Administrative rights

[Guest]

My sister's teenage grandsons are always getting back at each other by
deleting files and folders from my sister's PC. In their anger, they often
delete some of her stuff, including programs which means she has to "go back"
and then sometimes re-install. Isn't there a way she can set herself up as
an administrator so only she can make changes to the PC? She's not very
computer savvy so she needs simple (?) step-by-step instructions. I've told
her that the best way to protect her PC is to kick the kids back to their
parents' homes but she is hesitate to go that far <grin>...Any instructions I
can forward to her would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Malke]

My sister's teenage grandsons are always getting back at each other by
deleting files and folders from my sister's PC. In their anger, they
often delete some of her stuff, including programs which means she has
to "go back"
and then sometimes re-install. Isn't there a way she can set herself
up as
an administrator so only she can make changes to the PC? She's not
very
computer savvy so she needs simple (?) step-by-step instructions.
I've told her that the best way to protect her PC is to kick the kids
back to their parents' homes but she is hesitate to go that far
<grin>...Any instructions I can forward to her would be greatly
appreciated.

Your sister can make herself an Administrator and the kids Limited
Accounts, but if they have any computer smarts at all that is easy to
circumvent. Aside from that, here are a few things to try:

1. Put a BIOS password on the machine to prevent anyone being able to
boot Windows without your sister.

2. Set the boot order in the BIOS to boot the hard drive first. A Setup
(BIOS) password will prevent easy change of this option.

3. Set strong passwords on the built-in Administrator and your sister's
personal account.

4. Look at the Microsoft Shared Computer Toolkit for further user
restrictions:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sharedaccess/default.mspx

I must tell you that all of the above can be gotten around by a person
with computer skills, time, and the requisite tools. Those things will
make it harder for a "regular" user, though. If your sister wants to do
any of the above suggestions, she should probably have a computer
professional come to the house and set things up for her.

You - and your sister, of course - should also be aware that the root
issue is not a technical one but rather an issue of respect, obedience,
and parenting. These are things that have no technical solution.

Malke

 

[Guest]

Thank you for your response. I will forward it to my sister, along with your
"non- technical" advice as I agree with you completely.