Just as I was about to head to the Apple Store to pick up a copy of Snow Leopard, one of the most serious bugs yet is starting to get more play in the Apple media. Apparently, an issue in the way the new version of Mac OS X handles guest accounts could cause the computer to seemingly ‘delete’ all of a users files stored in their main account.

The gist of how it happens is this, according to user reports: shortly before the bug appears, a Guest folder appears in the /Users directory. Previous to this, no such folder exists. When the computer is restarted, the user is somehow logged in as a guest and all their files stored under their main account appear to have been deleted.

Apparently this issue is nothing new: CNet has an article from September 19 which seems to allude to the issues that people are experiencing, as well as offering a possible solution to your problems.

Note that this method does not restore your data. In order to do that, you’re going to need a backup. Moral of the story here? If you’re on Snow Leopard, start backing up your home folder regularly.

Apple is currently looking into the issue, however has not provided any guidance as to when the problem could be fixed.

I’m just guessing here, but disabling the guest account before upgrading to Snow Leopard might also be another way to prevent a problem if you’re still looking to upgrade. I just checked my accounts here and the Guest Account is labeled “sharing only.” I have to do some more research here to see if I’m safe.

 
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