Software that prompts for acct password at set intervals?

T

TheGamerZ

Supreme [H]ardness
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Sep 18, 2003
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A client of mine is having trouble with their kids on the computer. They have one account, where only the parents have the password to, and the children have to ask to get on the computer. But they're still having issues with them staying on for hours at a time when the parents aren't around.

I was wondering if any of you know of any software that would maybe lock the computer and prompt for the account password every set interval of time (say like 20 minutes)? Google yields nothing, but then again, I don't really know what to search for.
 
The OP is asking to lock the computer from usage for a given amount of time at specific periods, not just block Internet/network access. Big difference there, fellas.

Group Policy would handle it nicely, just takes some setting up.
 
Wouldnt it be easier just to configure the screen saver setting to goto welcome/login screen whenever resuming from the screensaver? Disable the guest account and have each account locked with passwords?

Group policy is only relevant to server/client environment, im more than he is using a standalone desktop.

If they cant understand that, then they need to run their damn house!!! And stop letting the kids run it.
 
Charlie Hustle said:
Wouldnt it be easier just to configure the screen saver setting to goto welcome/login screen whenever resuming from the screensaver? Disable the guest account and have each account locked with passwords?

Group policy is only relevant to server/client environment, im more than he is using a standalone desktop.

If they cant understand that, then they need to run their damn house!!! And stop letting the kids run it.
Click to expand...

Any setting available to group policy is available anytime no matter the network model. Group Policy, in the form that you're referring to, just applies configurations to the machine when the workstation/user logs into the domain. Run GPEDIT.MSC from the start menu and it should look pretty familiar.

It sounds to me like the OP is asking to have the screen locked every so often (lets say every 20 minutes), so the kids have to come get their parents to unlock it. I don't think the screen saver would be applicable, as we would have to assume the screen saver would never kick on as they would be using the machine.

As a cheap solution, I'd do this:
1. Configure two accounts - one for the kids and one for the Administrators/adults.
2. Set the policy for the kids to restrict access to the screen saver settings. Then require a password on the screen saver.
3. Create a VBScript that locks the computer by enabling the screen saver.
4. Configure a scheduled task to run every 20 minutes. This scheduled task runs the VBscript that runs the screen saver.

You're effectively starting the screensaver every 20 minutes. The problem I see is that it's not going to run for 20 minutes after the last run, it's going to be every 20 minutes. You might be able to play with the logic to get something working. And you might have more control with vista, I haven't used the scheduled tasks in it yet.
 
Charlie Hustle said:
Wouldnt it be easier just to configure the screen saver setting to goto welcome/login screen whenever resuming from the screensaver? Disable the guest account and have each account locked with passwords?

Group policy is only relevant to server/client environment, im more than he is using a standalone desktop.

If they cant understand that, then they need to run their damn house!!! And stop letting the kids run it.
Click to expand...


But with a screensaver if the kids are on it all the time it will never time out and go to the screensaver.
 
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