What is really disappointing is the lack of the same integration Parental control with Media Player 11, as well as with Internet Explorer 7.0. You can prohibit visiting certain sites and download them from using the Web-filter, but you can not use a similar filter for the movies, in order to prohibit the viewing of some DVD-movie, based on, for instance, the ratings of the American Motion Picture Association (MPAA).
All this, by and large, leads the conversation beyond the article: Parental control - not a nurse. No matter how fine-tune access rights, the child still has a chance to find a way to see or get what is prohibited. Protection of children - it's still taking care of parents, adults. Parental control is only a tool that helps is exercise, but do not do it for you.
See what the owners of certain accounts will review reports of activity. They contain information which programs run by users, which sites were blocked, and much more. They also indicate when to use the administrator password to bypass Parental controls, so that immediately becomes clear - the password was stolen.
Weaknesses Parental control Employing Parental control, there is no need to stand behind the child 24 hours a day. It also helps in preventing a senseless run someone programs, which is preferable to deal with administrators.
It works well. But not perfect. Strongly advise to parents and administrators: check. Verify that at first glance it seems obvious. After using a parental control system under administrative rights is best to check the prohibitions and restrictions under the standard account. It should try to run the program, which is banned, such as Instant Messenger, go to the site that is blocked.
We must do list of things that are not blocked, but what a standard user account should not have access, and then under the administrative account to make the necessary changes. It will take some time, but eventually will be able to configure parental controls in accordance with their preferences.
The weakest link in the chain of slender Parental control - this is the administrator password. It can be used for the lifting of all restrictions, taken with parental controls, so that if a user with standard user account will be able to assume that all the work on setting up access will come to nothing. And not only that this one-time fee, you can get a warning UAC (UAC), but that with the administrator account has all the chances and disable Parental Control, and, worse still, the User Account Control.
And. At first glance, there is no way to hack parental controls, but to assume that it is impossible to hack there is no reason. Although it would be problematic, as the suspension caused by UAC for certain actions, blocking further access to the system until a password has been entered or is not running dialogue UAC, so that the method of password guessing in this case is excluded. It is assumed that any protection can be cracked, hence, we can assume that at the moment and Parental Controls dismantled cog for research on the subject of burglary.
All this implies two important conclusions: the password must be reliable, but Windows is constantly updated.
A strong password - this is not the name of domestic dog or date of birth next of kin. This is a set of unrelated uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters. "123456789" or "Rover" is not a valid password, but "tJ7-Pl86bZh" - what you need. Of course, that the passwords of this type is very difficult to remember, but if you write it down on paper, which is then put around the computer with a standard user account does not even have to break.
Let's hope that, as breaking Vista, Microsoft will publish updates closing the gap, or, at least, forcing the hackers work harder to break. It should include a mechanism for automatic Windows Update periodically and make sure it is working.
In Windows XP, had to use an additional, often free, software for additional security, such as Net Nanny and Cyber Patrol. All they wanted, so it is easy to use and flexible configuration, and it happened in some form - Parental Controls in Windows Vista.
Most of the problems in the operation of a parental control system arise due to lack of health checks of your settings, as well as user error, though you can be sure - Parental Controls will be used and, at the same time, serve as a target for burglary.
Few upsets inability to use parental controls for certain other purposes, such as, say, blocking TV - broadcasts on a particular rating (subject to availability of TV tuner card in your computer), or DVD-movies. But, even though it is, parental controls sufficiently powerful tool for the needs of most users.