Need computer account management help (Win XP)

[denbot]

Both kids are on restriction including computer usage. This afternoon I returned home and booted up the desktop and it opened to our daughter's account instead of the account log in page (normal)I shut down rebooted with the same result. I logged off of her LIMITED account and on to my password protected admin account and check off the auto switch user function rebooted and it still only boots up to the daughters account. I opened the case found the password jumper switch, rebooted then entered into bio delete all passwords rebooted again and now it not only boots in to daughters account, my account (admin) does not even show or is accessible.

The girl can not enter scripts, she is very limited in her abilities, but the son has his buddies to help with getting around obstacles, and is smart enough to not enter programs under his own account. He has hack my accounts before with unwitting help from Ally so if this is a hack he is the only possible suspect.

Has anyone ever heard of a hack like this? If so how does one defeat it?

[NJmaverick]

1. Honestly windows and PCs are not all that secure

short of physically securing the machine, there are ways around nearly everything. I have a LINUX boot up disk that allows me to boot up and run LINUX from the CD that totally bypasses the native operating system. I have a floppy and CD that can boot up and change the password of Windows accounts (do that and I can get into the admin account and change all sort of things.

The next best thing, short of locking the machine is set the boot up to go hard drive first and then password protect your bios settings. That should make it much harder to do the things I just described.

[Madrone]

2. Hmmm...

Not 100% sure in relation to the specifics you mention - BUT - boot up into safe mode and log in as Administrator. By default there is no password on that hidden account. Password protect it, and have a look at the user accounts in the control panel while you're at it. That's where I'd start.

[denbot]

3. Before I moved the jumper switch I looked at user accounts.

There was no new accounts and both kids accounts were limited access. I'm stumped.

[Madrone]

4. Is your daughter's account password protected?

If not, make it so.

Also, if you did not specifically log in as Administrator (in safemode) and add a password to it - the kid (son and his friends) may be using it to get around you.

[denbot]

7. All accounts are password protected.

There are three accounts on the computer (4 counting the guest account which is password protected)
All have individual passwords. I change the kids limited account passwords from my Admin account when I need to lock one or more of them out of the computer.

[Madrone]

9. Okay -

I *think* you don't realize that there is another, hidden, admin account. The username is, exactly (minus the quotes), "Administrator".

Most kids anymore know that their parents DON'T know this and are therefore able to bypass any protections their parents try to set up. You have to boot up in safe mode (F8 key on keyboard after turning computer on) - enter "Administrator" as the user. By default there is no password, so just enter Administrator and click "ok" or "login" or whatever it says...

From there you can see the "Administrator" account, and more importantly, PASSWORD protect it.

Now... when you say the computer boots into your daughter's account, do you mean it boots to her name w/ a password prompt instead of a list of icons each containing the name of one of your accounts? Or do you mean it boots straight into her account WITHOUT a password - just goes straight into windows?

[denbot]

10. I did use the "hidden" admin account, pass word protected it as my default account

My daughters account use to be one of the three choices on the "log-in" page. Now it by passes the log-in and boots straight in to her user account, without requiring a password, and my and our son's account no longer show in the control panel user accounts. The only account that now shows is the daughter's.

Weird huh?

[Madrone]

12. I'm really confused.

You can't use the default Administrator account as the only Admin account on the computer AND add limited users. XP makes you create a second account with admin privileges in order to add limited accounts. It's STOOPID, but that's Microsoft. It also requires a registry hack to make the hidden Administrator account visible... so I'm not sure if we're talking about different things or what.

As for the missing accounts and such.... I need to read the other posts to review all the information. I'll hit that one up again in a second.

[NJmaverick]

13. I am now thinking that some of the profiles may have been lost or corrupted

you might want to try a system restore, to a point prior to all your problems.

[NJmaverick]

5. When you say administrator are you referring to an account with admin priviliges

or the actual administrator account?

[Madrone]

6. durrrr. Wasn't talking to me.

;)

[denbot]

8. Yes, it is the Administrators account, and the one I use n/t

[mwooldri]

11. For right now... go safe mode, delete all but admin account...

and then go back in using regular mode and add accounts. If the Admin account is the only one on and it's password protected, it will prompt to log onto this first time through.

When you do remove accounts, make sure you keep the Documents folder(s) for each (unless you already centralize them).

Best computer security for kids is a parent's eye IMO. Filters can be bypassed but as an extra level of security I'd recommend signing up for OpenDNS which has filtering options on them: key in for an adult site or XXX site (or even shock horror! Free Republic!) and OpenDNS can return a banned or blank page. It's a free service, all you need to do is change the DNS settings in the computer and the router to point to them... plus password protect the router (if you use one) and keep the OpenDNS password secure. The limited accounts should stop the kids changing the DNS settings.

There may well be some 3rd party parental control software out there that works - but I haven't found it yet. Road Runner provides something, but when I tried to use it, it just gobbled up resources.

I am an Ubuntu fan and user, and what I do is I have Timekpr and OpenDNS for my needs - if I need to put on something else I can do that. My son pretty much just browses websites anyway so specific games isn't a problem - plus he has his own Windows PC for those games if he wants to play them. he's also 6 so... not yet but when he gets older...

Mark.

[denbot]

14. I just dropped off the desktop at the local shop.

It will be out of the house for a few days and the tech will run down the problem and let me know the whats and whys. Thanks for the advise everyone.

[Madrone]

15. Good luck to your PC.

And may it be returned... cheaply.