Snow Leopard bug deletes all user data

[Flisker]

Computerworld - Snow Leopard users have reported that they've lost all their personal data when they've logged into a "Guest" account after upgrading from Leopard, according to messages on Apple's support forum.

The bug, users said in a well-read thread (http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2142272&tstart=0) on Apple's support forum, resets all settings on the Mac, resets all applications' settings and erases the contents of critical folders containing documents, photos and music.

The MacFixIt site (http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-10346974-263.htmll?tag=mncol;txt) first reported the problem more than a month ago.

Users claimed that they lost data when they'd logged into their Macs using a "Guest" account, either purposefully or by accident. Reports of the bug go back to Sept. 3, just six days after Apple launched Snow Leopard (http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9136741/Apple_s_Snow_Leopard), or Mac OS X 10.6. Users who said they'd encountered the bug said that they had upgraded their systems from Mac OS X 10.5, known as Leopard.

Specifically, Snow Leopard's home directory -- the one sporting the name of the Mac's primary user -- is replaced with a new, empty copy after users log-in to a Guest account, log out, then log-in to their standard account. All the standard folders -- Documents, Downloads, Music, Picture and others -- are empty, while the Desktop and Dock have reverted to an "out-of-box" condition.
"I had the Guest account enabled on my MacBook Pro," said a user identified as "tcnsdca" in a message posted Sept. 3. "I accidentally clicked on that when I went to log in. It took a few minutes to log in, then after I had logged out of that account and back into mine, my [entire] home directory had been wiped. All of doc, music, etc. gone."
"Add my parents to the list of people waxed by this bug," added "Ratty Mouse" today on the same thread. "Brand new iMac, less than one month old, EVERYTHING lost. Just as I convinced them to go Mac after years of trying."

On the thread, several users urged others to disable any Guest accounts to prevent any accidental data loss.
Some people were able to restore their Macs using recent Time Machine backups, but others admitted that they had not backed up their machines for weeks or months.
"Just my luck I hadn't made a backup since 11th August," acknowledged "rogerss" (http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2157518&start=15&tstart=0) on a different support forum thread. "So annoyed now, in the process of restoring from Time Machine, but have lost loads of my work due to this fault."

Others users, however, had neglected to back up their Macs.
"Nooooo!!! This morning I had access to Guest Account and than all my data were lost!!!" bemoaned someone tagged as "carlodituri" last Saturday. "I had 250GB of data without backup and I lost everything: years and years of documents, pictures, video, music!!! Is it possible to recover something? Please help me!!!!"
Not surprisingly, users unaffected by the bug were reluctant to attempt to reproduce the problem. Some, for instance, wondered if the data loss would be triggered on Macs upgraded to Snow Leopard when the Guest account was simply set to "Sharing only," which is the default.
Apple did not respond today to questions about the bug.

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9139250/Snow_Leopard_bug_deletes_all_user_data

I find it funny that the bug is well over a month old and Apple had nothing to say about it.

[HotelUser]

It didn't affect me or most users at all. I don't know why it's such big news? Microsoft has loads of problems worse than this and they don't get a news cast for each one..

[GommeInc]

It didn't affect me or most users at all. I don't know why it's such big news? Microsoft has loads of problems worse than this and they don't get a news cast for each one..
Might be because Microsoft don't attempt to bury the competition with lies about reliablity and security? ;) Also, this is quite a serious bug, compared to what you get with Windows at least :S Removing data from music and photo folders is incredibly serious... I can see why people call the OS lousy in terms of management with hard-drive and memory, even though it is suposedly based off Unix. I know of someone who upgraded, then downgraded because it worked out terrible the update. Snow Leopard seems to be the Vista of the OS/X world - bad for some, good for others.

[HotelUser]

Might be because Microsoft don't attempt to bury the competition with lies about reliablity and security? ;) Also, this is quite a serious bug, compared to what you get with Windows at least :S Removing data from music and photo folders is incredibly serious... I can see why people call the OS lousy in terms of management with hard-drive and memory, even though it is suposedly based off Unix. I know of someone who upgraded, then downgraded because it worked out terrible the update. Snow Leopard seems to be the Vista of the OS/X world - bad for some, good for others.

If it's the Vista of OS X than it's a much smaller scale:P. Though Adium seems to hate SL.

[Recursion]

If it's the Vista of OS X than it's a much smaller scale:P. Though Adium seems to hate SL.

Fine for me? :S

And it is a huge issue, especially if people download songs off iTunes and they are stored in their music folders? They don't let you redownload them!

[xxMATTGxx]

Might be because Microsoft don't attempt to bury the competition with lies about reliablity and security? ;) Also, this is quite a serious bug, compared to what you get with Windows at least :S Removing data from music and photo folders is incredibly serious... I can see why people call the OS lousy in terms of management with hard-drive and memory, even though it is suposedly based off Unix. I know of someone who upgraded, then downgraded because it worked out terrible the update. Snow Leopard seems to be the Vista of the OS/X world - bad for some, good for others.

Very well said.


Fine for me? :S

And it is a huge issue, especially if people download songs off iTunes and they are stored in their music folders? They don't let you redownload them!

Apple are cheeky like that >:[

[GommeInc]

You can't redownload music from iTunes? God, how is iTunes so popular?! Play.com and Amazon.co.uk, both of which sell MP3 tracks for cheaper than iTunes, allow you to redownload :/

It's also very cheeky that you can't see how much tracks are on their website, it seems you have to download iTunes to get a whiff of how much each track costs. Though it may just be me :P

[Papershop]

i had no problem with this? But i dont see why everyone is bad mouthing apples operating system. Look at vista when it was brought out. You could barely print something off.

[Agnostic Bear]

It just works.

[Flisker]

It just works.
You have confused me lol

[Chippiewill]

If it's the Vista of OS X than it's a much smaller scale:P. Though Adium seems to hate SL.

Slightly slow computer or losing ALL my user data? Hmm, I REALLY cannot decide.

[GommeInc]

i had no problem with this? But i dont see why everyone is bad mouthing apples operating system. Look at vista when it was brought out. You could barely print something off.
It worked mind you :P Aww, we're being mean to Apple now :( Not saying we shouldn't, but still :P

[HotelUser]

Slightly slow computer or losing ALL my user data? Hmm, I REALLY cannot decide.

Well if you have your heart set on using the guest account, by all means don't upgrade!

[Recursion]

Well if you have your heart set on using the guest account, by all means don't upgrade!

I notice Windows has a guest account that doesn't delete data :eusa_whis

[HotelUser]

I notice Windows has a guest account that doesn't delete data :eusa_whis

I noticed Windows boots slow.

This can go back and forth all day:P.

[N!ck]

I noticed Windows boots slow.

This can go back and forth all day:P.

No it doesn't. Well, 7 doesn't.

[xxMATTGxx]

I noticed Windows boots slow.

This can go back and forth all day:P.

You notice a lot of things though. Doesn't make them all true sadly :( :P

[HotelUser]

You notice a lot of things though. Doesn't make them all true sadly :( :P

MATT :(. I have also noticed that Mac users are crying all over the world because we have just lost use of a very important and much needed feature that allows us to use guest accounts! All of us depend on the guest account feature and without it we will all have to go back to Windows! When I pay 2,000 dollars too much for a computer, I like to share it!

[Recursion]

Jeese well people must be using it otherwise they wouldn't have found the problem.

[HotelUser]

Jeese well people must be using it otherwise they wouldn't have found the problem.

There's a forum on the internet that believes the Earth is still flat, and that NASA is covering everything up. Just because it's there doesn't mean it's popular, by any means.

[Recursion]

So you just told all of HXF that you were speaking **** in your previous posts? ;)

[HotelUser]

So you just told all of HXF that you were speaking **** in your previous posts? ;)

LOL of course not! You'd have to be extremely, erm, interesting to believe the Earth is flat. I'm saying that yes people used the feature, but no, the majority of Mac users wont be affected because it's a feature not many people use.

[Flisker]

LOL of course not! You'd have to be extremely, erm, interesting to believe the Earth is flat. I'm saying that yes people used the feature, but no, the majority of Mac users wont be affected because it's a feature not many people use.
Is this based on facts or opinions that not many mac users use the guest account?

[Papershop]

Is this based on facts or opinions that not many mac users use the guest account?
well i dont use mine. so that 1/1000000

if im gunna pay £1000 for a computer, i certainly dont want anyone else to use it! too scared incase they scratch it tyvm :)

[Recursion]

well i dont use mine. so that 1/1000000

if im gunna pay £1000 for a computer, i certainly dont want anyone else to use it! too scared incase they scratch it tyvm :)

Wow.. I have scratches in my MacBook and I'm someone who looks after my stuff, sure the first scratch annoyed me but they are inevitable when you are actually using it as a computer and not a fashion statement (not aimed at you btw) :P

[HotelUser]

well i dont use mine. so that 1/1000000
I didn't even know I had one:P.


if im gunna pay £1000 for a computer, i certainly dont want anyone else to use it! too scared incase they scratch it tyvm :)

Fair do's:)

[Recursion]

DAVEEE I STILL CANT GET MY MAC TO BOOT IN 30 SECONDS.

[Tomm]

I think this thread is in need of some supporting video material:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLbJ8YPHwXM

[GommeInc]

I was expecting billions of PCs to come out Mac bashing, and then a Linux transformer immune to both of them comes storming in destroying the lot :(

[xxMATTGxx]

I was expecting billions of PCs to come out Mac bashing, and then a Linux transformer immune to both of them comes storming in destroying the lot :(

I think something like that was going to happen. Because near the end of the video it says "PCs transform" or something? I could be mistaken though.

[GommeInc]

And there's so many errors in that that seem rather biased towards the Macs :P Such an unrealistic battle, and that isn't meant to sound ironic! There's a trailer for Mac vs. PC 2. Goodness know what Apple Mac was fighting the Alienware PC.