[cgc]

I have gone through the 10.2.4 preferences and I know you can password protect your Mac when the screen blanker (aka screen effects) activates. Is there a way to password protect your mac when it goes to sleep? This seems like a serious ommision (why is the screen blanker secure but not a sleeping computer?).

[SMacTech]

Lock your screen then put it to sleep using keyboard command - option-command-eject

[NeXTLoop]

SMacTech is right. Just put your computer to sleep after you activate the Screen Saver (unless of course your computer is set to go to sleep after a certain amount of time). Once you wake your computer up, the will still be locked out.

[cgc]

How do I put my computer to sleep after the screen blanker starts? When I press the power button and 's' it pops up the 'enter password' window.

[car1son]

There's also a little app called "SleepLock" which will launch the screen saver automatically on wakeup from sleep if you put it in yout Login Items list. (It's imperfect - there's a brief moment when the system wakes up when the pre-sleep screen image visible.) This will work if your system sleeps on an idle timer or when you close the lid of a laptop.

[Rainy Day]

There's also a little app called "SleepLock" which will launch the screen saver automatically on wakeup from sleep

And, on certain Mac models (e.g. WallStreet PB), SleepLock will exacerbate coma sleep problems. Use it with care.

Regarding other comments above: Yes, this is a design flaw in sleep mode, IMO. So is the fact that "Ask for password" option can be turned off without the need to present a password.

Regarding various settings: Setting the "time to activate screen saver" to some time less than "time to sleep" helps a lot too.

[SMacTech]

Originally posted by cgc:
How do I put my computer to sleep after the screen blanker starts? When I press the power button and 's' it pops up the 'enter password' window.

Don't use the screen saver, use the lock feature available through the keychain access app. Go to the view menu, select 'Show Status in menu bar ' then lock the screen. This will invoke the screen saver and then you can put the computer to sleep with command-option- eject

[OpenStep]

Wow, thanks for the tip. I didn't know cmd-opt-eject puts a system to sleep.

[cgc]

Looks like Apple listens. They have added my suggestion to password protect a computer when waking up from sleeping in Panther.