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

 

[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 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 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.