any programs for protecting xp

Hi i have a friend coming for 2 weeks ...to stay!! I know there is a guest account on xp? but my virus scanner wont load on it...the guest account!!...Is there a program where u can protect ur system files etc cant make changes!!??..im just a bit protective about my pc...and dont want things mucked up!!... any suggestions can the person still change things in guest account?..i also have mine password protected so when u swap users i guess thats ok?...regards maddawgz

 

what about the user rights built inside xp? that works very wel for me. just make an account and give him not absolute right. then go to start - run -type: gpedit.msc and then you can fine tune it even further.

 

what about making a guest account with limited rights? and then go to start - run - type : gpedit.msc and fine tune it further? it works for me

 

Ok thanks infinity so basically guest and make an account r the same..and the command u gave me i can fidle and make it more secure ok?? i did try making an account but my antivirus real time gaurd didnt work on that account when i switched over? any suggestions?? can i install the same antivirus on new account or a temp one??.. as when it goes to the other account says real time scanner not activated and wont load? mind u half the stuff doesnt that i have !! But my main problem would be putting my antivirus on there 2? not sure if i can? regards maddawgz

 

A lot of av's can't handle fast user switching. I guess you have to find one which can handle it. and trial it for the days your friend is with you. maybe this is the time to trial an av you allways wanted to trial even kaspersky cannot handle it if I am remembering it correctly. mcafee does but...how is your system, is it a fast one? can it handle bloatware, do not mean anything with this.
I guess you can install two av's on your system. on two different accounts. and give him limited account. what about a firewall and antispyware for him this is of the same importance then as av, if he cannot play with machines in general

 

install prevx, adaware se, spybot, ewido free, spywareblaster, kerio, a antivirus which can handle user switching and merge a few hosts together and you should be sleeping on both ears (on a limited account)

just my two cents

 

If it's only for two weeks, another option is to make a full image backup (using trial versions of software like Drive Snapshot or Acronis TrueImage) beforehand and restore this image afterwards (having a minimal XP setup on a bootable disk to run the restore would be a good idea).

Also, if you're not already doing so, taking regular backups in this fashion is a very good habit to develop.

 

damn, paranoid, this is quite more important then installing software. totally forgot

 

if you are running xp (sp2) you will have a system restore point which you could set the day b4 your freind arrives and reset it back to that day after he/she leaves.

 

ok virus scanner works?.. adaware monitor etc?...spybot all works good !! Can anyone switch into your account?..i passworded it by they reckon thats no good and can?..grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...love to know how?..prob stirring me up!!.Anyhow seems to be working ok switching users !! maddawgz

 

Thanks i bought Acronis TrueImage 8.0..doing it now so id imagine if anything goes wrong its like system restore ?... i should back up my pc .regular ..well least i have it now so i will.... how do they work do they just back up everything and then restore from a file if something is missing? what if u delete a system file does Acronis restore it?... regards maddawgz

 

The true image program is quite straightforward. very easy to use.

it makes an image of everything. most of us make an image when everything is fresh and clean for crap.

then when we encounter a prob, just image it but be sure you are clean when making the image.

if you enable the startup manager (beginning boot process press F11) then you can restore your system even when windows isn't booting anymore. but be sure you enabled it in your ti settings.