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How can I prevent my kids from bypassing my computer restrictions based on Windows Vista?

My 14 year-old son is using a Ctrl+Alt+Del procedure to get into my computer even though it's password-protected. How can I prevent him accessing my PC? He got that procedure on the web.

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Andy rea
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1 Answers1

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Go into the BIOS (usually F2 or Del at boot) and set a boot password. This will be required every time it boots up. Every BIOS is different, so I can't give you step by step instructions, but it shouldn't be too hard to find. This will prevent the computer from booting into any operating system at all, until the password is entered. Keep in mind that you'll still have to put your login password in too, after it boots.

From a non-technical angle, as a 14 year old I would've gone nuts without access to a computer. I don't know what your situation is, and far be it for me to give you parenting advice, but consider giving him access!

Assuming Vista or Windows 7, the alternative would be to give him his own login account, with limited privileges. This prevents him from installing anything, and he can't get at any of your files within your user profile (e.g. My Documents, Pictures, etc). You can do the same on Windows XP, but the limited user design isn't as robust. This would allow him to browse the net and whatever else, without him interfering with any of your documents.

Polynomial
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  • he just wanted to play game that his father downloaded... when he started playing, he seems he dont want to get up in front of the PC even almost skiping his meal. as a mom, he still has the right to play games, but in some time. – Andy rea Aug 13 '12 at 07:54
  • i will try your suggestion. thanks for your nice answer. – Andy rea Aug 13 '12 at 07:56
  • That's fair enough, gaming can be compulsive! :D – Polynomial Aug 13 '12 at 07:58
  • by the way... is it possible to block the OS when he still tries to enter wrong password every time before it boot up? – Andy rea Aug 13 '12 at 07:58
  • Not sure what you mean. If he tries to enter the wrong password, it'll refuse to boot. There's no way round it. Some BIOSes will reboot the machine after 3 failed attempts, forcing you to wait ~10s whilst it runs through the initial POST hardware checks, but it won't prevent him from trying as many passwords as he likes. Just pick a strong one that he can't guess. – Polynomial Aug 13 '12 at 08:00
  • alright... now i know... thank you very much! it will surely help. – Andy rea Aug 13 '12 at 08:07
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    Also @Andy, there are a couple of questions on parenting.stackexchange.com that cover this topic from a non-technical angle – Rory Alsop Aug 13 '12 at 08:11