Prepping a kid's new PC

Discussion in 'other anti-virus software' started by iravgupta, Jun 25, 2010.

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  1. iravgupta

    iravgupta Registered Member

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    Hi guys, I need to ask all of you a favor. I have been asked to prep up a brand new Dell Inspiron notebook running Windows 7 Home Basic x64. From my personal experience, Windows 7 x64 is in itself very secure out of the box, as long as one employs some not-so-common sense. But since this is a kid's PC who is very very new to computers and Internet, I have to make sure that -
    1. The PC stays malware free.
    2. Malicious and inappropriate websites are blocked.

    Initially I thought about employing a traditional AV like avast!, Antivir etc. and combining it with K9 Web Protection. But from what I know, K9 does not have a reporting feature, where the browsing logs can be automatically emailed.
    I have no experience with Windows Live Parental offerings, so if anyone can share their experiences regarding this it would be great.
    If I go with a suite, I am not sure which one combines excellent malware detection with great web filtering and parental controls.
    Any pointers would be appreciated.
    P.S. - I only have a few hours to make a decision.
     
  2. SweX

    SweX Registered Member

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    Hey Ravi;)

    When I logged into my OpenDNS account yesterday.
    I saw that they had released a new service called FamilyShield Parental Controls.

    Read more about it here in David's blog post

    Family Shields IP's are 208.67.222.123 and 208.67.220.123

    "" What does FamilyShield Block? The service blocks pornographic content, including our “Pornography,” “Tasteless,” and “Sexuality” categories, in addition to proxies and anonymizers (which can render filtering useless). It also blocks phishing and some malware.""
     
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2010
  3. iravgupta

    iravgupta Registered Member

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    The Internet on his PC works by plugging in a LAN wire which connects to the ISP's router that is shared among the building residents. Then upon opening a browser, the user is redirected to a Web based login page, where supplying the credentials activates the internet access. If I change the DNS servers, the machine is unable to open the login page.
     
  4. thanatos_theos

    thanatos_theos Registered Member

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    Hi ravi. For this situation I suggest Mcgruff and Avast. Mcgruff keeps logs online that parents can check anytime, anywhere using their registered acct. I don't know how effective the filtering is compared to K9 though.

    http://www.gomcgruff.com/m/features.asp

    The stable K9 has some problems with Web based login pages. The latest K9 beta is said to have improved support (to detect) for such pages. If you go to the K9 forum there are several workarounds (by users) that will let K9 be administered remotely and send logs by e-mail.

    FamilyShield AFAIK doesn't log data. :doubt:
     
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2010
  5. codylucas16

    codylucas16 Registered Member

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    I usually install k9 web protection for parental controls for people. No complains yet. It does its job. Just make sure to customize it right and it will be fine.

    For a kid the #1 way I have noticed they get malware is through infected websites/downloads or rogue web pages. So using something like Avast with a good web filter is crucial.
     
  6. iravgupta

    iravgupta Registered Member

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    Is K9 fully compatible with avast!'s network and web shields? or for that matter those of other packages like kaspersky?
     
  7. raven211

    raven211 Registered Member

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    I'm running K9 and avast! Network Shield together and haven't encountered issues, but I also haven't tested malware lately.
     
  8. De Hollander

    De Hollander Registered Member

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    And make regular backups...:)
     
  9. murrshot

    murrshot Registered Member

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    I've been a looong time lurker so this is my first. Check out ICU child monitoring software and is freeware. I doesn't block anything but monitors your child's pc and can send you reports of running apps, visited websites. It also takes screenshots and can include them in the email or can save to a directory of your choosing. My two sons hate me! :D
    Oh, I also use opendns for the filtering. I have use K9 in the past and like it too!

    Peace...
     
  10. whitedragon551

    whitedragon551 Registered Member

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  11. 3GUSER

    3GUSER Registered Member

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    @ravi16aug

    Hi !

    In addition to antimalware / hacker protection and Windows 7's built-in feautures , try Norton's SafetyMinder (free - part of Norton Online Safety Family) or paid NetNanny.
     
  12. Fly

    Fly Registered Member

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    Am I the only one who thinks that logging(spying?) on a kid is a bad idea ?

    Issues of trust etc.

    How old is the kid ?

    If you want to block 'inappropriate sites', maybe you can do that without logging ?
     
  13. Soujirou

    Soujirou Registered Member

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    It would probably be useful to a parent to know if their child has no inclination towards visiting inappropriate sites, or if they are the type that tries to actively subvert parental controls.
     
  14. ZenPirate

    ZenPirate Registered Member

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    IMHO, OpenDNS on the router and Microsoft Security Essentials or (insert other av product here) are you you will need, provided the kid is on a regular user account.
     
  15. Miyagi

    Miyagi Registered Member

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    My 8th month old will need a keyboard protection for sure. :D :p
     
  16. country2

    country2 Registered Member

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    I tried K9 last year on my kids computers but some of their online games had issues with it and could not find a work around unless I dis-enabled it (think main game was roboblox)

    Since then I went with OpenDNS which worked great and loved all the log files but of course it filtered all computers and not just the kids computers.

    I bought the Netgear WNR3500 which has live parental controls using open dns but also has a separate program that allows some computer to bypass it or just a different filtering options and I love it..but miss all the logs.
     
  17. JerryM

    JerryM Registered Member

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    Maybe. I don't trust teen age kids. They lack good judgment, and think they can handle things they encounter.

    Regards,
    Jerry
     
  18. country2

    country2 Registered Member

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    Looking back when I was a teenager and what I did:argh: ....my kids are going to get spied on a lot!!!
     
  19. murrshot

    murrshot Registered Member

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    I think I would rather have my kids mad at me rather than knowing if something had happened I could have prevented if I only had known (hope that makes sense). On that note, as my boys get older and show more maturity I will relax....just a little...;)

    ...and I know how we use to be when we were young too...lol
     
  20. sg09

    sg09 Registered Member

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  21. iravgupta

    iravgupta Registered Member

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    Guys, I went with the following setup on his machine -
    Windows 7 64 bit + MSE + DEP + UAC + SEHOP.
    Tried many solutions, but settled on Norton's excellent and free SafetyMinder.
     
  22. elapsed

    elapsed Registered Member

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    Depending on his/her age, I would use 2 accounts, 1 being a password protected admin account for you to install software as requested by him/her, and the other being a Limited User Account for him/her to use. This way he/she cannot do things like, shut down MSE, change/delete critical files.

    When the LUA tries to perform an action that requires admin, a UAC popup should appear asking for the password to the admin account, at this point, he/she will either click cancel or ask for your help.
     
  23. iravgupta

    iravgupta Registered Member

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    Would'nt that mean that even running CCleaner, as I have instructed him to, before shutting down the machine for the day, also require the password?
     
  24. elapsed

    elapsed Registered Member

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    Yes, but why instruct him to do that when you could create a scheduled task to automatically do it without requiring a password promt.
     
  25. The Hammer

    The Hammer Registered Member

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    May I ask what the rational is for this daily routine?
     
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