Re-setting a mac for a new user.

August 20, 2008 6:12 AM

How do I talk a new Mac user through the process of deleting/optimizing a new-to-her computer over the phone?

I got a new mac, and had the opportunity to give my Ibook G4 to an old friend. However, it wasn't really "ready to go" when I had my one opportunity to give it to her personally, rather than ship it expensively. So I handed it off without really wiping the hard drive down or anything. Now, she's a good friend, AND she's pretty un-savvy when it comes to computers, so I don't feel like I'm at risk for her breaking into my bank accounts or racking up charges on my Itunes or anything, but I do need to talk her through the process of making it hers rather than mine, over the phone.
Despite using macs for a few years now, I've never had to do anything like this. These are the things that, off the top of my head, I'd like to have her do:
1) Deauthorize my Itunes
2) Delete my Lightroom catalog (if I just have her delete the Catalog file, will that be sufficient? Will Lightroom make a new catalog file for her if she wants to use it?)
3) Delete my bookmarklets from Firefox.
4) I'd like to empty the Keychain as well, but I don't really know how to go about that?
5) She's going to keep the music, but I'd like to make sure any videos are gone.

Is there an easy way to achieve all this? I was assuming that she would just continue to use my name and a password for the administrator but is there a way to switch that over completely without deleting all the programs and music? I'd like for her to have access to Photoshop, Lightroom, and the other programs I have on there, just...make it hers and not mine. Advice? Things I'm not thinking about? I feel like macs probably have a super easy way to deal with this but I don't know what it is. The easier, the better, for both of us, because she's a new user, and I don't really know about this stuff anyway. And it will be over the phone. So any step by step advice on how to talk her through things will be of use. One point of note is that my file structure and whatnot was ported over to my new computer, so I should be able to look at my computer and sort of guide her through, without pulling the trigger myself on my computer.

Thanks in advance

posted by Soulbee to computers & internet (15 comments total)

If you can talk her through using iChat there is a share screen with buddy option. You could then "see" the actions on the other end while talking her through the steps on the phone (or possibly voicechat). That would be an easy way to do it. It is one of the ways I show my parents (who live several states away) how to do things on their computer. Of course this only works if you can talk them through getting iChat up and running (and a connection to the interwebs).
posted by Numenorian at 6:30 AM on August 20, 2008 [1 favorite]

Wow i didn't know Ichat had that -- even on Tiger? that would be fantastic!
posted by Soulbee at 6:35 AM on August 20, 2008

Sounds like just creating a new user account, moving her stuff over (via the new account's dropbox maybe?) and possibly deleting the old user account is the simplest way forward?
posted by schwa at 6:51 AM on August 20, 2008

Schwa, how would I go about that?
posted by Soulbee at 6:57 AM on August 20, 2008

Your friend can create a new account for herself using the System Preferences application, inside the "Accounts" section.

Copying her data to the new account is trickier. She might want to burn it into a CD/DVD or pop it onto one of those little USB memory sticks.
posted by schwa at 7:06 AM on August 20, 2008

Yeah, then once she has the new account set up, she can delete the old account. It will pop up and ask her if she wants to keep the data, archive it, or delete it. Sounds like the best option would be to delete it.
posted by joshrholloway at 7:09 AM on August 20, 2008

Yeah what joshholloway said. In fact she she shouldn't consider deleting the old account until she's sure she has everything she needs (basically music right?).
posted by schwa at 7:14 AM on August 20, 2008

And then run Onyx (freeware) once she's all set up.
posted by webhund at 8:41 AM on August 20, 2008

Basically...in your user:
1) deauthorize itunes (any purchased music is dead).
2) copy all music to an external drive or shared folder (the itunes folder in music.)
3) In the Accounts pref pane of your system pref:
a) Add her new user + name.
b) MAKE SURE IT'S an admin account.
c) Go to login options and choose her new account as the auto login.
4) Apple Menu Logout
5) Login with her new account
6) Start itunes - drag any music from the shared directory or external drive. This will give her the music but none of your playlists (she gets to make her own!)

Then yes, run onyx for the permissions & caches.
posted by filmgeek at 9:12 AM on August 20, 2008

I'm not sure if iChat will do that in Tiger. I think it does as the iChat module is separate from the OS, but I don't have a Tiger machine near me that I could check that on. I'll see if I can find that out when I get home from work.
posted by Numenorian at 10:24 AM on August 20, 2008

Screen sharing is only in Leopard iChat.

You could use Vine Server though. Or of course, just have her activate remote access, then ssh in and delete what you want to delete from the command line.
posted by kindall at 11:57 AM on August 20, 2008

Can you not wipe and reinstall Tiger with the install CD, making it a completely fresh install for her?

Not sure if you actually can, but I believe it to be an option.
posted by djgh at 12:02 PM on August 20, 2008

FYI 4 moves later, i have NO IDEA where the install disc is, unfortunately, but it looks like there are some viable options here. I am still worried about her being able to carry out some of these things via instructions i give her, but hey, that's part of computer ownership isn't it?
posted by Soulbee at 12:58 PM on August 20, 2008

"Or of course, just have her activate remote access, then ssh in and delete what you want to delete from the command line." can someone repeat that like you were talking to a talented 6 year old? thanks
posted by Soulbee at 1:00 PM on August 20, 2008

... you probably don't want a talented six-year-old messing around at a UNIX command line, so I'd go with the Vine solution.
posted by kindall at 3:51 PM on August 21, 2008