Locking a Workstation

[mcs37]

Is there a way to lock my workstation (i.e. PowerBook) with a keystroke rather than waiting for the screensaver? One great thing about NT/2K/XP is the quick lock, so with my XP machine, for instance, I can easily hit Windows-L and the workstation is locked from others. I would like to know if Apple has made a parallel keystroke on Panther.

Thanks!

Mike :p

[emw]

Just use your Exposé preferences to set up a Screen Saver hot corner. Move mouse to that corner to activate the screen saver and you're good.

[mcs37]

Just use your Exposé preferences to set up a Screen Saver hot corner. Move mouse to that corner to activate the screen saver and you're good.

That sounds like a decent solution, but it also is a bit of a hack. There's no Apple-key combo? I hope they put one in Tiger! So simple yet absent. Is there a way to initiate lock with software? I could hack up my own keyboard shortcut if there is a way to force the machine to lock.

[emw]

That sounds like a decent solution, but it also is a bit of a hack.

Not sure I'd call it a hack - it's built in to the system and is a simple way to do the locking. It would be nice to have a keyboard shortcut, but as far as I know there is no way to do it.

You could enable fast user switching, then try and assign a keyboard shortcut to that through the keyboard preferences pane, but don't know if that would work.

[iMeowbot]

For whatever reason, it's possible to assign a key to Fast User Switching through the Keyboard preferences pane, but it won't work.

Fortunately, FUSKey (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/21371&vid=120960) does work. The description says it will log you out, but really does the same thing as choosing "Login Window..." from the FUS menu. The keystroke combination is user-selectable.

[emw]

For whatever reason, it's possible to assign a key to Fast User Switching through the Keyboard preferences pane, but it won't work.

Fortunately, FUSKey (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/21371&vid=120960) does work. The description says it will log you out, but really does the same thing as choosing "Login Window..." from the FUS menu. The keystroke combination is user-selectable.

Awesome tool. Thanks!

[jeremy.king]

Probably not the answer you're looking for, but you can logout with Command + Shift + Q, this brings you to the login screen. But Im thinking you don't necessarily want to log out.

[ashon3611]

the ultimate way to lock a workstation:

unplug the keyboard and mouse.... BOOYAH!

[Josh]

something like the windows key + L on an XP system would be perfect.


for me, I just wish there was a way to turn of my iMac's display without waiting for it to automaticly go off.