Administration of your computer
Setting up individual accounts
With Windows XP, every computer has an administrator, the person who decides the settings for the computer, and what can and cannot be installed or downloaded onto the computer. In many families and small businesses it is not always clear who has that role. It is a good idea if the owner of the machine takes on the role of administrator, and in a family that this role goes to a parent. Even if the parent is not the most knowledgeable person in the household, they are the one ultimately responsible for how the machine is used or misused and, as such, would be the most appropriate person to administer the settings for how the computer is used.
One key role of an administrator can be to set up individual accounts for users. At home such accounts might include Mum or Dad, grandparents, children, flatmates and even guests. Everyone is given a login which allows for accountability as far as who is doing what on the computer.
To set up individual accounts/logins using Windows XP:
Go to Start, click on Settings and then Control Panel. Click on User Accounts and in the User Accounts menu and follow the Add New User wizard.
With monitoring or filtering software, or filtering services from an ISP, you can opt to set up individual accounts for family members when you begin the service. This allows for individual accountability. Such services often have the capability of producing logs and specific reports to inform the administrator how the computer is being used.
As a part of encouraging all users to set strong passwords for their accounts, the administrator can teach users how to prevent inadvertent access or tampering by showing everyone how to lock the computer when they are not using it.
To lock your computer from any program in Windows XP:
On the keyboard, press the flying windows and the L key simultaneously.
The administrator can also set the computer so that if not used for a period of time, the computer will time out and a screen saver will cover the screen. In addition to this the computer can be set so that when the user resumes, they must log in to their account again. This is called a time-out login and is another way to reduce tampering or inadvertent access by another user.
To set the computer to revert to the login in screen (to time-out):
Go to Control Panel select Display and then Screen Saver. Tick the box that says 'on resume, password protect', and then ok.
Click here to return to the Very Basics.
|
|
