Windows Accounts (K2 #71)

Question of the Week 
My class VIII daughter wants to use my Windows 7 laptop to do research for a school project. How do I make sure she doesn’t mess with my own files and programs?
— DHI employee

Answer
Sharing a Windows computer with others is risky if everyone is using the same account. By sharing a single account, users can accidentally (or maliciously) delete, copy, add or change files, settings or programs. Not good, and unfortunately a popular practice! The solution is simple: create an account for each user. This will make sure each person’s work doesn’t interfere with another’s. To create a new account for your daughter, first click on the Start button, then open the Control Panel. Make sure items are viewed by Category. Now select Add or remove user accounts under User Accounts and Family Safety. You will see a list of all the existing accounts, as well as an option to Create a new account. Click that option, enter an account name (it can be your daughter’s name), select “Standard user” to make sure she cannot mess around too much with your computer, and finally click Create Account. A new account for her will be created. It’s also a good idea to protect her account with a password. Simply click on the account name, select Create a password, and then follow the instructions. In case you haven’t done so already, make sure to password-protect your own account as well. Don’t forget your password! From now on, when you start Windows, you will be asked to choose an account. Remember to log off before your daughter starts working on the computer.

A small tip: there’s a built in Guest account in Windows. This is convenient if a friend wants to temporarily use your computer. The Guest account is turned off by default. To turn it on, simply find the Guest account in the list of accounts, then select Turn On. From now on when someone wants to use your computer, let them log in using the Guest account.

Resist the Temptation

If you’ve been on Facebook recently, there’s a good chance you ran into the “Just 14 years Old drunk girl did this infront of all Public” [sic] post. Naturally, some users are tempted to click on the link, and if they keep following the instructions, malicious software will eventually be installed on their computer. Among other things, the malicious software might steal your private information, and it will also post identical messages using your Facebook account. That’s how this virus is spread. To avoid this trouble, don’t click on dubious links, and if you click by mistake, don’t follow instructions that ask you to install suspicious software or browser extensions.

Don't click me!

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