WinXP Question - How Do I....

Omega65

How Do I prevent a specific Win XP User account from accessing the Internet or local network? This may need to be reversed on occasion.....

Thanks in adavnce!

primesuspect

As far as I know you can only do this if the machine is joined to a domain, and you can set domain policy or group policy to restrict network access. Is this machine joined to a domain?

Dexter

Here's an easier way.

If the user has a "limited" account, he is locked out of most control panels...including the network connections. So, from your account with Admistrator rights, simply disable the network connection before you log off. The limited user cannot enable it in his account. I just tested that to be sure, made a lmited account called Test, and logged into it. Sure enough, if you right-click the connection icon, the "enable" is greyed out.

So if little Johhny needs to have his internet connection taken away for a while, you just disable the connection, log off, and they are cut off until you log back on and re-enable it. If you go that route, you may want to keep the network connection icon on your desktop for easy access, though it is simple to get to in the Start menu.

Dexter...

bothered

Somebody on here gave me a link to a shareware prog. You can set it to turn off the PC at a certain time, turn off internet and loads of other stuff. Great little prog. It's at-
http://www.ayesoftware.com/product1.php?show=One

Straight_Man

There is another way:

XP regulates PROGRAMS by the loaction they are in. Traditionally, Internet Explorer is in the All Users subpart of the programs available. You can do what you want to do, and leave IE broken and unable to get online, by setting access perms for networking, as Dexter said, BUT in this case you can also skin this cat another way. Leave networking intact, and move the IE program icon in All Users to the admin subarea. Admin will be able to get online, program will be there, but no other users will be able to use IE. I would do this first, just remove the browser and let networking stay, and let Norton or your other AV stay in all users so all user sessions are AV protected and Norton can pick up defs.

In XP, perms are both program, by folder location, and by service perms. Networking, overall, is a service. Security things shold run on every session to protect the box. Lots of kids have older games or friends with copies of games on CD, and watching like a hawk will be seen as intrusive. With networking left intact, security can be maintained and kid can get email if you want but not surf unless you login and move the program back to All Users area. you can do this with any program,move the folder ID of the program to All Users or a kids user ID and link it with a shortcut to the Admin ID as Admin can do ANYTHING on XP locally. This lets the new user have an ID that is limited by pulling what you do NOT want used into admin or an ID with Admin perms, and letting users have access by user class to isolated programs, or you can pull out of All Users what you want to limit and copy shortcuts into the user ID program areas that you want to have them run and set the perms for the program in the Admin area that only admin can get to to a user class that All Users with icons\shortcuts can use but those without cannot use. The icons are more than just program links, they are ways of setting the program perms by where you put them.

thus, things you want to have only admin you can stick in Administrator and things you want ALL to use you can stick in All Users, and things you want to have only certain IDs use (say an ID with a different PW that has access to things you set up like program control but not core admin service control, where if the kid gets in he cannot wreak havoc with core services but CAN get program control if you show him how if he breaks the ID you may end up using in front of him and he memorizes the PW unless you kick him out of the view of the screen -- ideally out of the ROOM--while altering the system to let him or not let him do things) you stick in the user's areas as shortcuts and set perms to All Users by sticking program itself into All Users and perm it to a user class of Surfing for example. In class Surfing, pull user's perms to be part of that class by pulling his ID from the members list. Linux natively enforces this, Widnwos allows it but lets most things run under too braod a circumstance as it had to be SIMPLE from Microsoft's marketing perspective. You would do best with XP Pro for this purpose, not XP HOME. A fellow named William R. Stanek wrote a book Microsoft publishes, it is called the "Microsoft XP Professional Administrator's Pocket Consultant," ISBN 0-7356-1381-8, published by Microsoft Press. He started adminning when NT was just newer, and has written similar books for NT and 2000 Professional and 2000 Server. Computer educated parents WANT this book, it is a parent's ssytem control goldmine as XP Pro's perm security core is a large subset of the 2000 Pro security core. It DOEs speak techeze, but it it is clear and step by step as to prodecures, whihc are mostly outlined and explained in followup fuller explanations. The silly thing is cheaper than a Que book in the US, it is all of $29.99 stated retail.

I use Linux as it does this natively, locks user perms to what is not core services and to what is in the areas defined as permitted for that user only (typically programs in -- in my case-- /home/john/, which is like C:\Windows\Programs and Settings\john\ subtree in my XP install) instead of having to use the root (in widnows, think admin) ID all the time because some things you need are admin protected and you want full controlk all the time. Base control on need, use both services and program perms to control things. NAV gets stuck in all users so it always protects, or PC-Cillin, for that matter, but only users who should see it should be able to access th eprogram core. It starts, but cannot be altered ideally. Linux does this easier than Windows, though more strictly. I am NOT saying that you should shift to Linux now or even 6 months from now, but AM saying you can use USER vs PROGRAM perms, set as admin, but only with an ID only you and perhaps the WIFE know to be able to really control the computer. Reaction of kid will likely be, among other things, to pester you for his own computer, but then you might need to get more sophisticated. A BLEND will be needed then to get things still under some control-- you might pull the network connect to a router (firewalled) or use a Linux box as a router to control network\Internet access, but you can do this to adjust for the kids knowledge level later.

As you get better, make a Surfer area, stick IE in it, then you just change the class membership list to take kid in and out of the Surfer permed area. Admin can run this natively in XP, and others only when they have perms to the Surfer folder to execute.Thier shortcuts will only run a program if they have perms for it. Make XP a perm-based program controller to the extent it can be so, when you know how.

Some ideas, hope they help.

John.

Omega65

Thanks Everyone.

Good suggestions Ageek - I think I need a book like that.