yet another request for info

i have a "friend" who has trouble with her younger sister delibrately downloading things. they have a cable connection, so she cant just change the passwd. and she is currently using winme. am trying to get her to upgrade to win2k. anyway, is there a simple prog that can be used to lock ppl from downloading/accessing the internet without a passwd?she just needs someway to stop her sister from filling the hard drive, ina cheap, easy to use(she is not technical) and wont incovience other computer users.

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i have a "friend" who has trouble with her younger sister delibrately downloading things. they have a cable connection, so she cant just change the passwd. and she is currently using winme. am trying to get her to upgrade to win2k. anyway, is there a simple prog that can be used to lock ppl from downloading/accessing the internet without a passwd?she just needs someway to stop her sister from filling the hard drive, ina cheap, easy to use(she is not technical) and wont incovience other computer users.

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Disconnect the cable modem. Cheap, fast and easy.

Cheers

Jack

tell her to go to the ISPs web site and change her password and uncheck the "save password" option on the connection box. when shes away from the computer she can close the connection by right clicking on the icon in the task tray and selecting "disconnect". unless her daughter knows her password she cant connect.

Try loading an operating system that has some form of security...for starters. Or load a "free" firewall and set it to "block all" when your sis walks away from the computer.

www.agnitum.com - 'outpost' firewall, for free.

Yes but if their cable is anything like mine, there is no "connection" box. It's a diect LAN type of connection, nothing you have to dial up to or anything. I would do like what linuxguy said, just disconnect the modem and take it with you or something. That's easy enough, and it takes about a minute for your cable modem to sync and everything.

About the only other option you have is try hiding the application that is being used to download stuff. Is it stuff from the actual web (using IE or some sort of web browser) or is it more like using Kazaa? Plus how much does this "sister" know about computers? Easily fooled, or hardcore power user?

Maybe tell her how to restore windows to where you save it at some point then go back and you can download anything you want and just go back and restore it.

i think this link is what you need http://www.winbookcorp.com/_technote/WBTA10000108.htm

Hope that helps.

could you clerify what you mean by she cant change the password?

For a software solution you could have a look at Security Administrator.

http://www.softheap.com/secagent.html

Works on Win9* thru to XP according to the site.

Don't tell her what you are doing and disable the Ethernet interface. Nothing leaves the computer until it is re-enabled.....<s>

Don't tell her what you are doing and disable the Ethernet interface. Nothing leaves the computer until it is re-enabled.....<s>

TigerShark how do you disable a NIC on a winME box ??

X-Cept for removing the cable or the Card from the PCI slot... ???

TigerShark how do you disable a NIC on a winME box ??

X-Cept for removing the cable or the Card from the PCI slot... ???

Try (I know this works in NT/2k/XP):
route -p add default 127.0.0.1

This is a persistant route, so you will have to delete it by changing the add to a delete in order to get on the net...Think the route commands are the same in 95/98/ME, not 100% sure on this though...then you don't have to install any software at all; however, since it isn't NT/Win2k/XP, anything your friend does can be undone by the sister if she is 'smart enough' to figure out how to undo it...whether it be monkeying with default or any other means...

/nebulus

Try (I know this works in NT/2k/XP):
route -p add default 127.0.0.1

This is a persistant route, so you will have to delete it by changing the add to a delete in order to get on the net...Think the route commands are the same in 95/98/ME, not 100% sure on this though...then you don't have to install any software at all; however, since it isn't NT/Win2k/XP, anything your friend does can be undone by the sister if she is 'smart enough' to figure out how to undo it...whether it be monkeying with default or any other means...

/nebulus

Ok.... I made an assumption.....<s> I assumed that like almost all the other WinX systems that by right clicking network neighborhood - properties it would show you the interfaces. Right clicking on them gives you the opportunity to disable the interface. If that is incorrect try it in the hardware profiles.

Having said that - I touched WinME about twice in my life.... I skipped it and went straight to Win2K...

Sorry if I have misled.

Ok.... I made an assumption.....<s> I assumed that like almost all the other WinX systems that by right clicking network neighborhood - properties it would show you the interfaces. Right clicking on them gives you the opportunity to disable the interface. If that is incorrect try it in the hardware profiles.

Having said that - I touched WinME about twice in my life.... I skipped it and went straight to Win2K...

Sorry if I have misled.

I skipped it and went straight to Win2K..

a wise decision, im working on getting her a copy of win2k ASE.

I skipped it and went straight to Win2K..

a wise decision, im working on getting her a copy of win2k ASE.

It would seem that the best thing to do is what Linuxguy said and that is to unplug the cable modem or what Korpdeath said (which is what I do BTW) and that is lock up everything with a firewall. I use ZA and it seems to work pretty well, alas and alak i also use a dial-up,so the rules may be different.
I am also a little concerned that this "sister" is smarter than it appears.
At the risk of sounding like a dolt, but could you not p-word protect the screensaver to start right away and the only way to get going is using the p-word. Of course it only keeps the honest, honest b/c there are ways around that too.

It would seem that the best thing to do is what Linuxguy said and that is to unplug the cable modem or what Korpdeath said (which is what I do BTW) and that is lock up everything with a firewall. I use ZA and it seems to work pretty well, alas and alak i also use a dial-up,so the rules may be different.
I am also a little concerned that this "sister" is smarter than it appears.
At the risk of sounding like a dolt, but could you not p-word protect the screensaver to start right away and the only way to get going is using the p-word. Of course it only keeps the honest, honest b/c there are ways around that too.

i though about screen saver passwd...but all u have to do to get around it is reboot.
and i have the freebie zonealarm, and i dont see any passwd feature for it? did i miss it?
and i asked her, she said taking the modem is imposiible. and the sister isnt tech savy, but may have a freind who is. and from what i can tell, she just uses ie to download the yahoo installer a dozen times or something like that.

i though about screen saver passwd...but all u have to do to get around it is reboot.
and i have the freebie zonealarm, and i dont see any passwd feature for it? did i miss it?
and i asked her, she said taking the modem is imposiible. and the sister isnt tech savy, but may have a freind who is. and from what i can tell, she just uses ie to download the yahoo installer a dozen times or something like that.

Good point on both issues. I forgot to mention that you can p-word protect start-up or booting so that's the only to access the comp. How to actually do that, of course, i am not familiar with though I either read it here or elsewhere (of course). I sort of think it is playing with the BIOS or something. Of course that open a whole new can 'o worms.
Pertaining to ZA, I don't know what i was thinking therefore as you my signature, i am banging my head against the wall :-)

Good point on both issues. I forgot to mention that you can p-word protect start-up or booting so that's the only to access the comp. How to actually do that, of course, i am not familiar with though I either read it here or elsewhere (of course). I sort of think it is playing with the BIOS or something. Of course that open a whole new can 'o worms.
Pertaining to ZA, I don't know what i was thinking therefore as you my signature, i am banging my head against the wall :-)

LOL, yes im working under the assumption this is her computer...but the family uses it. its just the one sister that does this. so i am looking for something simple, effective....and cheap.

LOL, yes im working under the assumption this is her computer...but the family uses it. its just the one sister that does this. so i am looking for something simple, effective....and cheap.

So just install Zonealarm and right click the ZA icon in the systray and choose to block all. That means no info comes in and none goes out. That's as simple ans as effective as it gets. She does know how to right-click, right?

Even a monkey could accomlish this feat.. (no insult intended)

P.S. To whomever didn't have the balls to sign their A-points - I wasnt being technical, my solution was quite simple...install software and right-click. I'm sure that's tough for the likes of you, but.... what can I say? God has done all he can.

So just install Zonealarm and right click the ZA icon in the systray and choose to block all. That means no info comes in and none goes out. That's as simple ans as effective as it gets. She does know how to right-click, right?

Even a monkey could accomlish this feat.. (no insult intended)

P.S. To whomever didn't have the balls to sign their A-points - I wasnt being technical, my solution was quite simple...install software and right-click. I'm sure that's tough for the likes of you, but.... what can I say? God has done all he can.

thats what we are doing now, my fear is that her sister will see this new icon in the systray and click on it, and tell it to unblock. lol its just to user friendly. lol i need something u need a NITS degree in to figure out.

try having some sort of login window at the start, this way you can limit her acces to files on the hard drive ect you can all so set restriction on internet usage. in doing this you give her a sertin amount of room on the hard drive that only she can access and down load to.
as you play addmin you still have access to everything and can still uninstall it.

if all else failes try to get her baned from net usage. just a though quick relativly easy and cheep!!

Why don't you run winipcfg.exe and click "Release all" so your machine releases its DHCP lease. No IP, no surfy-surfy. When you want to get back online just click "Renew all" and you're back online. You can do this on the command line with the ipconfig /release and ipconfig /renew commands as well. :)