DO NOT TOUCH!!!!

[student_trap]

Hey everyone,
my 12in powerbook is due to be delivered this saturday, and as it will be my first mac, are there any initial precedures to undertake once you boot up for the first time. Also, are their any tips that you could give that will get me started in the right direction (i am a little familiar with OSX but have been using Windows all of my life).

Finally, my father who knows nothing about computers (absolutely nothing!!) and is interested in learning once my new mac comes. So i said to him that i would explain the basics to him (ie, about files etc and moving them and clicking and dragging and what a dock is etc!!!) and then let him basically play around while i am at work. However, the problem is this, i know that with windows if he deleted certain files the computer would be in BIG trouble! is this also true with macs?if so, what should i tell him NOT TO TOUCH under any circumstances.

Thanks for any advice (just cant wait for Saturday!)


Edit: as a final thought, would it be possible to create some sort of user profile for him that would have important files etc locked out so he couldn't modify/delete them?

 

[watchmainspring]

whatever the hard drives name is: tell him to stay far away from folders inside it

Just have him click on the icons on the dock and the folders on the left side of your finder window. like:
pictures
music
documents

 

[iSaint]

Create his own user identity, then you can select what you want to share with him. The coolest thing (one of many) is the user switching when the screen rotates to the new user screen.

Edit: also, nothing to worry about or nothing special to do when first starting up your powerbook. I was a MS user for all my life before switching last year, I couldn't be happier. Ease of use and stability is what's so enticing about OS X. My 11 year old daughter has a much easier time working with her profile on my iBook than she does on my old Compaq running W2K.

 

[KC9AIC]

It's harder to entirely mess up your system in OS X because of permissions. Still, it's a good idea to give him a managed (limited use) account, and turn on fast user switching (if you have 10.3 or later) so you can switch back to your account whenever you need to. All account work can be done in the "Accounts" section of System Preferences.

 

[SilentPanda]

I would say give him his own account with very limited actions that he can do (you can limit these under the Users panel). As it sounds like you aren't very familiar with OS X either you might limit his account as much as possible until you feel comfortable yourself. Be reasonable of course. Not letting him use iTunes would be silly.

As he asks about new things, find out the answer and open up that ability for him. If you limit his user account he really can't hurt anything except his own account...

 

[student_trap]

thanks everyone for your quick responses. i have never created users on a computer before, but it seems like the way to go, is it a simple procedure? also, if i stopped his access to the hard drive folders, could he still drag applications form the hard drive "Applications" subfolder to the dock?

thanks again

 

[Chappers]

Welcome to the family.

 

[wrldwzrd89]

thanks everyone for your quick responses. i have never created users on a computer before, but it seems like the way to go, is it a simple procedure? also, if i stopped his access to the hard drive folders, could he still drag applications form the hard drive "Applications" subfolder to the dock?

thanks again

He'll be able to do this unless you also disallow his ability to modify the dock. As has been said previously, all of these settings are made from the Accounts pane of System Preferences. Keep in mind that there are significant differences between the settings available in Panther and those available in Tiger - if you're running one and the person helping you is running the other, it might cause some confusion.

 

[warrior]

Follow all the instructions on how to charge/drain the battery for the first few uses, so that it will be optimized for the best battery life.

 

[munkle]

This link might be interesting reading. Have fun with your new Mac, I love my PB