Aggravating kids

This kid, the son of a friend, has used my mother's computer twice now. Both times, he installed AIM and went to websites that set all sorts or spyware and cookies. Is there a way in winXP to keep him from downloading stuff? Some password protect or something? I'm using 98lite, and try to stay as far from XP as I can, so I'm not familiar with that OS.

GATOR got on there somehow. GATOR!!!! How can he be so silly?
Anyway, I want to stop him. I'm going to have a word with him too, but just in case he's the non-compliant type, I'd like to cover myself so I can stop uninstalling things.

 

Hi,

here's a link to a product that I think may help. There are many programs that will help you lock down critical system files, make files invisible, but this is the only one I could find that claims this:

# Prevent users from running or installing unauthorized programs from floppy disk, CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives.

# Prevent users from copying programs or other files to floppy disks without your permission.

# Prevent users from downloading unauthorized files (e.g., programs, games, music or videos) from Internet

and the result of course:

# No new programs will be freely installed in your system.

# No new programs will be freely downloaded from Internet.

All claims about the product are taken from their webpage, and I have personally never used the product.

Alternatively, you could password protect your system requiring logon or create a different user profile for the kid alone so that your stuff remains untouched in your user profile.....I'm sure others will have better suggestions.

Here's the product link: http://www.gemiscorp.com/english/safesystem/info.html

Hope it works, best of luck.

 

You could password your logon and make him use a guest logon (xp)

 

I was thinking like tinribs - make the admin user account a password and create a "guest" without password and about 0 privledges.. I'm thinking of doing that on my win2k machine here even tho I haven't had any such troubles... ounce of prevention and whatnot eh?

 

sure is buy win 98 lol and use win xp as a beer coaster cause regardless what people say there no real way of securing that pc lol

xp got more holes then spaghitie strainer

 

Maybe you're right about that one, but is w98 really the answer

 

I was hoping to avoid my mother signing in every time she turns the PC on. Like if you only need a password when you try to download something, or install a program. Is there some way to do that without buying software?

 

will im useing win me and its perty secure a few small holes but unstable win 98 is more stable i dont know why but win 98 seems to be the best

and to me thats sad technoligy should improve but lately they been giveing us just eye candy rather then stability and that sucks

im glad they push longhorn back a year that thing had so many problems it wasnt even funny

but i bet this time around microsoft will get it right this time and 5x the security but will they lock out the security industry now is the qustion

 

you can enable a password protected screensaver.
Dolf

 

Simply don't allow the brat to use the computer, period... If he can't respect the property of others, he won't be allowed to use it.

 

But that's so....low tech.

 

ROFL

 

Go with Tinribs on this one. Look if this kid is so indifferent to what's likely to happen on someone else's PC, it's time to sandbox him (or her, as the case may be). Enable the guest account; tell the kid he's to use that, in the future. Give your mother a simple, easily remembered password and tell her not to reveal what it is to the kid. (She can tell him/her that she forgot, if it comes to that, and will have to contact you to find out what it is.)

Look, if this kid is going to install software like Instant Messaging and Gator without getting permission, what makes you think he/she would have any reservations about picking through your mother's personal files? Well, putting them on as a guest account stops that, also.

 

Thank you all. If I have to, I'll do the guest account, but I really like the low tech aspect of Zeus' suggestion. I'll try that first.