As I said, slightly OT, but if I post on computer board I will get tech
specs & geek talk. and I am just interested in hearing recomendations
from parents who may be using parental control software on their home
computers to protect their kids from the untowards places on the
internet.

I am running windows xp home edition, take internet to laptop and a
desktop from a router, comes in on DSL.

I am thinking the very limitiing kind would suit my needs, like the
kind that only allows kids to go to pre-approved sites... I am guessing
a kid would request a site and the parent would have to authorize that
specific site.

Another nice feature would be to turn off internet access all
together... to save the "I need the laptop to type a paper for school"
but then trolling the web when I am not looking.

BTW- all you superparents who are tempted to give me the old "my kid
would never think of doing that anything wrong online.. " or "If I
caught my kid doing something like that I would hit him so hard with
the ol' belt his butt would bleed for a week" stuff. We are not all
uberparents like you are.. (or represent yourselves as) so some of us
need a little advice every now and then.. so just save the lecture, if
you have nothing relevant to say on this topic.. hold the parenting
advise..

I use the safe search that is available with google. Although my son is only
4 (and I say that with a grain of salt, the little smart butt) That along
with me hovering over his shoulder when he is on NICK.com!

I use the parental controls on the TV in his bedroom to block just about
everything. He knows he's not allowed to watch Billy and MAndy, but that
gets through the block by being G = rated. SO I trust(ed) him not to watch
it, well one day I pretented I was sleeping when he came in the bedroom, I
got the "dad, DAD, daddy, when I didn't answer he softly walked out of the
room and procedded to turn on that show!, I got him dead to rights. His
reaction was sheer surprise, and then a lie "I was just seeing what was on,
that is the dumb show I'm not allowed to watch" He dosn't do that anymore,
so I beleive!?! So, your kids can and will try their best to circumvent your
authority and try to get away with things.

Searcher

"Jack" writes:
As I said, slightly OT, but if I post on computer board I will get tech
specs & geek talk.
not if you express that you are a novice.... ok, they still would, but
some would *attempt* to speak plainly.

and I am just interested in hearing recomendations from parents who
may be using parental control software on their home computers to
protect their kids from the untowards places on the internet.

I'm not a parent, nor do i use filtering software, but here are
some ideas that will work for at various parts of your query:

1: unplug router when kid is using it "just for papers".
Pro: Defeats all attempts at accessing web/instant message/etc.
CON: no internet for the desktop either

2: note, this solution might be too geeky, sorry.
Check your router manual to see if it has built in filters.
(I've seen them filter on keywords, time of day, sites, content,
etc) This solution is good because it isn't browser based.
(not linked to internet explorer, or firefox, or mozilla, so they
cannot just switch browsers to get around it.)

3: If the child is running on an account with administrator, they can
likely undo anything you do to stop them, so make a separate login
ID for the kid(s) and make sure it(they) is a (are) "normal user"
account(s), not administrator. Also make sure they don't know any
administrator account password.
You should be able to do this fairly easily:
start button-control panel-user accounts
While you are at it, make yourself a normal user acount and only
use that for your use unless installing programs. Doing this will
help your computer stay safer (not 100%) from viruses and spyware.

4: http://www.phptr.com/articles/articl...&seqNum=4&rl=1
tells you how to "whitelist" certain sites, but only in firefox.
If you can limit access to internet explorer, this might work.
(there is a walkthrough, but i havn't done it, so i cannot say if
it's easy/correct.)

5: If you only have internet explorer on, go to:
tools menu-internet options-content tab.
There is a content advisor there that might be helpful.
You can enable that and it might do most of what you need.

If these ideas are too geekspeak for you, email me privately, and i'll
try to help you further... it's late and my "put myself in your shoes"
calibration might be off. You should post a public followup here once
you've figured things out.

--
May no harm befall you,
flip
Ich habe keine Ahnung was das bedeutet, oder vielleicht doch?
Remove origin of the word spam from address to reply (leave "+")

I would ask what they use at your local library. There is a ton of knowledge
on the internet. It would be great if kids could access this knowledge. Many
libraries have had problems in this area.

Also search google.com for parental control software

On 11 Apr 2006 01:03:27 -0400, Philip Lewis
wrote:


1: unplug router when kid is using it "just for papers".
Pro: Defeats all attempts at accessing web/instant message/etc.
CON: no internet for the desktop either

Why do so many rely on a router? This is home.repair . Run the cable
to your computer and you won't need the router when you don't want to
use it.

2: note, this solution might be too geeky, sorry.
Check your router manual to see if it has built in filters.
(I've seen them filter on keywords, time of day, sites, content,
etc) This solution is good because it isn't browser based.
(not linked to internet explorer, or firefox, or mozilla, so they
cannot just switch browsers to get around it.)

3: If the child is running on an account with administrator, they can
likely undo anything you do to stop them, so make a separate login
ID for the kid(s) and make sure it(they) is a (are) "normal user"
account(s), not administrator. Also make sure they don't know any
administrator account password.

NO ONE in the family should run as an administrator. That account
should only be used druing software installation. Then the person
should log off and log on as a user without admin priveleges. That
means that if there is a virus, it won't be able to install itself
then. (Whether it can lurk until the next time you log on as an
administrator is a question I haven't seen asked. Check on it.)

Net Nanny. I used to know another famous one, but I forget. Haven't
used any.

"mm" wrote in message
...
Why do so many rely on a router? This is home.repair . Run the cable
to your computer and you won't need the router when you don't want to
use it.

A router is the simplest method to allow multiple computers to have access
to the internet at the same time... Technically, you could have one machine
sharing its connection for other machines, but that's not as simple as a
dedicated router... Routers also filter out certain types of viruses /
attacks even before they get to your computers... Even if I only had one
machine at home, I would still have a router...

aol has excellent aol for kids with customizable acess like e mail only
from others you know, another nice thing it not only blocks sites but
sends a daily report to the parent about time on line and where the kid
went on line times can be limited too

mm writes:
NO ONE in the family should run as an administrator. That account
should only be used druing software installation. Then the person
should log off and log on as a user without admin priveleges. That

Which is why I continued in my original message:
Philip Lewis writes:
While you are at it, make yourself a normal user acount and only
use that for your use unless installing programs. Doing this will
help your computer stay safer (not 100%) from viruses and spyware.

Note, that an account can be an administrator account without being
named administrator.

In fact, one of the security things to do is to disable the
administrator account after making another account an admin. That way,
an attacker won't know which account has the "good access".


Finally, a neat trick:
Hold the shift key down and right click on the install program.
You should see a "Run As" option on the menu. Choose that and you can
run the install program as administrator (or any account to which you
know the password) without logging out of your account. (Assuming you
don't have switch user installed.)


--
May no harm befall you,
flip
Ich habe keine Ahnung was das bedeutet, oder vielleicht doch?
Remove origin of the word spam from address to reply (leave "+")

two words.... keystroke logger. a must have for monitoring the computer. i
used to have a program called winguardian on the old computer(windows
98),but it is no longer in production. the screen shot every 5 min,event
and keystroke logger kept the kids honest.
wrote in message
oups.com...
aol has excellent aol for kids with customizable acess like e mail only
from others you know, another nice thing it not only blocks sites but
sends a daily report to the parent about time on line and where the kid
went on line times can be limited too

If I may give a qualified, professional answer-

There is no software that will stop them from doing whatever it is they
want to do. None of those things will be 100% and in most cases it
will only slow them down. Remember when you were their age- try to
think what your same-aged self would do. There are thousands of ways
around stuff like NetNanny. Make no presuppositions about gender- the
girls are just as bad as boys- maybe even worse because they don't
always feel like they're constantly under investigation.

This is my part of the answer that nobody likes to hear:

This is entirely a Parenting issue.

Which means, you have to either completely disable their access to the
network, or just about sit there and watch over their shoulder if you
want to be sure. Raising your children, teaching them right and wrong
is YOUR job, not the job of some software. I'm not on your case about
it, just pointing it out.



This is the part of my answer that disappoints everyone:

Nowadays with junkmail, malware, porn dialers and such things, you may
find or see 'suspect' stuff on the computer, and they (your kids) might
be completely innocent. Understand that their email accounts will get
the "cUm 0n .my t1t$" emails no differently than yours, so you may have
to weed through their email first before they read it.


This is the part of my answer nobody likes:

They're going to seek out 'questionable' material anyways. Once again,
remember when you were their age. Remember sneaking peeks at Hustler
and Playboy when you were 9, etc.


The more important thing is to keep them safe from predators or freaks.
And the hard part for a parent will be to determine what's actually
threatening activity/behavior and what isn't. You have to know what to
watch for and what to ignore, and it's not always obvious, but some
common sense and proper perspective will take you a long way.

I might be able to elaborate on this later, but i'm out of time for now.

1) Cyberpatrol. Easy to use once it is set-up. Actually the set-up
is not that tough either. Primary reason for it is that I can restrict
the amount of time they have access to the internet on a per day basis,
as well as hours of access to the internet (for example from 6:15 p.m.
to 6:45 p.m. ONLY each day....or different hours for different days of
the week). As well as set weekly limits.

CP also allow you to filter/block websites, block kids from giving out
information (street names, phone numbers, etc.).

It also allows quick overrides, etc. Check out google if you want to
find the program.

2) PC Tattletale. This is a big dog spyware program. It can monitor
everything from exact keystrokes to e-mails, programs run, windows
open. It captures screenshots, Records IM and chat, etc.

Definately Off-Topic, but I'm sure it is of concern to many parents here, so
here goes...

I tried Net Nanny (latest version) but didn't like it much. I also have a 4
year old, and a 5 year old who can presently run rings around most of his
teachers when it comes to computers. The software I pefered, and decided to
finally buy is ChildControl 2006. Very nice, very flexible, and has all
sorts of neat features. Best part is that once you setup one child, you can
easily copy the settings over and apply them to another child, without
redoing everything from scratch.

Has everything from time limits (for each day, Daily internet usage, and
Daily PC usage, and even Time of Day permitted). So on some days you can set
the PC to be used for slightly longer (weekends), but limit internet usage
to whatever you want. All sorts of filtering, logging, and limitting
functions (like no control panel options, registry editing, changing system
clock, etc...) You can even define how long a particular .EXE applications
(or group of them) can be run for . You can hide certain directories/drives
which you don't want to be accessible to the child. Also completely
integrated with Windows User logins, so you don't need to have a user login,
and then an internet sign in login.

Also one nice feature I like is the option of issuing one time, time
extension codes, and printing them. So you generate a couple of time
extension codes (for predetermined amounts of time), print them out, and
then when they need an extension for PC or Internet usage for schoolwork, or
as a bonus, you can just give them the code to use when thier time is about
to expire. Code can only be used once, and you don't need to physically
enter your password in order to extend it. I have printed a few 30 minute
codes, and occasionally give the kids one, when they are good as a small
reward. Later on, they can get them to extend thier time if they have some
research to do.

Various logging options, and very simple to setup compared to other
products. And best part, you can set all the limits, even if the kids have
Administrator priviledges, they still can't override the restrictions.

http://www.salfeld.com/software/childcontrol/index.html

Thumbs up for them. And best of all they have 30 day evaluation version
online so you can try before you buy. Resonably priced at $29.99 for a
sigle license, and $59.99 for multi-license (up to 5 PC).


Just a happy customer...




"mm" wrote in message
...
On 11 Apr 2006 01:03:27 -0400, Philip Lewis
wrote:


1: unplug router when kid is using it "just for papers".
Pro: Defeats all attempts at accessing web/instant message/etc.
CON: no internet for the desktop either

Why do so many rely on a router? This is home.repair . Run the cable
to your computer and you won't need the router when you don't want to
use it.

2: note, this solution might be too geeky, sorry.
Check your router manual to see if it has built in filters.
(I've seen them filter on keywords, time of day, sites, content,
etc) This solution is good because it isn't browser based.
(not linked to internet explorer, or firefox, or mozilla, so they
cannot just switch browsers to get around it.)

3: If the child is running on an account with administrator, they can
likely undo anything you do to stop them, so make a separate login
ID for the kid(s) and make sure it(they) is a (are) "normal user"
account(s), not administrator. Also make sure they don't know any
administrator account password.

NO ONE in the family should run as an administrator. That account
should only be used druing software installation. Then the person
should log off and log on as a user without admin priveleges. That
means that if there is a virus, it won't be able to install itself
then. (Whether it can lurk until the next time you log on as an
administrator is a question I haven't seen asked. Check on it.)

Net Nanny. I used to know another famous one, but I forget. Haven't
used any.

"phaeton" wrote in message
oups.com...
They're going to seek out 'questionable' material anyways. Once again,
remember when you were their age. Remember sneaking peeks at Hustler
and Playboy when you were 9, etc.

And I'm still disappointed that women don't come with staples in their
navels... dirty-old-man-grin

On Tue, 11 Apr 2006 08:50:43 GMT, "Grumman-581"
wrote:

"mm" wrote in message
.. .
Why do so many rely on a router? This is home.repair . Run the cable
to your computer and you won't need the router when you don't want to
use it.

A router is the simplest method to allow multiple computers to have access
to the internet at the same time... Technically, you could have one machine
sharing its connection for other machines, but that's not as simple as a
dedicated router... Routers also filter out certain types of viruses /
attacks even before they get to your computers... Even if I only had one
machine at home, I would still have a router...

How would you make sure your children weren't using the net for bad
stuff, as with the OP's problem? (According to him you're not allowed
to say, My kids wouldn't do that. OR I'd string them up by their
thumbs and they know it, so they're afraid to do it.

On 11 Apr 2006 09:42:25 -0400, Philip Lewis
wrote:

mm writes:
NO ONE in the family should run as an administrator. That account
should only be used druing software installation. Then the person
should log off and log on as a user without admin priveleges. That

Which is why I continued in my original message:
Philip Lewis writes:
While you are at it, make yourself a normal user acount and only
use that for your use unless installing programs. Doing this will
help your computer stay safer (not 100%) from viruses and spyware.


OOps. Very sorry. I did read the whole post but managed to miss
these three lines. Probably too eager to show how smart I was.
Skit's law.

Note, that an account can be an administrator account without being
named administrator.

In fact, one of the security things to do is to disable the
administrator account after making another account an admin. That way,
an attacker won't know which account has the "good access".

Uh huh!

Finally, a neat trick:
Hold the shift key down and right click on the install program.
You should see a "Run As" option on the menu. Choose that and you can
run the install program as administrator (or any account to which you
know the password) without logging out of your account. (Assuming you
don't have switch user installed.)

I'll try to remember this one too, for the time if ever I actually
have more than win98.

1 more question, and a point.

1, you computer guys are great to give these tips, I appreciate it.
Let me ask you this though, is there a way to just set up an account on
XP that will not connect with the internet (any network). That way
when the kid does have to do homework I could log them on that one
account, and not have to monitor as closely, as the kid would have the
choice of typing the paper, or playing solitaire, but not going online?

My point: It is different now then stealing glances at girly mags, as
you talk about. Now the access is to hard-core stuff that can't be
good for a young, developing minds. i am no psychiatrist, just a
parent going with his gut feeling on this one. . And if it is in my
power to put out there a few less bad choices, realizing there are ways
to get it, but at least having a sanctuary from it in the home, I am
thinking that is probably worth the effort. Others may feel
differently.. but at least you know where I stand.

Also, I am not really interested in keystroke loggers, although they
clearly are valuable tools, I am less interested in "catching" my kid,
and more interested in taking one option of making a bad choice away,
making it just a little easier for them to make it through the day.
Again, that is how I look at it, others may feel differently

What makes you believe your parents need to be controlled?

g

"Jack" writes:
1, you computer guys are great to give these tips, I appreciate it.
Let me ask you this though, is there a way to just set up an account on

Quick Answer:
If you set up the non administrator account, you can log in as
administrator, and disable the network adaptor.
(Right click network Neighborhood and choose properties.
Right click on the adapter and choose disable)

I'm fairly certain a non admin account cannot enable it.

Not exactly what you wanted... but close.



--
May no harm befall you,
flip
Ich habe keine Ahnung was das bedeutet, oder vielleicht doch?
Remove origin of the word spam from address to reply (leave "+")

jack, most programs have the option of running in the open as well as
hidden. the warning on mine was out in the open and that i "might find out"
was enough for us.

since i did so much typing back then it was actually very helpful to be
able to look back on the rough drafts of my own essays without actually
having to save them.

i do understand your hesitation with this. with dial-up it's so easy to
control the internet access. i'd love to know if it could be done with high
speed,too.


wrote in message
oups.com...
What makes you believe your parents need to be controlled?

g

Hi I use Naomi (look it up), it's free, simple and works very well.
good luck,
tim11918