hubby has to get a new pc for the club.

his is fried. he got a virus that wiped it out. plus having it plugged inot he same circuit as a microwave. does have a strong surge protector, but he finally has learned his lesson.

what i need to know is can either windows xp or vista be totally password protected?

he needs to have it blocked so employees cannot get online.

he had xp and when the login screen would come up, they could bypass it. or that is what he said. it would just go to a defaut user. i'll ask him exactly what it said, if he can remember.

he has internet through at&t.

also, can all browsers programs like IE be taken off safely?

it was pain, but he was trying to take the modem home everynight. not a good feeling to come into work and find that the employee in charge has spent their shift playing online. plus so much got loaded on the pc.

tia
Curious

As far as I know, there has been a way to "crack" a password required to boot. I read a post about how to circumvent on another board. I don't want to cite the name unless it's okay with DocJohn; he may know what I'm alluding to .

I don't know if that info. is still applicable, though, with the passage of time and also with strengthening of security (updates and all that).

What your hubby might want to do is install a "keystroke" logger. Is it "spying"? I don't think so. It's his computer and if he's told people hand's-off, they've no business violating his privacy. They're essentially trespassing (sp?) by entering his property/computer.

P.S. Browsers can be removed; it should not have an unwanted effect unless config'd for mail to route delivery via a specific browser.

Also, I'd suggest shutting down completely (and unplugging the surge protector from the outlet) when the computer is not in-use or will not be in-use, say overnight, for instance. A surge protector is a good thing to have, but a HD can still be fried during, i.e., electrical storms, etc., as long as it is connected to surge and surge protector to outlet.

you can pm the link bobbi.

after the fact isn't going to help much.

one of the reason for not getting online, there is nothing in their job description that warrents it. when they get online, they are really stealing. being paid for a job they are not doing. the keylogger would help that.

i wish we didn't have to have a computer at the front desk that had to get online. it has the whole check in system for members and keeps track of everything to do with memberships and workouts. we have to go online to get updates from our billing company.

the rest of the business side is done from me at home. no one has access to sensitive stuff.

I've not been to sleep since yesterday, so I will retrieve the link and PM it to you as soon as I wake up today.

BTW: On Vista, this is what it states respective of the password... and it's from the Help & Support file. I believe it also applies if someone doesn't not know the system's password(s) and is attempting to crack:



What can I do if I forget the administrator password?

Using a password reset disk is the best solution.

I have a password reset disk
If you have typed the wrong password, you'll get a message that says your user name or password is incorrect. When this message appears, click OK.

Click Reset password, and then follow the instructions.

• I don't have a password reset disk, but there is another administrator account on this computer
• If there is another administrator account on the computer, that administrator can change the password for the account you can't remember the password for. If you do this, however, you will lose access to any encrypted files, encrypted e‑mail messages, and passwords stored on this account. If you don't have encrypted files or stored passwords, then this option will work for you. For more information, see Change your Windows password.
  
• I don't have a password reset disk, and there is not another administrator account on this computer

  If you don't have a password reset disk or another administrator account, you won't be able to reset the password. If there are no other user accounts on the computer, you won't be able to log on to Windows. In this case, you will need to re-install Windows.

See also

• Create a password reset disk
• What to do if you forget your Windows password

Just found the link, and am PM'ing it now.

I believe that what the post states is equally applicable to Vista, though it discusses XP.

I think you'll see what I mean, Curious.

If you want me to explain, after you see the info., I will via PM later today

hi curious,

if someone is really puter savvy, they can by-pass the passwords.

usually, they'll start going in through safe mode. Once in safe mode, they can log themselves on as admin.

the way to change that is to change the password settings in the BIO

I think that's done by tapping F2 or F12 as soon as your computer starts (can't remember which while I am typing)

then you can set a password in the bio but make sure he writes it down somewhere...and NEVER lose it.

now, he also needs to make sure he IS the only administrator. In XP , go to control panel and users and make sure everyone else has limited account and he is the only ADMIN.

make his password alpha/numeric/symbols

like "i839curious#*dumb)*^hubby"

something like that. Older XP might not be able to take symbols. But updated ones should.

My in-laws are very trusting with their computer and are always getting their puter messed up so I have had to run a lot of tech support via the phone.

I finally had to ask them to get a biometric fingerprints.

it is about $35.00 and is worth it. You can also track whoever's logging in.

So he can take out ALL the password hassles and know who/when logged in.

biometric fingerprint