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Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts

Are there shortcuts for user accounts? Let's say you wanna switch between accounts and you don't wanna enter password to switch over every time. Can you do it in an easier way? I know I've seen someone doing some crazy movements with his keyboard on youtube but I can't find the video. Does anybody know what I'm talking about?

Thanks,
- potassium hydroxide

MACBOOK, Mac OS X (10.4.11)

Posted on Oct 27, 2009 1:54 AM

Reply
23 replies

Nov 6, 2009 9:28 AM in response to Potash

re: Fast user switching in OS X...

• Mac OS X enable fast user switching | Mac system administration...
Sep 22, 2004 ... Mac OS X is a UNIX-based operating system with all the cool
bells and whistles. One of the big differences is that UNIX is a multiuser ...
http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/706/mac-os-x-enable-fast-user-switching/

• In Mac OS X, what is fast user switching, and how do I use it ...
Aug 27, 2009 ... In Mac OS X, a feature called fast user switching allows you
to simultaneously log into two or more OS X accounts on one computer, ...
http://kb.iu.edu/data/anfy.html -

• How do I turn on Fast User Switching on my new MacBook Pro ...
Apr 16, 2007 ... Enabling Fast User Switching is a bit tricky, though, because
they hid it in a rather unintuitive spot in Mac OS X...
http://www.askdavetaylor.com/turnon_fast_user_switching_on_macbookpro.html

• Mac OS X 10.5 Help: Quickly switching between accounts
You can use “fast user switching” to allow more than one user to stay logged ...
When fast user switching is turned on, the current user's name appears in ...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.5/en/8672.html

{ four links ^ courtesy of google: ' fast user switching mac ' - search results }

• Mac OS X 10.4 Help: Switching between user accounts
You can turn on "fast user switching" to allow more than one user to stay logged ...
When fast user switching is turned on, the name of the current user is ...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.4/en/mh1787.html

• 10.4: Avoid a fast user switching color profile bug - Mac OS X Hints
Jan 8, 2006 ... Tiger only hint There is a nasty bug in Tiger related to custom color profiles...
Click here to return to the '10.4: Avoid a fast user switching color...
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20060103162354164

{ two links ^ courtesy of google: ' Tiger 10.4 fast user switching mac ' - search results }

• • • •

re: keyboard shortcuts...

{Using the Keyboard Viewer as activated in System Prefs
International section, can be helpful to see what the basic
keyboard shifting and extended functions can be. The two
Character Pallet and Keyboard Viewer can be used in
most of the languages and other language keyboards.}

• Magical Macintosh Key Sequences
All the magic key sequences to make your Mac do various things. ...
See also the Keyboard Shortcuts under Mac OS X page that Westwind
Computing maintains.... Key, Action. esc, Cancel. command-. (period),
Cancel. enter, Default button ...
http://davespicks.com/writing/programming/mackeys.html -

• Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts
Apr 27, 2009 ... A modifier key alters the way other keystrokes or mouse clicks
are interpreted by Mac OS X. Modifier keys include: Command, Control, Option...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1343 -

• Keyboard shortcuts in OS X:
http://creativebits.org/keyboardshortcuts_in_osx

Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

Nov 6, 2009 9:45 AM in response to Potash

Was the "that that" intentional too?


Looking at it now... I can only figure my thinking & typing were out of sync! User uploaded file

"... to take a really strong hack to that Security feature". Can you explain a little more please?


If there was a way to do it I'm fairly certain it would preclude the need for separate Accounts as everybody would have access to everybody else's files & folders with all the dangers of overwriting, deleting, etc.

Nov 6, 2009 10:20 AM in response to BDAqua

Hi all,

I have a question that's generally linked to the topic, so forgive my intrusion: I recently reinstalled Tiger on my MBP, and noticed that the shutdown dialogue had changed; prior to reinstall, when I pressed the Power button, the elongated shutdown dialogue box showed with Shutdown highlighted in bright blue (the default button) and the Restart button circled in lighter blue (the optional button). I'd then press the Space bar to restart if I so wanted. The optional button isn't circled anymore. I believe Universal Access is enabled on my machine, at SideTrack's command, but I can't seem to find any mention of this on Google.

How do I get my Restart button circled in blue back?

Nov 6, 2009 10:50 AM in response to OneCatFamily

Fast Switching Between User Accounts appears
to be the primary discussion in this thread. If the
keyboard shortcuts enabled to do so appear after
that is set up, then and only then would those key
commands work.

The re: keyboard shortcuts header is essentially incorrect if the fast user
is not set up, since that access to change between them comes later.

Does your issue change when you go between user accounts or if you
machine is running in Fast Switch user mode? - Your topic is dissimilar.

Interface issues can sometimes be addressed by booting in SafeBoot,
then run Disk Utility's 'repair disk permissions' then when done, quit it
and restart the computer. Other related items may involve booting
from the current OS X installer disc and run Disk Utility from there.

Other interface issues can sometimes be resolved by routine maintenance
and through the use of tools such as those provided by OnyX. It runs free.

Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

Nov 6, 2009 11:11 AM in response to Potash

apple > system preferences > accounts

Reset the password.

Do not fill anything in the two passwords fields. Press Reset Password button. You will get an additional messages. Click ok.

Now, you do not have a password on the account and that means that you have decreased the security on your system.

!http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2526/4080445065_d03047ae5b.jpg!

Nov 6, 2009 11:23 AM in response to BDAqua

The one security issue with enabled Fast user Switching, is the accounts so
activated do not require a password and anyone approaching the computer
with an open running account on the desktop can go easily into the other ones.

That is why I posted about Fast User Switching. Since it does do exactly what
the OP asked in the first sentence of the inquiry; so unless the question has
another angle not brought into that discussion, I'd like to know if that works out.

The information with image on how to get past using a password is somewhat
helpful, and could be handy if other security measures were in place and if the
access to the computer (and networks) were somehow protected from mishap.

{It's supposed to be above freezing, maybe, today. Does that mean its spring again?}

Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

Nov 6, 2009 2:14 PM in response to K Shaffer

K Shaffer wrote:
The one security issue with enabled Fast user Switching, is the accounts so
activated do not require a password and anyone approaching the computer
with an open running account on the desktop can go easily into the other ones.


How do you avoid entering a password when the account has a password?

Fast user switching applies to your machine not to accounts as far as I know.

I have checked the box Fast User Switching. I have 10.4.11. When I have a password for the account, I have to enter it every time I do a switch. When I have no password for the account, the switch occurs without the password.

Here are most of my login options:
!http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2511/4080846987_0b0b7fed58.jpg!

Robert

Nov 6, 2009 5:07 PM in response to rccharles

And what happens if your different accounts all have their passwords given
and they are ready for this Fast User switching? Can you leave it on, or does
it only work one time?

If you have to re-enter the passwords for each switch, throughout a session,
then why call it Fast User Switching? Sounds like someone miss-named that.
Or perhaps in Tiger, the evolution of this process is not friendly as it should be.

Seems to me, some time ago, when I enabled Fast User switching, I was then
able to go back and forth, and not log-in each time, since I had already done so.

Since I don't use this regularly (but Klaus1 does) perhaps you can discuss the
merits of running a custom script with the OP to resolve this error in Apple's
engineering, as you see it. Mine, in Tiger, seemed to work once each account
in the loop was given its password. As a single-user with multiple accounts, it
should be no problem to have accounts in one machine that just work.

When you get the script figured out, post it here.

Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

Nov 8, 2009 3:00 AM in response to K Shaffer

How to Create a Fast User Switching Keyboard shortcut in OS X 10.5:
http://www.maciverse.com/fast-user-switching-with-butler.html

Butler (script help application for 10.4 & later) info & download links:
http://www.manytricks.com/butler/

Hopefully this may give later readers of this thread something to consider.
Certainly there appear to be too many ways to have to login to use FUS
and some of them include writing scripts and so forth. Seems there is a
need for one that is simply a multiple login control panel that stays On.

Sorry for the intrusion and inconvenience.
Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts

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