iUseApple

I have a computer that many users want to access. But I don’t want my files and folders damaged or altered by their presence. I may not want a guest to install programs without my consent.

Passwords are Essential

When I first open my Mac and boot it up, OS X requires me to setup a new account and password. Passwords are built into OS X for a reason. It is good to protect my files via password. This first password must be rememberable, since I will be using it govern my Mac.

This first account is an administrator. Administrators can make new user accounts, adjust the accessibility of those users, change system preferences, and install applications. Standard Users can use applications and change their own system preferences. Manages Users are limited in access and control. In a family setting, it may be a good idea to share an administrator password so everyone can install applications.

How Do I Make a New Account?

Accounts are managed in the Accounts Pane in System Preferences.

Select Apple:System Preferences in the top left of the menu bar. Click Accounts.

Click the Lock to Make Changes. Enter the password for an administrator.

Click the + sign. Enter the information for the new user.

Typical Account Options

Password

Here I can change my password and even alter my username.

Picture

This is where I can select the picture I want associated with my account. This picture will be used at the login screen, in my address book, and even as my default buddy icon in iChat. Click Edit to change the picture.

I can drag and drop and picture into the well. If I have an iSight or webcam, I can take a video snapshot for my picture. I can even drag the snapshot around the pane and zoom in to crop it the way I want it.

Login Items

Here I can add or subtract items that startup when I login. Some of these are essential OS X functions, so do not subtract anything unless I know what I am doing.

Parental Controls

I can limit what Standard and Managed Users do here. I can limit what email addresses, websites, iChat buddies are safe for a user to communicate with. In the Finder, I can configure certain abilities for a user.

Login Options

Login Options are Account Preferences that apply to all users on a Mac.

Click Login Options.

Automatically log in as:

Here I can select a user to automatically login at startup. If this is not checked then the login window will appear at startup.

Display login window as:

I can make the login window display as a list of users or make a user enter their login and password. this second option is more secure.

Show the Restart, Sleep and Shut Down buttons

I can allow a person to Restart, Sleep and Shut Down the Mac at the login screen. This can mean the loss of information if a user restarts the computer while other users are logged in. If there are multiple users on my Mac, it may be a good idea to uncheck this option.

Show Input menu in login window

I can make the Mac accessible to multilingual users by checking Show Input menu in login window. If I then, log out I will see a pull down window with a flag at the top the the login window. A user can now select the keyboard layout appropriate for their language.

Use VoiceOver at login window

Checking this will give the login window the ability to speak.

Show Password Hints

This will enable password hints to be visible for users. It is more secure to have this unchecked.

Enable fast user switching

Check Enable fast user switching to allow users to log in at the same time as other users. The name of the currently logged in user will appear in the menu bar. A user can now click on this name to login.

I can even set the way I want to menu bar icon to appear by selecting this option from under the checkbox in the Accounts Pane.

Fast user switching opens the ability for other users to shutdown the system while another user is open. Another user’s data could be lost. Save often. This also means that the operations of multiple users are working on the Mac at the same time. It is a good idea to stop all major processes like Garageband, iTunes or Final Cut Pro before logging in to another user. Be courteous to other users and ask before logging in if you see a program running that may be chugging away.

What did you learn in this post?
Or did it leave you with further questions?


Comment here to Ask Steve Blue!

Written by Steve Blue
steveblue@iuseapple.com