looking for safe & space saving way to delete a user account??

[Aniej]

I have an account set up for a friend that no longer needs access to my Mac and wanted to see if anyone had specific pointers or techniques that they felt were particularly useful in terms of providing for a safe and space saving way to delete a user account? In terms of "space saving" I am referring to the desire to take up as little HD space as possible following the deletion of an account, if any space is in fact actually taken up at all.

 

[Sweetfeld28]

I would just use the OS. System Prefs.> Accounts> Then select the account> and click the minus sign. It should ask you if you want it to archive the account, incase you decide to reinstall it [or need to retrieve file later on]. This will then Delete the User, copy the directory files, and create a Disk Image. The Image can then be burnt to a DVD/CD, or copied to a external HD.

I think this might be your best bet.

 

[iMacZealot]

I've done this a lot before. Do what Sweetfeld28 said, although I remember it being saved into a folder rather than a disk image...

 

[Aniej]

The goal was to not have anything saved at all. I do not need anything from this user account to be backed up. In light of this clarification, it would be great if you could all keep the suggestions flowing.

 

[jwkay]

The goal was to not have anything saved at all. I do not need anything from this user account to be backed up. In light of this clarification, it would be great if you could all keep the suggestions flowing.

In that case, follow Sweetfeld28's method but click "Delete Immediately" when asked if you want to archive the account.

 

[Sweetfeld28]

I've done this a lot before. Do what Sweetfeld28 said, although I remember it being saved into a folder rather than a disk image...

I just did this at work the other day. It saved the old users files, and info, in a Disk Image like the one below. This will then allow you to uncompress it in to a folder when you open it, then this will allow you to navigate through it like a normal HD/Folder.


Correction: now that i think about it, you are partly right. It did save the disk image in the a new folder [in the users folder] called Deleted Users [or Deleted User Accounts]. This is where it saved the Disk Image.

 

[Aniej]

thanks all for the good advice and for working through an answer.