locking OS X screen and switching users

Okay... I know I can set a password for the screensaver, but is there any way to manually lock OS X? I'm used to doing ctrl-alt-del to lock mine when I'm in the labs... How do i do it in OS X?

and is there a way to log into another account while still in your account (say want to login to admin account to do something real quick, then jump back to your account)?

Thanks

 

well if you do something that requires admin powers, it will ask you for a password to do it. as for locking it, you may need a second account and fast user switch on. i don't know if it can be done easily with one account.

 

I've got 3 accounts. I don't use the admin account much, but when I try to run terminal in super user mode, it denies my root password for some reason.
How do I swich fast uer swtiching on?

 

system preferences>accounts>login items (at the bottom of the accounts list)

i guess it will work with only one account. i don't care to have more then one myself. you can set it to only be a little icon in the menu bar.

 

Ohh, i got it setup!

Thanks, that will come in handy heh

 

For hallownail, there is a way to authenticate yourself in Terminal as an Admin and then you can use sudo. I forget how, but it is possible.

And for RadcomTxx, if you are using an Admin account most of the time I would stop. It is a lot more secure to run as a limited user. I will grant slightly more annoying, but much more secure. Sometimes us OS X users get a little too much of that bullet proof feeling I think. Also, there is an exploit out that only effects those running Admin. Here is a link.

 

meh, i say bring them on! in all the years that i have been online, the worse i have gotten from the internet was some spyware/adware. and i was able to get rid of it. not one virus or trojan (and pretty sure i haven't had any worms, can't clearly remember because my brother has had one or two). {knock on wood } i keep my computers and connection secure. so i am not worried about any potential hack. heck, look at how many holes are in windows and you can run it as admin with no problems. many do.

 

root on OS X is strongly recommended to be left disabled as it is by default, enabling the account is basically opening your front door.
Make sure you know what you are doing, most people don't even know how to turn on the root account in OS X (probably a good thing), and believe that when they are on their admin account and using terminal they are root, but in fact they are not.

This of course is not meant to be directed in a bad way towards anyone in this thread or any of its readers, but merely as a warning to understand the risks of it. Seeing how hollow knows such a thing as root exist would suggest he understands what he is doing.

 

There is some discussion as to how much more secure is a system without a set-up root account,sudo-based, like OS X and Ubuntu, is more secure than a normal *NIX system. Since the admin account can do (almost) everything the root account can, I for myself say the difference is semantic, but for the tiny security you get for not having everyone know which user is the admin.

hollownail, you mean you started terminal, typed
su <name of your admin account>
and it wouldn't let you login? that's strange, I can su to another user just allright.

 

The fact is the admin account can't touch the system files at all, and these files are the most important files on the whole system, enabling root which is the only account that has the power to touch those system files is, like I said, just basically opening your front door.

The whole point of my post was simply a warning, just make sure you know what you (that is anyone who is thinking of doing this) are doing.

Wooky, I'm not sure what point your getting across (heck I don't see how the word 'semantic' works in what you said), but the difference in power and the security of the overall system is significant if you decide to use root or not.

 

Which system files you can't touch with an admin account and can touch with a root account?

 

Yeah, su won't let me log in. Or maybe I was doing Sudo per the oracle install instructions.
It just coming back saying pword is wrong for root, but when I try the command in my admin account, it works fine.

 

Whoa sorry for the long response.

According to David Pogue this is what he states, and I'm using what he has says because he said it best.

"Even an Administrator isn't allowed to remove files from the system folder or other files whose removal could hobble the machine" | "An administrator's account isn't exactly a skeleton key that gives unfettered access to every corner of the mac" pg. 455 in OS X the Missing Manual by David Pogue.

He said if you need anything use sudo, he highly advises against enabling the root account, and if you do enable it you'll basically have a "$2,500 doorstop" according to him. Root is the only account that has total access to the system folders library folder, the Admin account has no powers that involve modifying or deleting, in that folder.

If you ask me, that is a huge power gap between Admin and root, and enabling root opens the door for potential security risks, becuase now your most important files can be accessed much more easily if you have a serious hacker involved, or dangerous scripts.