Any make of computer lets you create one account for each person who uses said computer.
If you have a computer that you let other people (like children or friends) use regularly, consider the benefits of creating accounts for them.
Giving each person a separate “computer”
If you work at a desk for several hours, then somebody else works at it after you leave, and you come back to that desk the next day, you’ll find traces of the other person’s presence. Things may be moved around, coffee stains might await on documents you left there, extra stuff you don’t need might be sitting on the desk – things might even be missing!
Ideally, you would find the shared desk just as you left it every time. On a shared computer, you can accomplish just that by ensuring people sign in to their own user accounts – everybody finds their “desktop” just the way they left it when they last used it.
Protecting your computer
Computers offer at least three different types of user accounts. In Microsoft Windows, these are: Administrator, Standard, and Guest.
A Guest account comes in handy for infrequent users, but the difference between Administrator and Standard isn’t quite as clear – though it’s much more important.
Here’s a great definition from Chapter 29 in The Complete Idiot’s Guide to PC Basics: Windows 7 Edition, by Joe Kraynak:
An administrator account gives you complete control over your PC, but it also poses a security risk. If other users (or hackers) gain access to your PC when any user is logged on as an administrator, they can cause all sorts of trouble.
Consider creating only one password-protected administrator account and using a standard user account for daily PC use. If someone happens to gain access through the standard user account, he won’t be able to change settings, create or delete other user accounts, or damage system files.
In plain English, this person won’t be able to cause all sorts of trouble.
Quick anecdote: over breakfast last week, one of the guys I had just played hockey with (we’re on the ice by 6:30 am) told a story about one of his friends whose son had “necessitated” a visit from a computer repair technician. When the friend asked what was on the computer, the technician took a breath, then said: “Well, I’m pretty sure your son’s not gay.”
Enabling user accounts on your computer
If you use a Windows computer, open the Control Panel and look for something that mentions “user accounts.” (What it’s called depends on the version of Windows you run.)
Mac users can open the Accounts System Preference, accessible from the Apple menu in the top right corner of the screen.
Don’t forget to use passwords
One more thing: make sure you password-protect that administrator account, and don’t give out that password. If you don’t protect the administrator account, you’re leaving yourself open to all sorts of trouble.