Disk Security

[Guest]

My disk is 40gig. 20 of them are used for Windows XP partition. The rest is
free. Is there a way to prevent somebody from creating a new partition and
installing Windows XP?

Thanks in advance

 

[Donny Broome]

Physical Access to Your PC = Zero Security



--

 

[Bob I]

Reality check question: Why would anyone want to provide you with a
second operating system?

 

[Guest]

Let's you have kids who are somewhat computer savy. You have done everything
in terms of security to prevent them from going on the net.

Now they figure they, while you are on vacation, to install another
partition with os on your machine. Now they are free to do whatever they
want.

 

[Malke]

Let's you have kids who are somewhat computer savy. You have done
everything in terms of security to prevent them from going on the net.

Now they figure they, while you are on vacation, to install another
partition with os on your machine. Now they are free to do whatever
they want.

Physical access + time + tools + skill means that any computer running
any operating system can be gotten into. Since you are concerned about
your children's use of the computer, you could remove the computer
and/or the Internet access. Even that could be gotten around of course.
It really depends on how old (and how computer-savvy) your children
are. This is not a technical problem - this is a parent-child problem
and cannot be solved in a technical newsgroup. Sorry.

Malke

 

[usasma]

I've got 2 teenagers (who, BTW, aren't very technologically savvy) and
they find ways around the restrictions fairly easily (it's all that
darned IM'ing

By restricting things, you send the message to your kids that there's
something bad out there that they shouldn't see. Being normal kids,
they want to see what it is. This serves 2 (or more) purposes. It
helps to instill values in kids based on the parent's values and it
encourages creativity to see what they're not supposed to see, and it
encourages independence when they've got to decide if they should
believe you (about what you've forbidden) or not, and it encourages
caution when they see that it may cause problems for them (either by the
forbidden thing itself - or by the fact that Mom & Dad may catch them).

I was a Sergean Major in the US Army before I retired - and I was very
good at forbidding things! I've found that, with my kids, that things
just don't work that nice in real life. I set things up to protect the
kids, but don't go off the deep end when they go out and try to do
things on their own.

Finally, if you catch them doing things, you've got 2 options
1) Read them the riot act and make them even more cautious when trying
to get away with things (so that you won't catch them).
2) Play your cards close to your chest. You know where they are and
what they're doing. If you spill the beans about that they'll do
something else - so why not just be a "stealth supervisor"?

 

[Bob I]

Ok reality check question number 2:What's to keep them from sticking in
another harddrive.

Reality check question number 3:What does "access to the internet" have
to do with installing operating systems?

Reality check question number 4: Why don't you trust your kids?

 

[Guest]

2. That would require administrative access to the existing operating system
as it has been secured. The children don't have that access.
3. If you have secured their access by running script that takes away the
0.0.0.0 route, they can not access the internet. There are other ways to
prevent non-administrative user from accessing the net. Now, if there is dsl
router, it is on all the time, or it could be turned on, or it could be
purchased for minimal price.
4. It is not my kids. My kids aren't interested in the net altogether. It
is my customers that are interested in controlling their children's access.
You wouldn't believe what the kids do. As an example, it is already a
standard practice that kids after having internet access blocked, purchased
wi fi usb adapters and connect to their neighbor. We are talking about
townhome community where houses are next to each other. These kids are in
6th or 7th grade.

Thanks,

 

[Malke]

2. That would require administrative access to the existing operating
system
as it has been secured. The children don't have that access.
3. If you have secured their access by running script that takes away
the
0.0.0.0 route, they can not access the internet. There are other
ways to
prevent non-administrative user from accessing the net. Now, if there
is dsl router, it is on all the time, or it could be turned on, or it
could be purchased for minimal price.
4. It is not my kids. My kids aren't interested in the net
altogether. It is my customers that are interested in controlling
their children's access.
You wouldn't believe what the kids do. As an example, it is already a
standard practice that kids after having internet access blocked,
purchased
wi fi usb adapters and connect to their neighbor. We are talking
about
townhome community where houses are next to each other. These kids
are in 6th or 7th grade.

Then you could tell your customers what we told you - there are various
ways to restrict computer usage, but all of them can be gotten around
with physical access + time + tools + skill. Tell them what we said,
that this is not a technical problem but a parenting problem. Sadly, I
*can* believe that some parents would be stupid and irresponsible
enough to give their 6th and 7th grade children enough money, time, and
fail to provide adequate supervision to allow their children to get up
to the sort of mischief you mention. However, this is not anything a
computer tech can solve for them.

Malke