Setting Up Parental Controls

To set up Parental Controls, follow these steps:

1. Choose Start Control Panel. Windows displays a Control Panel window.

2.Under the User Accounts and Family Safety heading, click the Set Up Parental Controls for Any User link, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Windows displays the Parental Controls window .

3. Click the user’s name. Windows displays the User Controls window.

4.In the Parental Controls area at the upper-left corner of the window, select the On, Enforce Current Settings option button to turn on Parental Controls.

5. In the Activity Reporting area, select the On, Collect Information about Computer Usage option button if you want to collect data. Otherwise, select the Off option button.

Implementing Web Restrictions

To implement web restrictions, follow these steps:

1. Click the Windows Vista Web Filter link. Windows displays the Web Restrictions window .

2. At the top of the window, select the Block Some Websites or Content option button instead of the Allow All Websites and Content option button. The Block Some Websites or Content option button is the master control that turns on all the other controls in the window.

3. If you want to designate specific websites as being allowed or blocked, click the Edit the Allow and Block List link in the Allow and Block Specific Websites area. Windows displays the Allow Block Webpages window .

• Allowing sites is useful for when you select the Only Allow Websites Which Are on the Allow List check box in the Web Restrictions window. To allow a site, type its address in the Website Address text box, and then click the Allow button. Windows adds the site to the list in the Allowed Websites list box.

• Blocking sites is useful when you identify a particular site you don’t want the user to access, even if the other settings you choose allow the user to access that site. To block a site, type its address in the Website Address text box, and then click the Block button. Windows adds the site to the list in the Blocked Websites list box.

• To remove a site from one of the lists, click it in the list box, and then click the Remove button.

• Once you’ve built up a list of sites that you want to use on another computer, you can click the Export button, and then use the Save As dialog box to save the list.

• To import an existing list of sites either a list you’ve created or a list that you’ve obtained from someone else, click the Import button, use the resulting Open dialog box to select the file that contains the list, and then click the Open button.

• When you’ve finished creating your lists of sites, click the OK button to close the Allow Block Webpages window and return to the Web Restrictions window.

• If you want to allow only websites on the Allow list, select the Only Allow Websites Which Are on the Allow List check box.

4. In the Block Web Content Automatically area, select the option button for the level of restriction you want see the following list.

• High Select this option button if you want the user to be able to access only the children’s websites on Windows’ built-in list.

• Medium Select this option button if you want to block mature content, drugs, pornography, hate speech, weapons, and unrated content.

• None Select this option button if you want to implement no automatic blocking.

• Custom To implement a custom level of restriction, select the Custom option button, and then select the check boxes of your choice in the Check the Content You Want to Block list. The check boxes include Pornography, Mature Content, Sex Education, Hate Speech, Bomb Making, Weapons, Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco, Gambling, and Unratable Content.

5. Select the Block File Downloads check box if you want to prevent the user from downloading files. Files on the Internet can contain all kinds of threats, so there’s plenty of reason to block them - but if you do, you may prevent the user from accessing beneficial information.

6. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Web Restrictions window and returns you to the User Controls window.

Setting Time Limits When the User Can Use the Computer

To limit the user to using the computer only at certain times, click the Time Limits link. Windows displays the Time Restrictions window . Drag through the hours you want to block, and then click the OK button to apply the restriction.

Controlling Games

Games can be a particular source of worry for parents - games can be great for keeping children entertained, but may contain all sorts of unsuitable content, from violence to profanity to sexual situations. Windows Vista lets you either block games completely or control which types of games a user can play. To set Parental Controls on games, follow these steps:

1. In the User Controls window, click the Games link. Windows displays the Game Controls window .

2. In the Can Username Play Games? area where Username is the user’s name, select the Yes option button or the No option button. This is the master control for the games settings. If you choose the No option button, none of the other settings apply, so you can click the OK button to return to the User Controls window. Normally, you’ll want to choose the Yes option button so that you can specify which games to allow and which to block.

3.Click the Set Game Ratings link. Windows displays the Game Restrictions window.

4. In the If a Game Has No Rating, Can Username Play It? area where Username is the user’s name, select the Allow Games with No Rating option button or the Block Games with No Rating option button, as appropriate. Normally, you’ll want to block games that don’t have a rating, because various adult-oriented games don’t carry ratings.

5. In the Which Ratings Are OK for Username to Play? list, select the appropriate option button: Early Childhood, Everyone, Everyone 10+, Teen, Mature, or Adults Only. Each option button has an explanation of the contents that the rating permits.

6. In the Block These Types of Content list further down the window, select the check box for each content type you want to block. These check boxes allow you to screen out specific content types that are permitted by the ESRB rating you chose in the previous step. The next illustration shows a section of this list.

7. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Game Restrictions window and returns you to the Game Controls window.

8.In the Block or Allow Any Game on Your Computer by Name area, click the Block or Allow Specific Games link if you want to allow or block specific games that are already loaded on the computer. Windows displays the Game Overrides window .

9. For each game, select the Always Allow option button if you want to ensure that the game is allowed, or the Always Block option button if you want to block the game. If you want to let the game’s rating control whether the user can play it, select the User Rating Setting option button.

10. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Game Overrides window and returns you to the Game Controls window. The Always Blocked readout and the Always Allowed readout at the bottom of the window now show which games you just blocked and allowed.

11. Click the OK button. Windows returns you to the User Controls window.

Allowing or Blocking Specific Programs

Apart from games, you may need to prevent a user from running specific programs. For example, you may choose to prevent the user from using peer-to-peer P2P file-sharing software. To control which programs the user can run, follow these steps:

1. In the User Controls window, click the Allow and Block Specific Programs link. Windows displays the Application Restrictions window .

2.In the Which Programs Can Username Use? area where Username is the user’s name, select the Username Can Use Only the Programs I Allow option button if you want to restrict the user. Otherwise, select the Username Can Use All Programs option button, which turns off all the other controls in the window.

3. In the Check the Programs That Can Be Used list, select the check box for each program you want to allow the user to use. The list of programs is extensive even if you’ve installed only a few programs, because Windows’ built-in components appear in the list. Being able to allow some components while blocking others gives you lots of flexibility, but it means you’ll need to take care constructing the list of programs. Normally the best way to proceed is to click the Check All button to select each check box, and then clear the check box for each program you want to block.

4. If a program doesn’t appear on the list, click the Browse button, use the resulting Open dialog box to find the program, and then click the Open button. Windows adds the program to the list, where you can select or clear its check box.

5. Click the OK button. Windows closes the Application Restrictions window and returns you to the User Controls window.

6. Click the OK button. Windows closes the User Controls window and applies the restrictions to the user’s account.

Selecting a Game Rating System

By default, Windows uses the Entertainment Software Ratings Board rating system for games. To change to another games rating system, click the Select a Games Rating System link on the Parental Controls screen, select the appropriate option button in the Game Rating Systems window see Figure 8.25, and then click the OK button.

Setting Up Notifications

If you chose to log information about what the user does with the computer, click the Family Safety Options link in the left panel of the Parental Controls window and use the Family Safety Options window to choose how frequently you’d like to receive reminders of reading activity reports: Weekly, Every Day, or Never.

Reviewing What a User Has Done on the Computer

If you chose to log information about the user’s computer use, review it periodically to see if they’re taking actions that they shouldn’t be taking. Follow these steps:

1. In the Parental Controls window, click the user’s name. Windows displays the User Controls screen.

2. Click the View Activity Reports link. Windows displays the Activity Viewer window with a summary of the user’s activity.

3.To see more detail, click the plus + sign next to the user’s name, and then expand the category in which you’re interested. Click an item to display its details.

4. button. Windows closes the Activity Viewer window.´Click the Close button the

Discuss Parental Controls with the Users You’re Affecting

Before implementing Parental Controls on a user, discuss with the user which controls you’re implementing and your reasons for doing so. If you choose to log information about the user’s activities, explain to the user what you’ll be able to see - the websites they’ve visited, the people with whom they’ve chatted and whether they’ve used a webcam, and even which songs and videos they’ve played.

The Parental Controls icon in the notification area servers to remind the user that Parental Controls are on and gives them an easy way to open the Parental Controls window so that they can see what they’re allowed to do and what they’re not. They’ll also see the effect of any restrictions you apply - for example, preventing them from accessing a website, as shown here. Knowing that Parental Controls are on may encourage the user to be more responsible. Finding out that they’re under surveillance without any warning is likely to provoke a strong negative reaction.

The Bottom Line Understand what user accounts are and what they’re for Windows Vista lets you easily create a separate user account for each user of the computer so that each can keep their files and set tings separately.

Know when to use the three types of user accounts and what user profiles are Windows Vista Home lets you create Administrator accounts and Standard accounts. There’s also a built-in Guest account that you can switch on and off as needed. You must always have at least one Administrator account so that one account can administer the computer. Beyond that, create an Administrator account for each user who needs administrative privileges. For each other user, create a Standard account. Microsoft recommends that even administration-level users use a Standard account for day-to-day computing, but many such users find a Standard account awkwardly limiting.

Create a user account To create a user account, choose Start Control Panel, click the Add or Remove User Accounts link, and then click the Create a New Account link. Type the username, choose the account type Standard or Administrator, and then click the Create Account button.

Delete a user account To delete a user account, log on as an Administrator user and use Task Manager to make sure that the your victim is not logged on. Choose Start Control Panel, click the Add or Remove User Accounts link, and then click the user’s icon. In the Change an Account window, click the Delete the Account link. Choose whether to keep the user’s files, and then confirm the deletion.

Change a user account From the Manage Accounts window, you can apply a picture to a user account, apply a password, remove a password, or create a new password for a user who’s forgotten theirs. Every user should create a password reset disk so as to be able to recover from a forgotten password.

Use the Guest account, automatic logon, and secure logon In Windows Vista, the Guest account is turned off by default for security. Turn on the Guest account only when you need it, and then turn it off again when the need has passed. To turn it on, click the Guest link in the Manage Accounts window. To turn it off, click the Guest link in the User Accounts window, and then click the Turn Off the Guest Account link. To implement automatic logon, press Windows Key+R, type control userpasswords2, click the OK button, and clear the Users Must Enter a User Name and Password to Use This Computer check box in the User Accounts dialog box. Click the OK button, enter the username and password of the user to log on, and then click the OK button. To implement secure logon, select the Require Users to Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete check box in the Secure Logon group box on the Advanced page of the User Accounts dialog box.

Restrict and monitor users with Parental Controls Parental Controls let you define restrictions on the actions users can take. Click the Start button, click your picture at the top of the Start menu, and then click the Parental Controls link in the left pane of the User Accounts window. Click the user’s name to open the User Controls window, which provides access to all the Parental Control settings for the user.

Sharing Files and Working with File Types

• Understanding how Windows Vista’s sharing works

• Setting up sharing and discovery

• Sharing files and folders

• Seeing which files and folders you’re sharing

• Working with file associations, file extensions, and file types

Chances are that you have some files that you need to keep private and other files that you want to share with other people - perhaps with people who use your computer, or with people who use computers connected to the same network. Windows Vista lets you secure your files or share them with other people. Windows makes sharing as simple as possible, but it’s a good idea to understand how the system works so as to avoid inadvertently sharing files or folders with people who shouldn’t see them. This article starts by giving you an overview of Windows Vista’s security and sharing features. After that, it discusses how to share folders with other users of the computer or other users of your network, and how to see which files and folders you’re sharing - for example, in case you want to stop sharing one or more of them. After that, this article tackles the subject of file extensions, file types, and file associations. If you’ve ever become confused about why different things happen when you double-click different types of files in Explorer, if you wish you could change the program in which a particular file type opens, or if you want to see extensions for your files, read this section.

This article was published on Thursday 04 June, 2009.

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