Cloning/Copying user account preferences?

For security reasons, I created a 2nd user account without administrative permissions. Is there a way to clone or copy all the settings from my original account so I don't have to go through and reset everything manually?

Thanks in advance.

-Nick

I think you have to do it manually, but having never done this I could be wrong....

you just need to enable root user http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.4/en/mh1549.html and copy the contents of the whole user folder (doccuments, librarty, pictures, etc..) from the one user to the other user (while logged in as root). then (as root) open terminal and type this command chown -R <newusershortnamehere> /Users/<newusershortnamehere>

make sure to type the command exactly as it is written and do not include the <>.

after doing this command, restart and log into new user you made and all should be well. Remember to disable root user when all is done.

Smackintosh said:

you just need to enable root user http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.4/en/mh1549.html and copy the contents of the whole user folder (doccuments, librarty, pictures, etc..) from the one user to the other user (while logged in as root). then (as root) open terminal and type this command chown -R <newusershortnamehere> /Users/<newusershortnamehere>

make sure to type the command exactly as it is written and do not include the <>.

after doing this command, restart and log into new user you made and all should be well. Remember to disable root user when all is done.

Click to expand...

Thanks! I'll check that out!

-Nick

Oh, I'm trying to do the same thing here, copy one account pref. to another. Mainly because I want to make one account for internet usage (so all mainly used internet program opens at log in) and another one where is for non internet (so bare min. log in programs). In other words I kinda want a copy of my account and I can edit from there.

The thing it =/ with Smackintosh's advice, that makes me copy my whole user folder? That is including all my files. I know how to set up my another account to have the same home directory as my other account.
I just want my account to have to same preferences.
Like desktop settings, dock settings, program settings and etc.

Is there anyway to do that without copying over a whole user to another?

ohz forgot to mention ia m 10.5 not 10.4
was it wrong to reply in this post?

I used to have my main account as the administrator - then recognised the potential threat this might pose...

Anyway, what I did was create the second users account from my first, give the new account admin rights, then log into the new account and remove admin rights from my first/main account, that way I didn't need to copy anything, I just need to provide my new admin credentials whenever there is a software update - I believe this is nice and secure and quite a quick, simple and painless task

EDIT: read thread again - I am replying to original poster (2 years late...).

Sorry Junglegeek I've note done what you're suggesting so not sure how to go about that one - although I'd imagine that you could copy the folder as suggested in above post and then remove the documents folder from within the new account - but as stated this is not something I've tried...