BoCo

I just read this tip today and thought I'd share it.


There are software programs that allow you to control
access to a PC. Before spending money on those, check out
Windows XP's built-in feature. It might be all you need.

First, log on to the computer using the Administrator account.
Then, click Start, Run and in the Open box, type CMD. Click OK
and you're no longer in Windows.

Here's where the fun happens.

At the prompt, type "net user teenagername /time:M-F,5pm-7pm"
without the quotes. Replace teenagername with your son's
Windows XP username.

Now, your son will only be able to log on to the computer between
5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Logging him off is up to you.

You can also set limits per day. For example, look at the line below:
net user teenagername /time:M,4pm-5pm;T-F,1pm-3pm

By typing this at the command prompt, your son could log on to
your computer Mondays between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. and Tuesday
through Friday 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

__________________
Activism is a way for useless people to feel important.

Pragma

Yea - if you grab the "Active Directory Users and Computers" from an XP or 2003 box, you should have access to a much greater list of options in terms of user access rights - including things like what days and times they can and can't log on.

Fun stuff.

__________________
Eat antimatter, Posleen-boy!

Krycheck

Good post. I'll have to try that at home.

Pragme: that will only work if you log onto a Active Directory server if I'm not mistaken.

__________________

His pants are tight...but his morals are loose!!

mikec

good call BoCo

here's the full KB article around net user

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/h...n/net_user.asp

__________________
Until the 20th century, reality was everything humans could touch, smell, see, and hear. Since the initial publication of the charted electromagnetic spectrum, humans have learned that what they can touch, smell, see, and hear is less than one millionth of reality

Nooze2k

I remember a few years ago when my dad tried to block my brother and I out of his PC when he wasn't home with BIOS passwords.... Little did he know that it had a default password, so I logged in using it everytime he wasn't home. Never told my brother either Eventually he caught on, so he used a a keylock... if I was real desperate I would open the case and hard wire the connection together for the lock to login. Only did it a couple times. I do feel guilty now, but then again, I'm now a software engineering/comp sci student, my grades are up, I don't think my dad is too angry that I messed with it back then now Mind you, when I do have my own kids, I'll more than likely try to limit my children's access times to the PC when I don't want them on. My dad always said I'd turn into him someday, lol, he was right!

__________________
" Can't keep my eyes from the circling skies, Tongue-tied and twisted just an earth-bound misfit, I "

hobo

I never realised that Windows XP had so many features. I knew that there were a lot I didn't know about, but that is just amazing. Specific login times, days for specific accounts too. I might play with that.

Vanquish

The only thing wrong with it is like everything else, if the kid is smart enuf he can get in. Has win XP fixed the issue with the Win 2k PRO Disk. A while ago you could run a system restore command from the PRO disk and bypass all the Admin passwords and everything, you would have full access to the Admin account on any XP comp, Actually I tried it at school just to say I could. Never did nothing, but for me its just the fact that I can do it that makes it worth trying

My dad was always cool with the comp, totally trusted me with them. He gave me a old 486 back when I was around 8 - 10 and said play with it, take it appart, do whatever you want, if you break it, fix it and if you cant fix it then ask me. I learned more by trial and error then anyone has ever taught me and the best part was that I was so young it just stuck with me.

Thats why, unless my kid is a super badass, I would never limit his access to the system. Now if he got in trouble on there, then you can be sure I would have a PW on every aspect of the system and a 4" padlock on the back of the case

Pragma

Might have spoken about the wrong file, but a coworker told me you could do it - I haven't test it myself though.

I'm pretty sure that the functionality is built in (but not easily accessible) to default standalone XP installations, though.

__________________
Eat antimatter, Posleen-boy!

giblfiz

While a neat trick, and something that I could see as useful in other situations, It seems to be sort of flameingly repressive to me. Somethink I could see doing for perhaps an eight year old, but teens? Even if he can't get it together to make a boot disk, or find a freind who will make him a boot disk, he can definitly get it together to go visit a freind.

But that is a really neat trick, if nothing else it would be great for practical jokes at work (set it to turn logins on and off at 3 min intervals, and watch your cube mate pull his hair out trying to figure out whats going on)

__________________
Use the star one and you'll be fighting off the old ones with your bare hands
-A Shoggoth on the Roof

Pragma

You can only set it up for 30 minute chunks of time, if memory serves (ie: you're allowed to log in between 8:30 and 9:00, but nothing else - or - you're not allowed to log in between 14:00 and 16:30, or between 20:00 and 23:30, but any other time is good).

Still, it is good for playing tricks on people. Just find someone who always shows up at the same time in the morning and set their computer to not allow them to log in then.

But I agree with giblfiz: If you've got teenagers, why don't you trust them enough to use the computer without you? If you're scared of them looking at porn - it doesn't hurt (hasn't hurt me), plus they'll find other ways of doing it. If you want to monitor who they talk to online, that's just childish. Let the kids have some freedom, but instill in them a sense of responsibility (ie: don't tell them your real name, or your address, or other contact info unless you trust them).

__________________
Eat antimatter, Posleen-boy!

MSD

My mom would probably try this (I'm 19 and she treats me like I'm 8). She would completely miss the fact that I made my account an admin, too. Just in case, I have a UNIX disk that boots, then allows you to blank the admin password.

yotta

It's A Linux boot disk, and any moron can use it. It's a little tricky to get on a floppy, though... ALSO, since it doesn't decrypt the password you can't change it back.

I have a copy in my toolkit at work, very handy.

I won't link it here, because it can damage the filesystem.

Or your kid can just use Knoppix

__________________
I am Jack's signature.