What is/are the best computer monitoring software?

I am looking for computer monitoring software, that can monitor what occurs when someone uses a computer.

thanks

 

I know a lot about such software, can explain (almost) everything you want, but I'm not willing to do so.

The reason is very simple: IMO in many cases such software is used to spy in a illegal way other people, and I don't like such negative behaviour at all.

I think everybody has a right on privacy, and in most of the cases monitoring software hurts our rights on that privacy.

Ciao,

Smokey

 

I will have to agree with smokey on the privacy issue of that kind of software. I would just restrict someones use of a computer before I would spy on them.

 

Oh, sorry i understand, but what if the person u want to spy on, has been mistreating your computer.

And what ways can i add restrictions, is there such a software.

 

Even when someone has been mistreating your computer, the privacy-issue stays, that means he or she has a right on privacy.
The "spy" medicine is therefore a bad medicine.

Like bigc73542 already explained, there are another solutions and with such solutions you don't hurt the individual rights on privacy.

To advice here a software adding restrictions is not easy, it depends on what you exactly want/expect.

Maybe you don't need such software at all, if you are running WinXp/NTFS there are already possibilities to restrict access.

Ciao,

Smokey

 

i have Win98

 

I'm with Paul when it's your own PC and you have cause/need to protect it. If I let someone use this expensive machine of mine and I had reason to believe they were abusing my trust, I would hafta do something and sometimes it won't seem reasonable to others you may care about to just disallow use when you've got no hard evidence. However, I don't know anything about any sort of software. Perhaps if you can explain a bit about what kind of abuse has taken place, some ideas may pop up here.

 

ok, gald some people realise the needs.

anyway i am suspecting that a few members of my family have been visiting sites containing pornography. Plus i am worried about the use of Instant messaging
I wanna find out who?

anyway, i think a software which can take screensshots, keylog text, and note down sites visited would be useful.

anyone know such a software, plz help

thanks

 

Probably a commerical keylogger of some type would do.

The irony is I suspect most people here would be more familar with products that detect such products

 

And I would add sites like http://www.peacefire.org/ to the hosts file, this site actually teaches kids to get around blocking and logging software that their parents put on their machines. Their motto, somewhere on one of their web pages, is "It's not a crime to be smarter than your parents." This site even, at least they use to, offers free downloads of software to help kids punch holes thru their parents blocking software.

Acadia

 

Personally I think this just leads to a allout evolving war between the parents and the kids, and one that the parent (hacker parents and technie professionals exempted*) is unlike to win.

I for one can think of a number of ways that can get pass the method you recommend.

I think beyond a certain point education is more important than trying to jam rules down the throats of your kids.

* Maybe true, but kids these days are using computers at an ever earlier age. I began quite early at 6/7 and I'm in my late/middle twenties, but my neice can use the mouse at the age of 3 better than some parents

 

Yeah, I don't even want to think about the sites I would have been visiting when I was a teenager (but that was before computers, thank God).

Acadia

 

If they are a bit computer illiterate you can "lock" the computer so it wont boot from your HD in bios then password lock the bios setting so only you can change them,they wont be able to "mistreat" your PC if they cant use it! No need to bother about privacy issues with this method,cost zero

 

hi Paul the problem is he is using W98 so he could never be sure who was using the PC at a given time (unless you stand and watch)even if each user has to "log on to a password protected user profile(term used very loosely re W9" its so easy to use somebody elses account,so I dont think you can be sure who you are monitoring.

 

of course i want others to have access, they sometimes wanna use it for homework, or online shopping and other stuff. but i dont know who is the one that is mis treating my PC.

thanks very much for the help so far