Standard User Time Limits

[Sheeps]

I am trying to set up Parental Controls for my children, and am interested in
the Time Limits options. I have set these up easily enough, but I would like
to be able to set maximum use times for each day, not just the periods when
it is available for them.

For example, I would like to be able to stipulate that they can use the PC
for 1 hour each weekday, between 5pm and 9pm, and for 2 hours on weekends
between 10am and 9pm. As far as I can see, Parental Comtrols can only limit
the periods when they can log on, but not the duration of their use.

I have used third party software, like Enuff, in the past but my kids have
managed to get around these by interrupting the startup sequence. I was
hoping the Vista Parental Controls would be able to take care of it.

Thanks in advance if anyone can help!

Doug

 

[Sheeps]

Hi T,

Thanks for the reply. I can see what you're trying to do here (in fact I
tried using this myself), but unfortunately it doesn't do what I'm looking
for.

What I am trying to do is restrict their time to a maximum amount (say, 1
hour) over a period of time each day. For example, I may want them only to
have 1 hour each weekday, but I don't care when they use it between 5pm and
9pm. It may not even be in one session, so they may use 20 minutes from
6.00, and another 40 minutes at 7.30. (I hope this makes sense!).

As I said, I've tried your suggestion and it is just too hard to manage,
particularly with more than one child. I found that if I specified between 5
and 6pm, there was always something that stopped them using it at that exact
time, and I continually had to modify it.

I've used 3rd party software before to do exactly this, but they managed to
find a way around it. I was hoping there might me a Windows component, or
even a Microsoft add-on that would manage this type of thing.

Thanks again,
Doug

 

[jon]

Hello Doug,
Before you go looking for a 3rd party software to suit your parental
control requirements, allow me to present an alternative.
It's basically an incentive program for your children to abide by your
daily time limit restriction. Reward could be extra computer time.
Punishment could be forfeit of x amount of computer time.
The tool you use to judge is the daily logged on time report. Click the
screenshot link for better illustration. In this particular activity
report, total time logged on is recorded on daily basis. Of course, you
will have to give each child's own user account so that they can't blame
one another.
Hopefully, this might be one of the building blocks for you children to
abide by the laws, and conformity to the general accepted principles of
behaviour.

'ImageGrotto: Free Image and Screenshot Hosting'
(http://imagegrotto.com/view-activity_report13369.JPG)

 

[jon]

I was looking for the same thing as "Sheeps." I really could care less when
the kids get on the computer (I set it up so they can use it between 8am-9pm
S-Sat) I just want to limit them to 2 hours of computer usage. Out of
curiousity I logged on to my friends Mac to see if they had anything similar
to that in the new Lepard. They do have something similar to Vista except
they can set usage limits also. Having these usage limits would be a nice
edition to Vista, and probably not that difficult to accomplish on the
developers side (few lines of code).