Response Fail - [http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9139250/Snow_Leopard_bug_deletes_all_user_data] At least OP could use Recuva and get most of the data back... [http://filehippo.com/download_recuva/]

lifeinhd. . . WIN. If I want to let some computer-illiterate moron on my Mac, I create a new account for them in two seconds (Leave the "Let this user administer the computer" checkbox unchecked!) and let them have at it. They can't do anything bad to the computer, only their own personal stuff. What about the time, effort and expense it takes you to get your Windoze box back to where it was? There goes your savings for buying a "cheap" computer!

Dude, stop being so high and mighty. I have a Mac for graphic design but I'm typing this from my hp laptop and I love it. Sorry for telling the truth, but having an Apple computer doesn't make you better than the rest of the population.

Perdix... PWND!

I don't understand where you got the idea that Perdix doesn't use the adminstator account. And calling him names doesn't verify your point, either, organisedchaos.

organizedchaos, You are a fool. Typical PC ass. The Mac makes things so much plainer and obvious that people use them, that while Windows may have them, they are too much of a PITA to **** with that most people don't. The OP is one of those. I have an admin account AND a user account + a user account for each person in my house that uses that computer. I normally work in my user account and only go to the admin to do admin tasks. So, who's computer-illterate now? I love it how you say it ONLY takes a few hours to restore files and download software. How much is your time worth? If you are a worthless dollar-an-hour flunky, I can see PC's being a good value for you. I am an evolved human and my time is worth a lot more, so the time you spent fixing your broken PC would be real $$$ for someone like me.

#31, don't act so elitist. This problem was not caused by using Windows, it was caused by the OP letting someone computer illiterate (probably much like yourself) use their computer. Macs seem to be designed for those unable to understand how computers work and unwilling to learn, thus, user control is limited. I have never been able to do anything I wanted to do on a Mac, yet I have mastered the use of WinXP. #56, you're more of an ass than you claim organizedchaos is. You really think you're computer literate? Mr. Separate-accounts-for-everything? Perhaps you'd like to try organizing a few gigabytes of data, or writing a program? Good luck with that. I dare you to even figure out what it means to compile a kernel. Some hard worker you claim to be, time-is-money and all that. Yet you use a Mac, hoping to get things done. Good frickin luck. Hey, one thing you Mac users could do for me; figure out how to reconfigure iPhoto so it doesn't download all the images off my flash drive EVERY DAMN TIME I plug it in to my friend's Macbook! He doesn't have the 2 minutes it would take to figure that out himself. OP, FYL. I expect you'll be more careful who you let on your computer from now on? Personally, I rarely trust anyone with my vital hardware. I think you should only let computer literate people on your computer, or at least people who know that they shouldn't touch buttons if they don't know what will happen.

Separate accounts for other people is a good idea, despite what you claim. I wouldn't want someone else ******* up everything in the account I've built for myself.

OK you're all idiots, it's just a matter of personal preferences, they both have their up and down sides. Personally I'm a mac person but I'm not gonna nock anyone who uses a PC. As for wiping the HD you can do that w/o the Windows disc, it's just not an easy task to accomplish.