How to open the finder as root [closed]

I'm back some twenty years after my last Mac. I've got a brand new iMac running Yosemite and I do need to access an external HD formatted on (Gnu/Linux) ext4 (a journaling file system). I downloaded a library (FUSE for OSX), which is able to read that file system and a complementary app (ext4fuse), which works as a client interface to FUSE. I can mount the disk and navigate it on the finder or on a terminal but, when it comes to actually copying files (either on a terminal [see * below, pls] or on the finder), I get an error such as "Cannot read the file" or even "File does not exist". I suspect that it has something to do with permissions, so I thought that doing the copying as root might help.

I'd appreciate any help. Thanks in advance!

Nacho

P.S. I've tried any number of searches to no avail. [*] Trying to do the job from the terminal issuing a cp command didn't get my any closer to achieve it. Apparently, btw, the cp command in OSX is kinda restricted (regarding to its available options and functionality) wrt its Linux counterpart and, to add the insult to the injury, its options don't work the same (see -R, for instance).

Solution 1:

I fully accept the warnings other people have given here regarding running finder as root... but in a limited scenario it is very useful.

The OP had a problem using the:

sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app/Contents/MacOS/Finder

I suspect he/she may have also been using something like TotalFinder or XtraFinder

If so, then use the options in the custom menu for these add-ons to restart Finder.

Alternatively:

1. Run the command above (sudo Finder) in terminal
2. You will notice the hard drive icon overlayed on your desktop for root... but it is probably not clickable (hence the error message)
3. Then open a new tab in Terminal (so the sudo tab is still running) and kill the standard Finder (without using Sudo) "killall Finder"
4. You should now be able to double click on the overlayed HardDrive desktop icon, or...
5. In the same non-Sudo tab of Terminal, just type "open ."

One other point to note... if you're wanting to browse as root, you probably also want to see hidden files. So before starting all this, type the command below into Terminal. This is a permanent setting, so you only need to do it once for the root user.

sudo defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE

Solution 2:

Don't go there!

Neither Finder nor any other app with a GUI should be run as root. GUI applications are hard to debug and generally have ill-defined scope and purpose. They're china shops that you shouldn't let your 800-pound gorilla superuser enter.

Especially since you give as your reason: "I suspect that it has something to do with permissions, so I thought that doing the copying as root might help."

Find out what permissions problems you have. If you even have any.

If you must do something as root, use the sudo command to run a narrowly focused tool to do exactly what you need done, and no more.

Indiscriminate use of root privileges is more likely to cause permissions problems than to solve them. Be sure you know what you're doing, and why before doing so.