Easy (free) ways to lock your kid out of the computer

In Windows, do this:

• Create a user account for your child(ren). Set the account to “Limited.” See Windows Help for your specific version by clicking the Start button, then clicking Help and Support. Search for “user accounts”.
• Create user accounts for anyone else who uses your computer, and give them Administrator or Limited accounts.
• You can lock Windows at any time by clicking the Windows button (located between the Ctrl and Alt buttons on your keyboard) and the L key. While holding the Windows button, press the L key to lock it. Lock your computer any time you leave it.
• Set the screensaver to activate in 5 minutes, and set it to display the welcome screen (the screen that displays the user account login options) when you move the mouse or press a key. Do this by clicking the Start button, then go into Control Panel, and open the Display settings. Set your screensaver to activate in 5 minutes, and click the checkbox labeled “On resume, display the welcome screen”.
• Remove the Turn Off Computer button from your welcome screen. See this Microsoft website for instructions (applies to Windows XP).

See http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/default.mspx or search Windows Help on your computer for more info.

Must-Have Parental Control Software

If you have an Internet connection you should already have anti-virus and firewall software in place. At a minimum the free available software from Microsoft and Apple are better then nothing.

If you are a parent you will want something else, K9 Web Protection software from Blue Coat. Here’s why:

• Blue Coat’s Web filtering technology enables you to block entire categories of content, such as adult content or gambling, or chat, or to block specific Web sites, such as Facebook.
• Real-time malware protection
• Automatic content ratings 
• Continuous protection that won’t slow down your computer 
• Filtering technology doesn’t over-block or under-block
• Can be used in conjunction with major anti-virus and firewall software
• Safe web searching that works with Google, A9, AltaVista, Microsoft Live, Yahoo, Ask and Orange.co.uk.
• It’s free!

K9 also provides logging and reporting features. 

When you download K9 you will fill out a simple License Request form that requests a free license code. Blue Coat will e-mail you your software license code and a link to download the software. You’ll want to save this license code as long as you own the software, so store it in a safe place.

Once you install the program, you need to provide a password to protect the program from children; you’ll need this password any time you want to change the software settings. K9 comes with a robust default setting, but you can customize your settings as much as you wish.

Blue Coat also provides good support, in the form of Quick Start Guide, User Manual, FAQs, articles, and a user forum.

I had installed Symantec’s free Norton Online Family software, which is similar to K9, but I prefer K9 because it doesn’t under- or over-block and you have much more control over the settings.


http://www1.k9webprotection.com/index.php