Use parent controls in OS X to simplify a Mac for a new user, not just for kids.
2. Taking advantage of the Internet
Many Mac users buy computers primarily to surf the web and check email. This may lead to technical questions in the middle of the night such as if I can't access it or my email doesn't work. These are the steps to reduce the number of calls at this time.
Adjust Mail : Problems with email and questions are sure to happen. However, if you carefully configure Apple's Mail, you can greatly reduce problems during the work process.
For Leopard users, start by signing up for a free Gmail account - Gmail is not their main e-mail client, but is taking advantage of Gmail's outgoing mail (SMTP) server. This can be very useful if users go on the road with a laptop. Some Wi-Fi services prevent the main account's SMTP port from sending mail. However, Gmail's SMTP server supports multiple SMTP ports, so you can still send email in this case. By default, Leopard's Mail system will first try to send from the main SMTP server, if this failed, it will try with other SMTP servers configured on the Mac. (Tiger's mail does not support sending from multiple SMTP servers).
Configuring Leopard's Gmail account in Mail is very simple. You just need to select File -> Add Account, then enter the user's name, Gmail address and password in the Add Account window. If Automatically Set Up Account option is selected, Mail will fill in POP and SMTP server settings for you.
To prevent junk e-mail from flooding users, and to ensure junk mail is delivered to their own Junk folder, you can open Mail -> Preferences , click on the Junk Mail tab, select the Enable option. Junk Mail Filtering , then select the Move It To The Junk Mailbox option . Make sure that the Filter Junk Mail Before Applying My Rules option is also selected.
Screen capture : It is sometimes possible to reconfigure network and Internet connections. It is vital to record the information you need to provide because it is very likely that new users have questions like: 'What is your ISP's subnet mask address?'
Take photos of important windows ( Command-Shift-3 ). This is the easiest way to print a copy for the person you are helping. If you prefer to keep an electronic profile for yourself, in Leopard navigate to the Network reference panel, select the connection type of the computer (Ethernet or AirPort) and perform a screen window capture. Click the Advanced button, go to the TCP / IP tab and take a picture of another window. In Tiger , opening the Network reference panel will bring up a window that reflects the current TCP / IP settings of the Internet connection. You should also take screenshots of the user's email settings, which can be found in the Accounts tab of Mail's Preferences window.
Similarly, if someone you are assisting with has a wireless router such as AirPort Extreme Base Station, save a configuration file for example. To do so, open AirPort Utility , then double-click the base station to make settings, choose File -> Save A Copy As to save the configuration you can reload if necessary. (Here, you can also select the Internet tab in the Settings window and take some pictures for Internet Connection and DHCP tabs).
Handling password issues : With so many social networking sites, e-commerce sites, bank pages, . web users have to create and remember more and more passwords. To help new users navigate the Internet more smoothly, use the system to save and retrieve passwords.
It's also a good way to write your email, iTunes and administrator passwords, and store them in a secure location. However, for web passwords, Safari lets you save some usernames and passwords in a sequence if it allows it to do so, but this application does not prompt you to save them. Therefore, to overcome that weakness, you can consider 1Password solution of Agile Web Solutions, this is a very easy to use tool and allows you to save and recall passwords as well as automatic capabilities. fill in the credit card information.
3. Remote control
Leopard allows you to configure the Mac to be able to connect and control it remotely. You can use instant messaging client, iChat, these are features that promote screen sharing capabilities for remote support. Here are the steps:
Sign up for AIM : AIM is AOL's free iChat-compatible service. You can access the AIM Web site and register an account called Norbert .
Add an AIM account to iChat : Launch iChat - you will see an Account Setup window. Select AIM Account from the Account Type menu and enter the name and password in the corresponding fields. Click Done .
Add you as a relative : In iChat , select Buddies -> Add Buddy ; In the worksheet that appears, enter your AIM or MobileMe account name, both your first and last name.
Turn on the sharing screen : In iChat, select Video -> Screen Sharing Enabled . It is not necessary to turn on the screen sharing feature in the Sharing preference panel if you want to view the Mac's screen via iChat.
Add a friend to your iChat : On your Mac, add Norbert as a close friend (using the process described above).
Start sharing : When Norbert has a problem, ask him to launch iChat and wait for your screen sharing request. To send a screen sharing request, select Norbert's screen name in the buddy list iChat Buddy, click the Start Screen Sharing button at the bottom of the window (stacked screen icon), select 'Ask to Share nameofuser's Screen '. When the request appears on Norbert's screen, tell him to click the Accept button. His screen will appear on your computer; Please tell him not to use the mouse so you can control his device and help him fix the problem.