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Be aware that Snow Leopard seems to have a problem with how guest accounts are handled on systems that had them enabled before upgrading from Leopard. In several cases, people have accidentally logged in to their guest accounts and upon logging out and back into their normal accounts have found their data missing. We reported on this problem in the past, but here are some extra options for restoring the lost home folder from a backup.

This problem seems to be occurring with people who have had the guest account enabled for log-in before upgrading to Snow Leopard. After the upgrade, some problem with the account configuration can result in a non-guest account being cleared and reset the same way guest accounts are reset upon logout .

So far this has not happened for computers where the guest account has been enabled after upgrading. As such, one preventative measure is to disable the guest account’s ability to log in (and then disable the account altogether), and re-enable it so Snow Leopard sets it up instead of using the configuration that Leopard set up. I tested this out on my Snow Leopard upgrade (upgraded from 10.5.8 to 10.6) and the guest account worked as expected when enabled in Snow Leopard.

Additionally, if you do not need the guest account, just disable it. If you do need guest log-in functionality and do not want to take any chances, you can create a managed user account without a password to use instead of the guest account. Parental controls can then be used to apply extra restrictions to the account (the only main difference will be the account will not reset upon logout).

As for tackling the lost home folder problem when it has occurred, you will need to have a backup of your data. We strongly urge everyone to use Time Machine or a similar full system backup for this very purpose, and hopefully those who are affected have a recent backup handy. Here are the ways to restore your home folder from a backup:

Immediately restore the entire system

If this problem just occurred, and you have Time Machine running all the time, you should be able to restore your whole system installation to the most recent backup (within the hour). To do this, follow these steps:

1. Boot from the Snow Leopard DVD (hold “C” at start-up with the disk in the drive).
2. Select your language and choose “Restore from Backup” from the “Utilities” menu.
3. Follow the onscreen instructions and be sure to select the most recent backup from the list of available restore points.
4. Click “Restore” and wait for the procedure to complete (may take an hour or two).

After this process is completed, try disabling and re-enabling the guest account, or using the alternatives I suggested above.

Restore the home folder

You can restore the lost home folder from a backup without restoring the full system (though the first method is the most straightforward). To do this, follow these instructions:

1. Create a new admin account in the “Accounts” system preferences (new name, new password).
2. Log out, and log into the new account.
3. Go to the /Macintosh HD/Users/ directory in the Finder and invoke Time Machine.
4. Navigate back in time to where you can see the most recent intact home folder that was lost.
5. Select and restore that folder to the Users directory using the “Restore” button.

(Skip the following steps for the alternative method below.)
6. Go back to the Accounts system preferences and right-click the account with the lost home folder, and choose “Advanced Options.”
7. Next to the “Home directory” field click “Choose” and select the restored home folder.
8. Click “OK” and save the changes, and then log out of the new admin account.
9. Log into the old account.

An additional step to this is to ensure the old account is working properly. After step five above, where you restore the folder to the Users directory, follow these steps instead of the remainder of the steps in the above procedure:

6. Go to the Accounts system preferences and delete the old account.
7. Use the “+” sign to create a new account, giving it the same short and long names as the previous one, with the same password.
8. If the system claims an old home folder exists with that name, select the option to use that folder.
9. Check that the new account is using the old home folder by right-clicking it and in the “Advanced Options” check the home directory path (changing it as described above if it is different than that of the restored home folder).
10. Log out and log back into the newly created account to test it.

This alternative procedure will ensure the old account is refreshed and started new, but keeping the data in it preserved. This will give it new user and group IDs, along with other unique identifier numbers that may have been in conflict with the “guest” account, resulting in the lost home folder upon logout of the guest account.

source :- Cnet reviews

For the past month, some Mac OS X users have been reporting their personal data missing after logging into their guest accounts, and Apple now says it’s working on finding a fix.

“We are aware of the issue, which occurs only in extremely rare cases, and we are working on a fix,” an Apple representative said in a prepared statement Monday.

It’s the first time Apple has said it is looking into the issue. In early September, a handful of Mac users reported the issue on Apple’s discussion boards. The problem, when it occurs, goes like this, according to CNET’s MacFixit: when logging into the guest account on their Mac first and then logging into their regular account, some users are finding all their data to be missing and their accounts completely reset.

It doesn’t appear to be a widespread problem–there are less than 100 posts on several current discussion threads on the issue–but it’s certainly topical. Microsoft is currently dealing with a massive data loss at its Danger subsidiary, the company it acquired that makes the Sidekick mobile phone.

Apple’s data loss issue is also yet another problem related to its most recent operating-system release. Snow Leopard has been plagued with bugs since its release, including problems with the Finder hanging or crashing, incompatibility with certain apps, and the AirPort connection dropping.

Although Apple doesn’t yet have an answer for why this is occurring, you can check here for some suggested fixes, if you’re experiencing the problem.

The Boot Camp control panel lets you set the default operating system for starting up your computer.

To set the default operating system using the Boot Camp control panel:

1. In Windows, click the Boot Camp system tray item and choose Boot Camp Control Panel.
2. Select the startup disk with the operating system you want to use by default.
3. If you want to start up that operating system now, click Restart.

You must install the Boot Camp drivers to use all the features of your Mac with Windows. If it appears that the Boot Camp drivers weren’t successfully installed, try repairing them.

To install or repair Boot Camp drivers:

1. Insert the Mac OS X Leopard disc or “Mac OS X Install Disc 1″ into your computer.
2. Double-click the setup.exe file if the installer doesn’t open automatically.
3. If you are repairing Boot Camp drivers that are already installed, click Repair.
4. Follow the onscreen instructions.If a message appears that says the software you are installing has not passed Windows Logo testing, click Continue Anyway.

You can upgrade Windows XP to Windows Vista if you have a licensed copy of Windows Vista Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, or Ultimate.

After upgrading to Windows Vista, you’ll need to reinstall the Boot Camp drivers using the Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard installation disc or the “Mac OS X Install Disc 1” that came with your computer to enable Vista on your Mac.

To upgrade to Windows Vista:

     Restart your Mac using Windows.

     Insert your Vista installation or upgrade disc.

     Follow the instructions that came with Vista.

     When the Vista installation is completed, insert the Mac OS X Leopard disc or “Mac OS X Install Disc 1” that came with your computer to install the Boot Camp drivers in Vista.

You can install Windows XP or Windows Vista on your Macintosh using Boot Camp Assistant, located in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder.

Note: If you have already installed Boot Camp on your Mac and want to upgrade Windows, you do not need to reinstall Boot Camp.

To install and set up Windows on your Mac, you’ll need:

An Intel-based Mac computer, with the latest firmware updates installed.

A USB keyboard and mouse, or a built-in keyboard and trackpad.

Mac OS X version 10.5 or later (the latest version of Mac OS X is strongly recommended).

At least 10 GB of free space on the disk you’re installing on.

A licensed copy of Windows XP Home Edition or Professional, or Windows Vista Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, or Ultimate

Important: You must use a single full-install Windows installation disc. Service pack 2 is required for Windows XP installations. Do not install an earlier version of Windows XP and attempt to update it later to service pack 2. Use only 32-bit versions of Windows.

To install Windows on your Mac:

 Back up the important information on your computer.

 Open Boot Camp Assistant (located in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder).

 Print and follow the instructions in the “Boot Camp Installation & Setup Guide.”

To install Windows using Boot Camp, you must be logged in as an administrator

To send a file using Bluetooth to a computer running Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, you must enable Bluetooth Sharing in Sharing preferences. By default, Bluetooth Sharing is turned off in Leopard.

1. On each Mac OS X 10.5-based Mac, from the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.
2. From the View menu, choose Sharing.
3. Check (click) the “On” box next to Bluetooth Sharing.
4. Close the Sharing preferences window.`

Print a test page

If your printer has a test page feature, try to print one. If the test page does not print, turn the printer off and on then try again. Make sure the power cord is connected to a power source.

For more information on how to print a test page, review the documentation that came with your printer or look at the manufacturer’s website. If printing a test page is unsuccessful, review the documentation that came with the printer for further troubleshooting steps specific to the printer.
Check cables and connections

1.Disconnect and reconnect every cable between the computer and the printer. Make sure all cables are firmly inserted.
2.USB printers only: Switch the USB cable connection from the current USB port to another USB port.
3.USB printers only: Open Apple System Profiler and click the Devices and Volumes tab. If the printer still does not appear, try a different cable.
4.Try to print again.

Did it work before?

If your printer previously worked with Mac OS X, continue to the next section. If not, go to “Update or reinstall printer software” below.
Delete old print jobs

Save the files you are trying to print, then delete old print jobs.
Print from another application

Try to print from another Mac OS X application, such as TextEdit. Can the issue be isolated to one application?

If the issue occurs when you try to print from a Classic application, try printing from other Classic applications, then from a Mac OS X-native application. Can the issue be isolated to one application? Does it only occur in the Classic environment?

Any time that an issue seems to be application-specific or environment-specific (Classic versus Mac OS X native), the issue could be related to either the application software or the printer drivers. Check the website of both the application developer and the printer manufacturer, and contact them if necessary. If your issue is not a known issue, you could post it to Discussions.

Source

You may have third-party “enhancement” software installed that does not work with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Use one of these solutions.

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