yea, between this and Microsoft's sidekick screw up--these are two pretty bad issues for both companies.

Yeah, talk about not being "hackable", now you got to watch out for the leopard ravaging files. ROAR!!!

About time that Apple "borrows" a "feature" from Microsoft! lol. Seriously though, what a zune! Clean it up Apple!

This combined with failure of one's backup with their Time Capsule = complete failure for Apple. The guest account deletes users files? This didn't get caught when going through testing? Wow, tells you a lot right there.

I'm not saying this in a fanboish manerism, but I'm deeply amused that after years of claiming it "just works" and that Macs are problem free Apple is now having lots of problems now that they're more popular.

I'm a mac, and I delete everything you care about

I'm a PC - whoa wait... you did what?

Complain? No way. Apple is just taking my security seriously. I mean, if someone logs onto my Apple and they don't do it under an account I created, they're obviously a hacker. and hackers are bad. So Apple is being proactive- destroying all my data ensures it won't fall into the hands of a nefarious hacker-- even if that hacker is just my 7 year old cousin trying to log in to the guest account so he can check the news.

Not deleting your data is a $20 option.

October is "delete user data month", didn't you know?

WTF man. I've had zero problems with SL so far, but this is a pretty effing big problem.

Unfortunately details are scarce -- I can't even understand why this would theoretically happen. Maybe if the guest account does not exist, it tries to forcibly create the directory, but some variable somewhere still has the current users userID stored, and that gets used to forcibly create the dir over the existing one?

It doesn't seem clear from the article, but it appears that Time Machine data should still be safe. That said, I skipped Leopard so SL is my first experience with Time Machine -- I dig it, but I'm also slightly nervous about trusting my OS to perform the backup for me. Any user data deletion bug could just as easily affect your automated backups too. My system's full of drives, but perhaps I'll grab the biggest one I have laying around and use it for occasional manual rsync backups of my user data.

Had something of this sort been done by Microsoft Windows, this post by Engadget would have been different.

The way things are going the Mac Vs PC ads will be laughed at like the Mac Switch ads 3 years ago...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80IKfayPMz4

Here's a fix for those affected. Also to prevent this, disable the guest access and re-enable it in SL. Apparently it only affects those who upgraded from Leopard to SL.

How to restore Lost home folder after logging in as guest in Snow Leopard
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-10356505-263.html

in soviet russia, apple deletes you!

holy crap...that actually works for once!!! thank you yakov smirnoff

"Had something of this sort been done by Microsoft Windows, this post by Engadget would have been different."

Well yeah, because for all the many, many, many flaws of Windows and Windows fans...there is no assumption that Windows is a perfect product, bringing metaphorical heavenly gifts to the true believers. It's human nature to delight when arrogance is brought low. Don't tell me you didn't giggle a bit in your fanboy heart when that BSOD happened on a live demo of Windows with Gates in attendance.

But here's the icing on the cake: The article wouldn't exist anyway because the guest account on windows 7, Vista, or XP doesn't delete your data.

A fix from another site... I thought it might be handy

1) su in terminal
2) mv username username.old
3) create account username
4) mv username username.new
5) mv usermane.old username
6) chown -R username username

And people said VIsta was bad........wel it was.
btw i cant wait to see the apple fanboys saying how good it is.
"i like loosing my files. better than windows. blah blah blah blah"

I got 6 accounts on my rig. no problem here. Been going back and forth with all users since it came out. What's that, a month now.

I LOVE MY MAC. WITH A MAC YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. IT JUST WORKS AND WINDOZE IS FOR LUZERS.

I had more, but I lost the second part in the mass deletion.

@Mega-Japan What are you talking about, there is nothing to complain about here! Apple said Snow Leopard will reclaim hard drive space! They just forgot to mention it deletes all the stuff you care about...

I think its funny that if this would have happened on Windows there would be a huge uproar about it, which would have been fair enough as that is a MAJOR glitch but when it happens on OS X its just pushed off with a bit of sarcasm.

Damn, you should sell that line to Microsoft! Nice!

Still better than the OS that requires biannual format-reinstalls in order to be at peak performance.

@ben, that's only because Linux distro users like to keep their software up to date not because it slows down. :P

OSX doesn't need viruses when it's got Apple

Seems like a pretty serious issue but no different to Windows Product Activation. Don't contact MS in time and you get locked out. Though WPA is not a bug.

@Adrian

Lock out and user deletion are two COMPLETELY different things. Not even on the same level.

Anyone else remember that Mac Hate vid on YouTube? Thought it was getting old but maan is that guy right: ''You idiot! You own a Mac! The file is f#%& gone! It's just GONE!'' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqN76gYKHMs

It's so easy to use you don't even need to get a virus to delete all your files-it's built right into the OS!

@iDavey

Maybe but you still can't access your data anymore so you might as well delete it.

You said it yourself. You're locked out. How are you going to delete stuff if you can't access your files? :P Think first, before countering with some futile pro-Apple fanboy comment.

Apple screwed up. Period. It'll only be a matter of time before that "rock solid" OS X will be infested with "the bad stuff".

@ Blitizkrieg

What I was trying to say is that it's as good as deleting it, Plus I don't remember saying Apple did not screw up. By the way I am not a fanboy like you claim I'm just trying to counter the relentless Apple hate on this site by chumps like you.

***insert picture of menacing kitten by keyboard***

LOL!

CATS!

Well said

This has to be one of the few articles that I haven't seen Mac users defending their product. Talk about a massive blow...

INTERNET SUPERHERO:
In other words, to mac fanboys, sort of like finding out your supermodel girlfriend did it with 2 guys in high school aka chasing amy style.

The love is still there (hence the casual attitude), but deep down it's a complete let down (anger).

I've never found a practical use for the guest account, probably went untested altogether with the release of 10.6

Clearly your sarcasm detector is switched to "off."

We just told you an OS could eat all of your data. And you think "probably recommend" actually means "probably?"

Here's a clarification: please, for the love of all that's good, disable your Guest account unless you couldn't care less about possibly losing all of your data.

Better?

I agree with Cardbored, the tone here is pretty casual. If this were a Win 7 bug I am sure the tone of the reporting will be different, with snarky remarks thrown in for good measure.

At least the headline wasn't an embarrassing typo like "Bust Buy" (in case you missed the RSS/Twitter feed or saw the article last night).

+1

sigh... i've said this before guys, but call out the editors when they actually deserve it. otherwise it discredits your claims and makes you look like a whiny troll. there are some times when the editors deserve to be called out, but there was nothing wrong with this article/post.

Exactly. If this were a Microsoft glitch, it would be BREAKING NEWS (like the T-Mobile/Microsoft ordeal) and we'd have a post filled with tons of sarcasm and mocking.

But no, Macs are superior in every way.

?
i'm no apple fanboy by any means, just trying to blow this off. i might actually classify myself as a Microsoft fan. but i don't really have a problem with this article/post (do we have a consensus on what we call what the editors wright?).