won't be displayed when you type it. You may get a one-time warning not to screw up.
Next, boot from your recovery partition by holding down the key combination command-R at startup. Release the keys when you see a gray screen with a spinning dial.
When the recovery desktop appears, select Utilities ▹ Terminal from the menu bar.
In the Terminal window, enter “resetpassword” (without the quotes) and press return. A Reset Password window opens. You’re not going to reset the password.
Select your boot volume if not already selected.
Select your username from the menu labeled Select the user account if not already selected.
Under Reset Home Directory Permissions and ACLs, click the Reset button.
Select  ▹ Restart from the menu bar.

Unwanted Startup Items

Hello All, Years ago I had a USB wireless adapter and for some reason the drivers still load at startup. I can kill them, which speeds up the computer, but I cannot find where to remove them from the startup process. They are prismStatD and PrismStarterD. I looked in my /system/library/extension and in /library/extentions and startup items as well as used Spotlight and the Find command.
My question is, from terminal can I track the PID to a .conf file and edit it to not load.
Thanks in advance,
Glynn

I successfully removed the offending programs by running the uninstaller bundled with the DWL-122 OSX installer... version 1.4.7
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/15997
Launch the file uninstall.command

TS3493 I too have the Insecure Startup Item Disabled error message.

The folder is empty, although 319Kb on Disk. I am unable to move it to the Trash as it says it's required by Mac OS X. This is truly infuriating. I have entered Disk Utility and used Repair Permissions. Currently running Mountain Lion, 10.8.3.

This is incorrect. Most of the time this error happens from faulty permissions settings on the startup items or the StartupItems folder. Startup items should be owned by root (the "system" account) and not be writable by anyone else, but if not then the system will detect this and prevent it from loading, as this means a third-party might have tampered with it and potentially cause a problem (hence the "insecure" characterization).
Since Startup Items are from third-party installations, often OS X will not include them in a permissions fix routine as there may be no entries for them in the permissions database.
To correct this problem, run the following two command in the Terminal:
sudo chown -R root:wheel /System/Library/StartupItems
sudo chmod -R 755 /System/Library/StartupItems
Earlier it was mentioned that a Startup Items folder is within the User library, but this is not the case as Startup Items are only activated at boot and not at login. There is no point for one to be in the user's library, and the system will not look there for any startup items..

I Have an "Insecure Startup Item disabled" problem and am at a loss

Hi, I hope someone knows how to get around this in Snow Leopard?
When I log into the profiles on the iMac it gives the message "Insecure Startup Item Disabled" with the other ""Library/Startupitems/RetroRun" has not been started because it does not have the proper security settings"
Now I thought that RetroRun was a backup software used in OS9 ,OS 10.2 =>but not since OSX. Also I cannot locate said directory in the Library.
Has anyone else had this issue or anything like it? Does anyone have a solution or some ideas that might shed some light on this for me please?
Cheers
Peter

First off, there are two (ok, three) Library locations. The all users Library is at the hard drive root, and each user also has one. The System has the third, but that shouldn't be touched by mere mortals.
These commands in Terminal should fix the issuesudo chown -R root:wheel /Library/StartupItems
sudo chmod -R 0755 /Library/StartupItemsThese commands run on the all users Library.
If you look at file paths, if they have an initial slash (/), that represents the hard drive itself. If they don't, it is a relative reference to where you are (usually your home folder which sits at /Users/)

Cannot backup my files / copy my files and folders due to error message " The operation can't be completed because an item with the name ".DS_Store" already exists. "

Hi Apple community!
I have a [rather worrying] problem.
When I try to copy all my files from my documents on my mac [or the entire documents folder] into an external drive, I get this error message
" The operation can’t be completed because an item with the name “.DS_Store” already exists. "
I am not given an option to skip this file or anything else.
But I simply cannot complete the operation!
I have tried deleting a few of the .ds_store files, [both in the original and in the destinations]
but no success.
The same thing keeps happening.
At first, this was just happening when I was trying to backup to my dropbox folder [the one on my mac's harddrive, which gets synced to the cloud],
but then I tried to back up my documents to my external hard drive, and I realized it is giving me the same error message.
So effectively, it seems I cannot backup my files anywhere!
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a diagnostic test. It’s unlikely to solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
The purpose of the test is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party software that loads automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, or by corruption of certain system caches.
Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Boot in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. Note: If FileVault is enabled on some models, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain iMacs. The next normal boot may also be somewhat slow.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin. Test while in safe mode. Same problem? After testing, reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of the test.

Startup Items with Terminal

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