Help, I can't keep my kids off my computer!?

Question

How do I put a lock on my computer so that my kids just can't come up and get on it? Like where you have to put a password in before it can be used?

Answer 1

Who is the parent and who is the children here? Your computer and they are your children.. shut the computer off, unplug it, whatever.. and tell them it will stay turned off. Case closed!

Answer 2

go to the control panel then click on user accounts there you can there you can click on guest and create a password for that then go back and click on administrator and create a separate password for that. That way you can have your own content that the kids cannot get a hold of, and by creating a password for both when you turn the computer off the kids would need a password to get past the login screen.

Answer 3

Creating A Log On Password For Windows XP

Go into your Control Panel by first clicking on the Start Button.

Then click on the Control Panel icon located in the right column of the Start Menu.

If your Start Menu is set to the Classic View, then begin by clicking on the Start Button.

Then click on Settings, then click on the Control Panel icon to open up the Control Panel.

Now, Double click on the User Accounts icon to open up the User Accounts window.

Then click on the User Account that you want to create a password for.

Then click on the Create a password link on the left side of the screen.

Windows will ask you to Type a new password and also ask you to confirm it.

Type your Password in both areas and then you can also type in a password hint as well.

Now click on the Create Password button at the bottom of the screen to save your changes.

Windows will then ask you if want to make your files and folders private.

You can decide according to the provided information and then click on your choice.

Your password will be saved and you will need to enter it the next time you start your system.

Now close the User Accounts window and the Control Panel window to return back to your session.

Answer 4

Tell your kids not to go on it or they will be grounded for 2 weeks. Or you should put a password on your computer. Good luck.

Answer 5

this is what i do:
1.) click on start
2.)press control panel
3.) click user accounts
4.)press change an account
5.) click on an account
6.) then there will be a list, so you have to pick change password.
Now, you will have to type in your password before you can go into the account.
Or you can just lock the door of the room that holds your computer.

Answer 6

Its easy really. Open up control panel
Click on USER ACCOUNTS AND FAMILY SAFETY
Then click on USER ACCOUNTS
There should be options for putting passwords

Answer 7

Ideally you need to stop them even getting to Windows - and for this you need to set a BIOS password,

This won't even allow the p.c. to boot up without entering the password.

Go here for details: http://www.lockdown.co.uk/?pg=biospsw&s=articles

Answer 8

youu need to log off of your name and not give your password to your kids and they cannot make an account unless you log them on to make one

Answer 9

if you have user accounts, you can put passwords on them by going to control pannel -> user accounts.

Answer 10

I raised eight children so I really understand the difficulty of keeping children from unsafe computer practices, and to keep the computer safe from them. When my boys were in their very early teens, we didn't have any of the great tecnology which is available today. In 1999 I had to box up the Windows 98 system I had just bought a year earlier due to their going onto those X-Rated sites without my knowledge, usually in the middle of the night and using my credit card to try these so called "trial" subscriptions.

Anyway, use of passwords is of paramount importance. Also, only give your children Limited User Accounts. Limited User Accounts stop them from downloading software or other items from the net and from messing to badly with system files, which is a good way to ruin an installation and cause the OS to be reinstalled.

Now, there are other great resources today to stop many different types of access and use of computers.

One is a password you can set which must be entered to even boot up the system. You set this password by going into the system setup GUI. You enter this setup at boot, by softly hitting a certain key after the manufactuers logo. Some systems it is F2, some it is F12, some the Delete key, etc. To find out which your is, just watch for a black window during normal boot where it tells you how to enter the System Setup and also sometimes the BIOS. These are two different areas,, so be sure to write down the keys to access both. You can use the BIOS GUI to set boot device order, such as when you need to reinstall the OS and need to boot from a DVD or CD. That is a different scenario.

Once you are in the System Setup area, just browse around the options to familiarize yourself with the inner guts of your system. lol It is really nerve wracking at first, you may be afraid to touch any keys, but once you are in and out a few times it becomes old hat. Just look for the Administrator Password option for allowing booting of the system.

Be sure to create a password that is strong. You do so by using upper and lower case letters, numbers, and charactors. If you use at least six charactors, with one upper case, one number and, lets say an underscore, with the other three lower case letters, you have a strong password that is difficult to crack. Don't use one of your children's names, your name, your maiden name, pet names current or deceased, or any relatives names, etc. In other words don't use anything your children can guess. Now, if you forget this password, you too won't be able to access the system. However, you can easily reset this password at the Motherboard. You can easily locate the directions to do so at your computer manufacturers website, or your Motherboards manual. It is very simple once you understand the procedure, and well worth the effort in keeping children out of a system.

Now, there are also other ways to safeguard your children/teens and your computer system. One is a bit drastic, and I wouldn't reccomend it if or unless you have a higher level of expertise with systems. However, if you are very dertermined you can easily learn how to use this affectively. It use to be called the Shared Computer Toolkit, but I believe it is now called Windows Steady State. It may also be true that these are two seperate tools. I have a link for the download area of the Windows Steady State tool. Here it is:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=4de91d3a-69f4-4d7b-94b1-c69b8be029f4&DisplayLang=en

On this same page you can find the download instructions, installation instructions, and there is a link to the Windows Steady State Handbook. This is a very affective tool, and is used by librarys, schools, and internet cafe's, among a number of other locations which use shared computers. It is also used in homes such as yours across America and other developed countries. At least read the information on the downloads page, see what it can do, and read the Handbook and the ReadMe link down towards the bottom of the page.

Now, there are also other options. If you have Windows XP Media Center Edition, or Windows XP Pro, or Vista Ultimate, you can use certain Group Policy Policies to safeguard your children/teens, and your computer. It only takes a few adjustments and you can stop the children from changing any configurations.

In conjunction with, or by themselves, you can also use Parental Control software to ensure your children only browse to websites you deem appropriate. These sorts of software programs are wide spread now, even coming in some Internet Security Suites, such as Panda Internet Security 2008. (Which comes with three licenses these days, so you can install on up to three computer systems at the price of one, way cool) Also, some Routers come with the option of paying for a subscription to a parental control service, and I know for sure that the Belkin Router does.

In additon, you can use certain Routers to control when and how long a child can stay connected to a computer. When the logon times expire the Rotuer automatically disconnects them from the Internet. You can also lock out any computer you wish for an indefinate period of time, perhaps to encourage those children who are determined to bend or break rules, you can suspend their Internet access and give it back any time you choose with such features.

There are other methods too. It is easiest to control child activity with a second computer you can configure with some or all of the above options. I know it is worth the peace of mind knowing you have locked them out of your computer and files, as well as safe guard it from unauthorized configuration changes, and lock down their computer in any fashion you deem fit.

I wish you luck in finding the combination that works best for your family. I sure wish these options, software programs and hardware devices were around back when my boys were getting into stuff they had no right being in. lol

I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and New years holiday season.