Turning off 'always-on' internet connection

[Guest]

I have two computers on a network. One of the computers is in my office and
the other is in my daughters room. Whenever either computer is turned on,
you immediately have access to the internet without having to connect through
your ISP.

Although I like having the convenience of immediately accessing the
internet, I would like to have 'parental control' over what my daughter
accesses. Right now, she can simply click on 'Internet Explorer' icon and
access any website.

Is there someway to limit the websites she can visit without deleting IE
altogether? Also, she should be connecting through Aol, for which I have
parental controls established, but i know she has accessed restricted
websites through IE.

Please help.

 

[R. McCarty]

Complicated subject - First off, How old is your daughter ? Very young
children "Must" be protected from content inappropriate for their age.

However - if this is a teenager, the criteria changes quite a bit. First, no
matter what you do -It will be perceived as a challenge. You'll take
measures that they can/will overcome with little effort.

Best thing to do, is let them know that you can monitor or track their
activity on the net. Whether you can or not is irrelevant, just that idea
will sometimes temper what they do on the net.

Instant Messaging is a problem, as the language used is difficult for
adults to decipher and you've got no way to know who she converses
with.

You can purchase software to restrict access, but trust me - these days
Teenagers know all the "Tricks" to override those measures.

It's a difficult thing to juggle, your parental rights against allowing a
child
unrestricted use of the web. Trust is a hard thing to re-acquire, so be
careful what you do.

 

[Yves Leclerc]

Some broadband (aka "always on") routers offer "parental controls" which the
configuration access can be password. Look at SMC routers.

There is not a 100% way of blocking internet access.

 

[Bobby]

I would use the content advisor in XP. (IE properties)

If the dialing up is a problem try going to IE properties again under the
connections tab > and highlight the bullet point "Never dial a connection".

 

[Guest]

Are yuo sure yuor not talking about DSL, most other services requie dialup.
IE may autodial when opened.

My DSL provider has Parental Control information on their Home web page. I
haven't used it, so don't know what is involved.

 

[CWatters]

I would use the content advisor in XP. (IE properties)

Use in conjunction with a program like ENUFF..
http://www.akrontech.com/

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, Parent.

I don't know anything about networks and I don't have the daughter-at-home
problem, but maybe I can help on a couple of points.

you immediately have access to the internet without having to connect
through
your ISP.

Not quite true. Your ISP is the one that provides access to the Internet.
Even if it seems to be "always on", it actually takes a few seconds
(probably less than a minute) to make the connection to and through your ISP
each time the computer is turned on. The details depend on several factors
that you didn't tell us. For example, your ISP might be connecting through
your telephone line (DSL - Digital Subscriber Line, usually ADSL - for
Asynchronous DSL, meaning that you can download faster than you can upload).
Or you might be connecting through your TV cable. The difference should be
obvious (Does your computer plug - directly or indirectly through a modem
and/or a router - to a phone jack? Or to a coaxial cable?), but probably
doesn't matter for your current question. In either case, you must be
sending a check each month to somebody for the service; that somebody is
your ISP.

Many responsible ISPs offer some sort of parental control capability. Call
the company that gets your monthly check and ask. Or email them. Or just
go explore on their website.

RC

 

[Kelly]

The Content Advisor provides parents enhanced control over what content
their children can view on the Internet.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/evaluation/features/indepth/contentadv.asp

Configuring Content Advisor Settings
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/using/howto/contentadv/config.asp

IE/Tools/Internet Options/Content/Content Advisor. From there make the
appropriate settings in content advisor for language, nudity, sex, violence,
non rated sites, authorized sites and supervisory password.

If you decide to use the Content Advisor and are using different profiles, I
have a workaround for which accounts are 'limited' in viewing and which are
not. E-mail me for details.

Content Advisor On (vb script). Download it and save it to your desktop.
Then place it in the startup folder of the perferred account. Next, download
the Content Advisor Off (vb script) and place it in your startup folder.

Both scripts can be found here: (Row 47)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

IE-SPYAD: Restricted Sites List for Internet Explorer
http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~ehowes/resource.htm#IESPYAD

Net Nanny, the world's leading parental control software, provides
responsible adults with the broadest set of Internet safety tools available
today. http://www.netnanny.com/index.html

With Kids Passport, you can choose whether a participating Kids Passport Web
site can collect, use, or disclose your child's personal information.
http://kids.passport.net/?lc=1033

To learn more about the Kids Passport service, please read the .NET Passport
Kids Privacy Statement.
http://www.passport.net/consumer/kidsprivacypolicy.asp?lc=1033


--

All the Best,
Kelly (MS-MVP/DTS&XP)

Troubleshooting Windows XP
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com

 

[Guest]

The Content Advisor provides parents enhanced control over what content
their children can view on the Internet.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/evaluation/features/indepth/contentadv.asp

Configuring Content Advisor Settings
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/using/howto/contentadv/config.asp

IE/Tools/Internet Options/Content/Content Advisor. From there make the
appropriate settings in content advisor for language, nudity, sex, violence,
non rated sites, authorized sites and supervisory password.

If you decide to use the Content Advisor and are using different profiles, I
have a workaround for which accounts are 'limited' in viewing and which are
not. E-mail me for details.

Content Advisor On (vb script). Download it and save it to your desktop.
Then place it in the startup folder of the perferred account. Next, download
the Content Advisor Off (vb script) and place it in your startup folder.

Both scripts can be found here: (Row 47)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

IE-SPYAD: Restricted Sites List for Internet Explorer
http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~ehowes/resource.htm#IESPYAD

Net Nanny, the world's leading parental control software, provides
responsible adults with the broadest set of Internet safety tools available
today. http://www.netnanny.com/index.html

With Kids Passport, you can choose whether a participating Kids Passport Web
site can collect, use, or disclose your child's personal information.
http://kids.passport.net/?lc=1033

To learn more about the Kids Passport service, please read the .NET Passport
Kids Privacy Statement.
http://www.passport.net/consumer/kidsprivacypolicy.asp?lc=1033


--

All the Best,
Kelly (MS-MVP/DTS&XP)

Troubleshooting Windows XP
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com

Thanks everyone for the responses. However, let me provide more clarity as
to what I'm looking for.

1. I have two Windows XP SP2 Home Edition PC's
2. Both PC's are networked connected provided by my ISP, SBC, using the
2-wire broadband home portal.
3. Although I can browse the Web and utilize email from SBC, I choose to
utilize AOL as my 'primary' connection to the internet through my SBC ISP. So
I pay two services, as AOL no longer supports DSL connections to the internet
4. Prior to having SBC, I had network connections through AOL, I had no
problem turning on the PC and having to log-in before I could gain access to
the internet
5.Now, I can simply turn on the PC and click on IE to gain access to the
internet
6.I simply want my daughter to have to log-in before she has access to the
internet
7. Although I have told my daughter to surf the web through AOL, because I
have parental controls, I know she uses IE to access restricted sites. She
is a teenager.
8. As suggested, I tried the content advisor but it's not useful. It seems
it either gives full access or restricts access altogether.

There must be a more reasonible way to limit her access to the internet only
through AOL.

Again, thanks for the responses.