Unknown user appears in get info permissions list

unknown user appears in get info permissions list of a lot of folders. I cant remove the user, change the permission level of that user. Is there a way of getting over this problem?
Here is a screenshot of the unknown user...
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee151/cosmac2007/Picture5.png

pzeitler, i tried your fix. it worked but only partly. i had to go to an admin account and do the sudo because my non-admin account that was affected does not allow me to sudo from it. so i do it from admin account and it seems i add my non-admin user to all admin files\folders with full permissions and no admin account user. so i open the home folder in get info, add admin user and set permission, apply recursively to all inside it. How ever, i couldnt remove the non-admin user from admin user folder permissions.
now i go to non-admin user account and find that unknown grp is gone for all except three folders (public/sites/downloads). i also checked a third, non-admin user and it seems unaffected by all the operations that i have performed. but it has the unknown grp in it.
I guess i have to wait for apple to fix it rather than mess up the system myself.

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"Unknown" User Showing in Get Info Box

This is strange - at the bottom of any Get Info screen I am seeing three listings in this order:
1 - administrator (my account) with Read/Write privileges
2 - (unknown) - Read Only
3 - everyone - Read Only
When I try to delete unknown, nothing happens
Any thoughts?

The first time I installed leopard I lost the root account and it lowered my priviledges on my admin account to user.
That was only the beginning of sorrows and I finally restored Tiger again.
Second attempt - same result almost.
Back to tiger - Grrrrr.....
On the next attempt I did the usual (disk and permission repair) before install, but this time I forced Leopard to boot into safe mode immediately following the install from the DVD.
Eureka! Every setting from Tiger was perfectly preserved, except for one: my windows workgroup name. I finally cured that by deleting the ethernet -1 entry in system preferences > network and then recreating it.
The Remote management 3.2.1 upgrade caused me numerous program and stability problems as well. I finally removed it and altogether and leopard performed much better. I later reinstalled the original remote management client 3.2 from the leopard disk and leopard finally tamed down and went to work.
It has that "good time feeling" now and my million and one settings from tiger are all perfectly preserved.

My desktop files and folders no longer appear on the screen. I think this is a result of an iPhoto updating. It appears (from getting info) that now Desktop is being treated like a normal file for which an application to open it must be supplied. Help?

My desktop files and folders no longer appear on the screen. I think this is a result of an iPhoto updating. It appears (from getting info) that now Desktop is being treated like a normal file for which an application to open it must be supplied. Can anything be done? Incila

You are not going to be able to run your old system from the backup on this old computer as the hardware is incompatible.
You need to get a new computer or a refurbished one.

Strange (foreign) users list in get info/permissions window!

Background info: OS up dated to 10.7.4. I am the admin. Husband is standard user. One group, which includes my husband and I. One guest (no sharing) account created. I can connect remotely to my mac with admin login info.
1. When, applying read and write permissions to HD for the "owners" group (which i created)
"The system extension “/System/Library/Extensions/Accusys6xxxx.kext” was installed improperly and cannot be used. Please try reinstalling it, or contact the product’s vendor for an update."
and
"The system extension “/System/Library/Extensions/acfs.kext” was installed improperly and cannot be used. Please try reinstalling it, or contact the product’s vendor for an update."
2. I created a shared folder (users/me/public/shared)for my husband and I to have dual read and write access. I made this folder last year. Tonight i clicked "get info" and a user named "wheel" had read and write access. I did not create this user. Also "_guest" and "guest" were listed under names in permissions. They had read only access. Additionally, here is a "staff" user and "everyone" users(are they default users). Can I delete all users but admin (me, my husband and our group? "
3. Several times over the last few months, I was concerned about unsual OS performance. I used the disk ustitlty to repair permissions. I see the following often in my repair log. What is "LockScreenLeopard.app" and what does "drw-r--r--" mean?
Permissions differ on “System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/AppleVNCServer.bundle/Contents/Su pport/LockScreenLeopard386.app/Contents/Resources/da.lproj/MainMenu.nib”; should be -rw-r--r-- ; they are drw-r--r-- .
Repaired “System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/AppleVNCServer.bundle/Contents/Su pport/LockScreenLeopard386.app/Contents/Resources/da.lproj/MainMenu.nib”
Do I have a hacker? Do you all use antivurus/spyware software these days? If so what app?

pzeitler, i tried your fix. it worked but only partly. i had to go to an admin account and do the sudo because my non-admin account that was affected does not allow me to sudo from it. so i do it from admin account and it seems i add my non-admin user to all admin files\folders with full permissions and no admin account user. so i open the home folder in get info, add admin user and set permission, apply recursively to all inside it. How ever, i couldnt remove the non-admin user from admin user folder permissions.
now i go to non-admin user account and find that unknown grp is gone for all except three folders (public/sites/downloads). i also checked a third, non-admin user and it seems unaffected by all the operations that i have performed. but it has the unknown grp in it.
I guess i have to wait for apple to fix it rather than mess up the system myself.

NFS file - get info permissions fetching ?

I have a 10.7.5 client that is bound to an OD.
I also have a linux file server running CentOS 6.3 that is bound to a different OD, but is exporting a volume to said client via NFS.
The user on the client has membership in a group on the first OD with GID 104020.
The file server has assigned group read permissions to the exported volume/files with GID on the second OD of the same GID: 104020.
When the user on the client mounts the NFS exported volume from the file server with Finder > Go > Connect to server > "nfs://server.domain.name/volname", the NFS volume is connected at /Volumes/volname.
An 'ls -l' in Terminal on the client lists the volume and its contents as having group ownership of the group name associated with this group number 104020 in the first OD. In fact an 'ls -ln' requesting owner and group listed by their UID and GID numbers show group ownership as 104020.
However, the user on the client with membership in a group of GID 104020 on the first OD gets 'Permission denied' when attempting to read a listed file.
And a 'Get Info' on said file shows in the Sharing and Permissions section for Owner Name and Group Name as 'fetching...'.
Being a NFS admin from way back, this is very confusing. I expect that the client OS will simply take the GID saved with the file, check that the user wanting to read the file also has membership in a group of that very GID, and provide the appropriate permssion.
But evidently that is now occuring in this instance. Does anyone know what is happening here?

Maybe that description was a bit convoluted. Let me see if I can draw it out --
OD Server   <===bound===> ldap client #1 <--user #A, GID=104020
    #1                                          OS X
                                                        |
                                                       |_______ file1,UID=user #B,GID=104020, perms 750
                                                       |             file2,UID=user #B,GID=104020, perms 750
                                                   volname
                                                       |   NFS
                                                       |
OD Server   <===bound===> ldap client #2 <--user #B, GID=104020
     #2                                       CentOS 6.3
user #A on ldap client #1 has membership in a group with GID=104020 but cannot read file1 or file2 in the NFS shared 'volname' from ldap client #2 when mounted on his ldap client #1.
Why not?

Changed "Get Info" permissions, now system won't load

I made a huge mistake and hope someone can help. I clicked on the Macintosh HD icon, did "Get Info" and under Sharing, changed the setting for "Everyone" to "No access". I left the user (read/write) and admin settings the same. Immediately after, access to everything was cut off. After restarting the computer, the apple icon loads, the the spinner starts to show the system loading, then it freezes owith the grey screen + apple, but that's it. I've restarted multiple times, got in via command -R and checked out disk utilities - disk and permissions verify fine. Any ideas, or idid I forever padlock this system??

Hi,
I have the same problem by applying accidently the "permission No Access to Macintosh HD icon. After I restared the computer, the apple icon loads, the the spinner starts to show the system loading, then it freezes with the grey screen. I've restarted multiple times and tried via command -R and checked out disk utilities - disk and permissions verify fine. I tried to load OSX Lion from the Apple website (by Command+R procces), entering my Apple ID and Password but I got the message that my software (OSX Lion) was not bought by this ID.
I precise that I bought my iMac used with OSX Lion already installed on it about 2 years ago.
I am an Apple customer since 2005 and I bought other computer from Apple but this is the first time I have a problem.
I am really stuck and any help or assistance would be realy appreciated.
Thank you and best regards

There is an "unknown" user in my folder info windows

Who is this mysterious "unknown" user? I can never change his (or her) Privileges. The icon, currently grayed out, is of a user behind a timepiece, a Lépine by the looks of it.
How can I get rid of him (or her) without actually defenestrating my laptop?

This means that the Group ownership field has a Group ID that is not contained in /etc/group, so the Finder just substitutes 'unknown'.
There are 4 billion possible Group ID numbers, but only a handful are ever used. Somehow you have stored a file on your system that is using a Group ID that does not contain a name in /etc/group
For example, if you received a ZIP file (or any other container file) and unpacked it, it is possible that the Group ID from another system was used when creating the file on your Mac.
You can use Applicaitons -> Utilities -> Terminal to change the group owner
sudo chgrp staff "/path/to/the/file.name"
Or you can just ignore this, as it is most likely harmless
Message was edited by: BobHarris

Delete a genre under "get info" genre list

Under "Get Info", how do I remove a genre from the list of genres? The list has become large and unwieldy...!

Your answer shows how to remove a genre that shows up on an ipod. I believe that the question being asked is how to remove a genre from the pulldown list in itunes.
At any rate, I'd love to know if there is a way to remove genres from the pulldown list on itunes, assuming that there are no songs listed under the genre that I want to delete.
It is my understanding that a couple of years ago, this was not possible. If that is still the case, does that apply to just the genre names that come in the list or also with genres that I added, but now want to delete?

How can I add to the options automatically appearing in Get Info window?

Can anyone please tell me if there is a way to change the options in the Get Info window to show more of them? For example, as well as Album Name, Artist, Composer, Genre, date I'd like to have Grouping and Comment come up each time. At the moment, for each album I import I have to go to Edit>View Options and then add them. It is getting to be a drag. I tried ticking them in Library>Show Columns but that doesn't seem to bring them up in the Get Info window. And yes, I do regularly want to add the same comment to every track on the album!
Powerbook G4 12 Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Mike,
Thank you, your info has been very helpful and I think I have followed you (wouldn't it be nice if English were less vague?) - selecting multiple items had me a little stumped - do you mean that I go to, say, Library, and highlight an album and then CMD-I means I that exactly all the things I wanted come up? I did this a few times and it works fine. But I'm not sure if that is actually what you meant. Maybe there is another way of selecting multiple items that I haven't yet cottoned on to? You can tell I'm not very good at this, I really appreciate your help.

IPTC Metadata not appearing in 'Get Info' - exported JPG?

I've just exported a bunch of images (versions) from Aperture to JPG. I have selected 'Include Metadata' and yet when I open the image and select 'Get Info' the only info being displayed is the info of least importance (to me, with these images), such as device name, colour space, focal length etc etc. None of the IMPORTANT information such as copyright and author etc are there?? I would expect / hope this info to be embedded so that anyone viewing on either a PC or Mac would see it, not exposure and device related information which is the last thing I'm worried about them getting.
If I drag the image back into Aperture all the relevant info is there but the vast majority of people are not going to be opening JPGs they get supplied with in programmes like Aperture. At best you might expect them to use 'Properties' or 'Get Info' on a Mac.
Am I doing something wrong or is this another 'Feature' of ML??? If it is a 'feature' is there a way to actually have Aperture append USEFUL metadata information to JPGs on export, such trivial matters as copyright and terms of use etc.?

I just tried Preview (which being mostly full time on Aperture I've never used beyond a quick look at an image on the desktop), the info is there, so that's good to know. But you still have to dig for it. My preference would be to get something up in the basic tools such as Get Info. Previously, I'm sure I've had JPGs where the info has shown up in Get Info, how long back I don't know. But my memory MAY be playing tricks.
I am actually relcutant to trash Aperture due to it's management capabilities and it suits for the limited amount of adjustments I ever do, relying on Nik Software for the rest. BUT I may consider it if there is another application that does write the IPTC data in a way Get Info can read it. I'd hope to have copyright info flag up on any machine's 'quick look' application, be it Get Info on OS X or Properties on a Windows (I'll look later what comes up there, I rarely if ever use the Windows machine now). Maybe it's just impossible. I'm reluctant to add different applications to the workflow to achieve this, meta /exif tools etc. It's more to do, more things to keep updated, more things to break as OS X evolves etc etc.
in the meantime I have played with various fields in the IPTC data block and oddly, if I put the Copright - 'all rights reserved' text in the 'Instructions' it DOES show up in the 'Get Info' box and the 'Instructions' field is perhaps not too out of place to be seen displaying the copyright text and for me is preferable to editing such items as 'Device Info' to display copyright, which looks really odd and, IIRC, requires and EXIF adit tool. The 'Provider' field may be MORE appropriate but again, Get Info doesn't display entries in that field. Of course it means that anything that WILL display IPTC data correctly will have the copyright info twice, but I'd rather opt for that AND have copyright correctly displayed in Get Info. I'll check later if it displays using Windows 'Properties'.

How do I get a user name off the permissions in "Get Info"?

I installed some new apple software and the help manuals are not showing upas they should. The problem seems to be in the get info permissions area, I am the owner and administrator so I was able to unlock it and add me to the list, but the old unkown-'read only' still is there. I tried the steps in the Manual- select the unkown account and click on the minus, but it doesn't remove that unknkown account. Any one know how to fix this?

I would use the external for backup and other storage and use the internal for the OS, Applications and User/Home folders.
First back up whole of internal to external as a new read/write sparse disk image with Carbon Copy Cloner.
Then use install DVD to erase internal before you install.
Resist the temptation to import more than necessary from old OS as you could be importing corrupted files. I usually import network preferences and any special non-Apple applications for which I don't have installers. Items from Home folder etc can be dragged across after the install.
Just remember that hard disks can fail at any time without warning with the loss of everything - best not to have anything critical on only one disk.

A different way to deal with "unknown" user after upgrade from Tiger.

It's a known issue that doing upgrade and install or archive and install from Tiger to Leopard, produces a lot of folders with "unknown" group in their "get info" panel. This has to do with a different group structure in Tiger and Leopard.
In Tiger, every user has their own private group with the same name as the username. That group is set to be user's primary group.
In leopard, every new user with an account is a member of the group staff (gid=20) which is not present in Tiger. Leopard doesn't fully understand Tiger's private group structure, hence the "unknown" group. This causes various problems such as Finder crashes when trying to change the permissions and ownership in the get info window.
Apple's proposed way of dealing with this is described [here|http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=307128].
However, this method doesn't change the existing group structure and doesn't resolve all the problems.
I'd like to suggest a different way of dealing with it.
1. create a new admin user (if you don't have one already), log out of your primary account and log into the new one.
2. enter the following in terminal:
*sudo dscl . delete /users/"username"*
where username is the short name of the user on the main account (not the one you are currently logged into).
This will delete that user.
3. Log out/in.
4. go to system preferences->accounts and create a new user with the name and short name exactly as the one you've deleted in step 2.
You'll be get a popup saying that a home directory by this name already exists and asking if you want to use it. Say "Yes".
That's it. Your main user will be recreated using the native group structure of Leopard with gid=20(staff). Permissions on your home directory will be reset with correct group and ownership.
I tested the process on my powerbook after an upgrade and install from Tiger to leopard and it worked without a hitch.
I like this method better than Apple's because it completely gets rid of Tiger's group structure which was creating all the confusion. The only downside as far as I can see is that you might have to manually change the group ownership on some files belonging to the main user that sit outside your home directory.
I would appreciate any comments on this.

hmm, I confess, I did this before installing 10.5.2 so i can't say for sure. However, I've dealt with a few people (see e.g. this [thread|http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=7012957]) who are running 10.5.2 and still have this issue. I don't know what if anything 10.5.2 did about this but I'm quite sure that it didn't change the group structure inherited from Tiger.
Message was edited by: V.K.

Accessing an Unknown User account

Sorry if this is covered I could only find how to get rid on them and I need to access them not get rid of them.
I had a system crash with a blue screen. When it came back there was only a temp profile loading. In System Properties
under the tab Advanced button User Profiles
I have two Unknown Users listed with sizes listed.There is no folder for them under Users nor a listing in the system management in control panel. I cannot find these anywhere I could access them to pull files.
After some time I switched her to a local profile because of size limitations on the server and letting the profile rebuilt from the server copy I found that a large chunk of profile went missing. I believe it is in one of these two "Account Unknown"
users that show in the accounts list where you set to local accounts.
Problem I have is I don't have a profile folder to pull from. Yet I see this large profile listed.
My question is there any way I can get into that profile to retrieve those missing files? I have been reading posts about this for days and they are all what are these profiles and how do I make them go away. Well I need into them.
Hope you can help,
thank you,
Ric

I have tried a data recovery software. I have Data Rescue. It finds all sorts of deleted files. the problems are I have no idea if they are from the missing profile. reason being the profile was not deleted be someone it was dumped after a system crash and
was gone from the user folder after a reboot from a bluescreen. Now you can see them here and I really need to access them in the profile's structure as it was on the system IE the desktop and DOCUMENT folders and so on.
Now does someone know how to do that? I have a screen shot but I have to wait to show it. well the profile the unknown is listed as 2.3GB.
Also if the fix need to run in other OS I can make it work I'm good a few different ones.
Thank you anyone that can help.

HT5338 In the referenced article, can ownership be changed through the Get info. window?

I'd like to know for ease of remembering if step 13 in the article could be accomplished though the user folder's Get Info. properyt window in the Finder?
(hey! if I could keep the arcane UNIX commands in my head storage, I wouldn't be loving me' Mac so much!!! Also, who wants to make a mistake through a typo dealing with the cryptic, unfriendly commands in the terminal window?! I stay away from it unless I absolutely have to.)
The options seem to be there in the Finder Get info window. But does the UNIX command accomplish something behind the scenes, subtle, that the Finder operation doesn't?

MrHoffman,
Thanks but I don't normally dabble with either this command or gen. any other terminal commands with "any regularity" Ofcourse now that I am inadvertantly wandering into the "Administration" territory with the server, that might change slightly!
Considering your backgroud (yes! you are famous around here ) I can see why you would say "it's just as feasible and just as possible to mess things up with the GUI tools here — the GUI is often a multi-step process, and it's possible to get the settings wrong in various ways — as with the Unix commands." While I do see the advantage of using UNIX commands in certain situations (when for example there's no equivalent command in the GUI etc) treating them both the same in terms of the operator's likelyhood of introducing an error while performing a given command (esp. in this case) is stretching it a bit don't you think?! Is it possibe that the space / context where you come from, your comfort level with the terminal / UNIX commands and because you have spent so much time with the UNIX commandline is perhaps the cause of this subjective opinion? This ofcourse doesn't mean I haven't see people "mess things up" royally through the GUI but I think it has more to do with the operator in that case (pushing a button for example without fully comprehending the context and meaning of the action, being in a hurry etc). But I think a larger percentage of people are more likely to err while typing (esp.) a complex command than using a GUI. I thought THAT is one of the reasons why GUI-based computer interface such as that on the Mac is more ubiquitous in these modern times than the UNIX / text-based interface
In any case, thanks for the help! Much appreciated.

How do I get system users/groups to appear in the Workgroup Manager list?

When I open the Workgroup Manager and select the Users tab, it only shows users set up in the Workgroup Manager -- same when I browse Groups. But, I also have a couple system users/groups set up not in the workgroup manager, but through the OS's System Preference interface for Users.
Is there a way to automatically have System users appear in the Workgroup list?
I also can't add users to System groups, since the groups also won't appear in the Workgroup Manager (like adding a user to the group Admin or Staff -- default system groups).
I'd just like the option to "show System users and groups" somewhere.
Thanks.
Patrick

Hi
If I understand your post correctly then launch WorkGroup Manager and select Preferences from the WorkGroup Manager Menu. Enable the Show "All Records" tab and inspector option and click OK. In the Users/Groups/Computer tab you should now see the addition of another icon - it looks like a bullseye. Select this and under the filter field selecting 'AccessControls' will show you a long list. Scroll down and select Users. Now go back to the Users tab and you should see all users visible and invisible. You’ll see the same thing for Groups.
You will see different Users and Groups depending which directory node you are in. In the LDAP node you should only see Directory and System Administrator as well as VPN MPPE Key Access User in addition to any user you have created within that node. In the local Net Info node you should see users such as Amavisd User, Clamav User, Cyrus IMAP User etc. You’ll also see UIDs and GUIDs amongst a wealth of other information if you select a user or group and select the Inspector tab.
You can modify record attribute and values as well as adding your own. You can even use WGM in the same way you would use Net Info Manager locally if you wish.
Tony

Unknown user appears in get info permissions list

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