Silfey said:
Hello. When i set up XP I inkcuded a user account for my 9 year old son. I
set a password that only I would know so when he clicked his icon only i new
the password to log him on. Now he has figured out thsat if he goes to
control panel he can find the chnage passowrd and just rest it to something
he knows. how do I stop this from happening?
As you've found out, any user, even one with a limited account, can change its
own password. I'm guessing his account is a limited one. If not, it should be.
Back to your question. How you prevent a user from changing their password
depends on what version of Windows XP is installed on your computer.
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For Windows XP Home Edition, do the following.
First off, you need to reset your son's password to one you know. To do this, go
to Control Panel and open User Accounts. Click on the icon representing his user
account. Click on Change the password and follow the instructions on the next
screen.
Next, Go to Start and click on Run.
In the Open box, enter cmd.exe to open a command prompt window.
At the prompt, enter the following command substituting the correct info where
it says SONSACCOUNT
Net user SONSACCOUNT /passwordchg:no
Hit Enter. Log on to your son's account and see if you can use the Control Panel
applet to change the password. You should receive an error message as soon as
you hit the Change Password button. The same thing should happen if you attempt
to remove the password.
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For Windows XP Professional or Media Center Edition, do the following after
resetting his password in Control Panel -> User Accounts.
Right click on My Computer and select Manage on the menu.
Note: An alternative approach is to go to Start -> Run and enter lusrmgr.msc in
the Open box.
In the left hand pane of Computer Management, click on Local Users and Groups.
In the right hand pane, double click on the Users folder.
Right click on your son's user account and select Properties from the menu.
On the General page of your son's account properties sheet, check the box next
to User cannot change password.
Click OK and close Computer Management.
Log off your account and log on with your son's account to see what happens when
you try to change the password.
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Should you find yourself looking to control other aspects of your son's computer
usage, you might want to look into this free program from Microsoft.
Windows SteadyState
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/sharedaccess/default.mspx
Good luck
Nepatsfan
