diff --git a/lib/config/core.js b/lib/config/core.js
index b9851f98d0e0c..36605555ff77a 100644
--- a/lib/config/core.js
+++ b/lib/config/core.js
@@ -218,7 +218,6 @@ function Conf (base) {
 
 Conf.prototype.loadPrefix = require('./load-prefix.js')
 Conf.prototype.loadCAFile = require('./load-cafile.js')
-Conf.prototype.loadUid = require('./load-uid.js')
 Conf.prototype.setUser = require('./set-user.js')
 Conf.prototype.getCredentialsByURI = require('./get-credentials-by-uri.js')
 Conf.prototype.setCredentialsByURI = require('./set-credentials-by-uri.js')
@@ -227,11 +226,8 @@ Conf.prototype.clearCredentialsByURI = require('./clear-credentials-by-uri.js')
 Conf.prototype.loadExtras = function (cb) {
   this.setUser(function (er) {
     if (er) return cb(er)
-    this.loadUid(function (er) {
-      if (er) return cb(er)
-      // Without prefix, nothing will ever work
-      mkdirp(this.prefix, cb)
-    }.bind(this))
+    // Without prefix, nothing will ever work
+    mkdirp(this.prefix, cb)
   }.bind(this))
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/config/load-uid.js b/lib/config/load-uid.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 859eac7494bc7..0000000000000
--- a/lib/config/load-uid.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,15 +0,0 @@
-module.exports = loadUid
-
-var getUid = require('uid-number')
-
-// Call in the context of a npmconf object
-
-function loadUid (cb) {
-  // if we're not in unsafe-perm mode, then figure out who
-  // to run stuff as.  Do this first, to support `npm update npm -g`
-  if (!this.get('unsafe-perm')) {
-    getUid(this.get('user'), this.get('group'), cb)
-  } else {
-    process.nextTick(cb)
-  }
-}
diff --git a/lib/utils/error-message.js b/lib/utils/error-message.js
index ea8b05938c108..7835a1cdfcfa2 100644
--- a/lib/utils/error-message.js
+++ b/lib/utils/error-message.js
@@ -72,6 +72,20 @@ function errorMessage (er) {
       }
       break
 
+    case 'EUIDLOOKUP':
+      short.push(['lifecycle', er.message])
+      detail.push([
+        '',
+        [
+          '',
+          'Failed to look up the user/group for running scripts.',
+          '',
+          'Try again with a different --user or --group settings, or',
+          'run with --unsafe-perm to execute scripts as root.'
+        ].join('\n')
+      ])
+      break
+
     case 'ELIFECYCLE':
       short.push(['', er.message])
       detail.push([