How can I lock down preferences?

Are you trying to prevent changes to system-wide preferences, such as Network settings, or to user-level preferences, such as the Desktop picture?

To protect system-wide preferences, open the Accounts preference pane, select the user in question, and uncheck the box labeled "Allow user to administer this computer." Then do as above.

If you want to control user-level settings, you'll need the Workgroup Manager application from the Server Admin Tools, which can be downloaded from the Apple Support site. This is an advanced task, so I'll assume that you know how to extract and install the application from the installer package. The rest of the Tools are of no use to you, unless you administer a Mac OS X Server. Once you've installed WM, the rest should be self-evident.

Go your System Pref > Accounts and create a new Admin User with password.

Now log out and into the new Admin User.

Turn your first Admin user, (the one you set the machine up with) to Standard User. (can't admin the machine)

Log into Standard user (same as before, just more locked down)

You should be able to lock down the System Preferences pane a lot more securely for the Standard User, while logged into the Admin user.

Use the Standard User all the time.

If you need to do something while in Standard User, like acces the System Preferences pane, it will need a Admin name and password.

Is this what your looking for?

You can lock down the prefpanes in System Preferences > Security > General tab > check "Require a password to unlock each System Preference pane"

That will require an admin password to unlock.

Regards,

Captfred