is there a security mode where user input requires a password but is not sleep?

[motulist]

I use my laptop at a university and often walk away from it for a couple of minutes while it is downloading and doing other activites. During my absence I want it to continue doing everything it is doing but require a password for any new user input. So I don't want it to go to sleep, but I do want it to require a password for any new input. Does this mode exist?

tia

aluminum pb
os 10.3.2

[reaper]

could you set up a hotcorner for the screensaver and lock it with a password. that way, it would not be asleep but would need a password to access the system.

- reaper

[mikeyredk]

i remember a lock screen mode i used to do in 10.2. I think it was in the menu items folder in the core system folder.

[mactastic]

could you set up a hotcorner for the screensaver and lock it with a password. that way, it would not be asleep but would need a password to access the system.

- reaper

That's exactly what I do. I have my top right corner set to activate the screensaver (the other corners are for Expose :) ), and the screensaver set to require a password when an attempt is made to use the computer. Then just make sure your computer is not set to go to sleep shortly and it will contine to chug along doing whatever it's doing. And all I have to do to activate it is flick the mouse pointer up to that corner.

The nice thing is that with 10.3 they put a logout button on that window in case the person who set it up that way wanders away for good and another user wants to log in.

[mkrishnan]

I think another option is to enable fast-user-switching, and assuming you have no zero-password accounts, click on your userd ID in the upper right corner and chose login window. Then you get a login window with your acct still running in the background (for instance, if you do this while iTunes is playing it keeps playing). You should be able to assign a function key to this using sysprefs, although I'm not exactly sure how to reference it (it doesn't have one by default).

[motulist]

That hot corner to secure screen saver is almost exactly what I want to do. If only I could use an f-key then it would be perfect, but that would be a nicety, not a necessity.

Thanks

[oldschool]

there is also a special screensaver from versiontracker that keeps your screen blank and uses virtually no processor cycles.