security

Child Proofing Computers

Child Proofing Computers

| The staff here at Computer A Services receives many phone calls about child proofing computers. One popular question is about toddler-proofing computers.

One customer exclaimed “I have a 2 year old daughter and I have realized the importance of child-proofing my computer! The second I turn around, she runs to my desk, jumps on the chair and starts banging away at the keys. If the computer is already on, she has figured out how to move the mouse and click on anything she can. It’s great fun for her, but a major headache for me.”

The mom didn’t really think her daughter could do anything, but apparently randomly pressing a bunch of keys on the keyboard can accomplish a lot more than you think! The little girl sent emails, deleted folders, opened programs, and even moved files with her keyboard slamming.

Method 1 – Lock Your Computer

This simple option solved most of mom’s problems. If the computer was off and she slammed the keys, it would turn on, but remain on the locked screen. We advised Mom to enable the password on the screen saver in case she gets to it before the computer sleeps. We had her computer sleep after about an hour, so there are a lot of times when the screen saver is on.

Method 2 – Use a Limited Account or UAC

The first method only works for really young toddlers, not with kids that are older than 3. By that age, they will probably scream and yell until you let them on the computer. At this point, you need to give them access to the computer so they can play games or do whatever, but also make sure they can’t do a one way. To do this is to use a locked down user account. You can use the Guest account in Windows, which has limited user rights across the system. The Standard user account still has a lot of permissions and can do quite a bit. The guest account is disabled by default, but you can enable it and it prevents the user from installing software, changing settings, etc.

Call us here at Computer A Services anytime with any question – 386-409-0320. We’re here to help!