# [SOLVED] Prevent access to external hard drives from OSX Guest account?



## ottoru (Jan 2, 2008)

I have an iMac running latest Snow Leopard. Two external HDD are attached -- one for Time Machine and one containing nearly a TB of data files. I created a Guest account to allow visitors to access the internet -- but I want to prevent anyone messing up my data. I'd like to avoid having to physically & logically disconnect/reconnect these drives each time I allow someone brief access via Guest.

I find no instructions to do this. Can anyone guide me?

Thanks.


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## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

*Re: Prevent access to external hard drives from OSX Guest account?*

Once enabled, click the Allow Parental Controls checkbox and then the button next to it for settings. There you should be able to only allow the account to use Safari. You should also be able to prevent them from saving anything.


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## ottoru (Jan 2, 2008)

*Re: Prevent access to external hard drives from OSX Guest account?*



sinclair_tm said:


> Once enabled, click the Allow Parental Controls checkbox and then the button next to it for settings. There you should be able to only allow the account to use Safari. You should also be able to prevent them from saving anything.


Thanks a lot -- that's just what we needed!

One more trick seemed necessary: to turn off the regular Finder by choosing to use the "Simplified Finder," instead. (The regular Finder showed all the logical drives of the external HDD on the desktop. Their contents were fully modifiable. Simplified Finder seemingly made them invisible.) Does that seem right, and sufficient, to you?

We turned off all apps save Safari -- but found that we needed to enable a daemon for our Logitech mouse. Now we can add back a few apps, judiciously....

Thanks again for your prompt & spot-on assistance. ray:


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## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

*Re: Prevent access to external hard drives from OSX Guest account?*

Sounds like you got it.


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## ottoru (Jan 2, 2008)

*Re: Prevent access to external hard drives from OSX Guest account?*



sinclair_tm said:


> Sounds like you got it.


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## ottoru (Jan 2, 2008)

*Re: Prevent access to external hard drives from OSX Guest account?*

Great! Thanks again. Do mark this as "SOLVED."


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