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Mac Daniel's Advice

Multiple Users on the Same Mac at Work

Dan Knight - 2007.11.15

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From Mike Zoller:

Dear LEM,

I work in the marketing department of a large health organization. As far as I know, I have the only two Macs in the entire organization, and IS doesn't know much about Apple. So I'm on my own here (which is fine with me).

What is the best way to set up a single computer with multiple users that will allow the users to access a single pool of files on the computer's hard drive? I've been trying to find a solution for this; the scattered info seems to point to using a group or ACL. Am I on the right track, and can you point me to some information that will get me headed in the right direction?

Many, many thanks in advance; I look forward to your reply.

Michael

Michael,

If you're setting up multiple user accounts, you're on the right track. The next step is to create a "work" folder that every user can access - put it in the main directory of the hard drive, and be sure to tell each user to use that folder rather than the default "user" folder, which will be inaccessible to others.

Another tip: If you have fast user switching enabled, teach each user to log out when finished to prevent multiple user sessions from eating up system resources and slowing down the computer.

Dan

Dan,

Many thanks for your prompt reply - I think that will resolve the issue.

The two Macs I'm tending to are a Quad 2.5 GHz G5 (I just updated it to 10.4.10 today) and a Mirror Door Drive Dual 1.25 GHz G4 running 10.2 w/512 MB RAM.

I've recommended we upgrade "freeze" our OS at 10.4.10 for the time being and max out the RAM on the MDD, which can be up to 2 GB, according to your site. The older Mac has Adobe CS1, the newer, CS2.

My question is this (and this time it is a true Low End question): Where can I find a new copy of CS2, upgrade or full version, from a reliable, trustworthy source? Google doesn't seem to be turning up much; most results point me to CS3, which is not an option for my supervisors.

Again, your help is much appreciated. Checking out your site is part of my daily ritual.

Michael

Michael,

I just upgraded my Dual 1 GHz MDD Power Mac to 2 GB, so I can affirm that it works. The more work you do, the more you benefit from the extra RAM.

I did a Google search for "photoshop cs2 mac upgrade" and found several vendors offering it in the $160-200 range.

Dan

Not sure if you should upgrade your old Mac or replace it? Check the Mac Daniel index to see if we've already addressed your problem.

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