Quick Note: Guest Account bug rumored to be addressed in 10.6.2
We've had ongoing coverage of the guest account bug that cropped up in Snow Leopard, where depending on how the account was configured when you upgraded there may be a small possibility that logging into the guest account could wipe data from non-guest accounts. This is a rare bug, but one that caused a number of people to be concerned about the potential for data loss.
Several rumor sites have been following the development of OS X 10.6.2, of which various versions have been seeded to developers. The latest information from these updates suggests that the account bug has been addressed by Apple in this update (1, 2), so if you are holding out on upgrading to Snow Leopard because of this bug then you should be able to avoid any potential data loss from this bug by installing 10.6.2 on your system.
If you have already purchased Snow Leopard and have not yet upgraded, you should be able to avoid this problem by first disabling your guest account as a safeguard and then upgrading to Snow Leopard. Then run Software Update and apply the 10.6.2 updater before trying your guest account again.
For new purchasers, you have the option to check the Snow Leopard installation disc to see what version will be installed. Apple constantly updates the retail installers to contain the latest version of the OS, so you have the option to ask for a recently shipped package when you buy the software, and check the side of the box to see if the version says 10.6.2. If you cannot find one containing 10.6.2, you can still install and immediately update as per the advice above to avoid guest account problems.
As always, be sure to backup your data before upgrading your operating system.
Just so you know, Topher was WAY out in front of the rest of the press on this problem. Here's his original post about it: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-10346974-263.html?tag=mncol
You'll notice the date of September 8th...that would be a FULL MONTH before any other major outlet picked up on this issue.
Way to get the scoop Topher, and thanks for keeping us all informed!
Now if Apple would just fix the darn thing!
As a matter of fact, I was at first surprised to see the rumored fix coming in 10.6.2. I don't usually see 'rumors' mentioned here. OTOH, these rumors have been around almost since 10.6.2 has been mentioned (several weeks now). And with reports of each new build, we here it is just a few weeks away. ;-)
But the temporary fix, also reported here with the original report, probably by Mr. Kessler, is easy, fast and effective. Perhaps if more people read more forums, they would be more aware of what's going on...but that's probably asking too much of many people...Oh well, there's always that 23.8% 8-|
Thanks!
why don't you buy a PC with its new Vista called Windows 7 then you'll have really something to whined about. Go to Windows 7 forum newsletter and instead of 1 or maybe 2 littles problems, you'll get them by the thousands, so cool off your heels and give them the chance to turn around and fix-it.
One would expect that from the rumor sites but I would hope cnet would have higher standards.
-
by macdad614
October 28, 2009 9:02 PM PDT
- For some reason, I am unable to find the prior article (last week?) in which it was suggested that a user upgrade to 10.6.2 since that was the fix for the problems with losing (definitely not 'loosing') data when some users were logged in as a guest account. That article made it appear as though 10.6.2 had been released already. Now this article states that it has been seeded to developers, and from this we are to infer that the release is imminent.
-
Like this
Reply to this comment
-
(11 Comments)(A jerk on MacRumors needs to do more reading since he posted "Shouldn't Apple spend money trying to fix the GIANT BUG THAT DELETES ALL OF A USER'S DATA instead of making commercials?")
Just let us know when the major bugs are gone and we can upgrade to 10.6.x.