Internet options Restrictions

[_matt]

Hello,

First thank you to everyone who has posted here to help people like me learn more.

So my question is how or is this possible to setup on a shared computer internet options that would only allow certain users to gain access to a list of specified web address. and then have the admin or 2 other user access to the full internet.

Im running into a problem with a few users downloading and searching the net which is causing problems. We run threw a VPN but and all but 1 site would be on the intranet adn the 1 site would be on the internet.

Well any help or pointing me in the direction thanks

[Martin Zugec]

Did you have a look at MS Shared Computers Toolkit? I am not sure if this is exactly what you are looking for...

[_matt]

Yeah that is sorta what Im looking for but I want to control the internet access. Like disable all access but a hand full of sites..

[H2Fooko]

Well, I am looking for the same functionality.

I have got XP Family at home.

I have created several sessions, one for each person composing our family.

And of course I've got some some kids clicking everywhere, and I would like:

- or diasable the internet access for some sessions,

- or authorizing only some adresses.

I know that there are some parents utility out there, I would prefer doing something by configuring windows.

Thanks for your advice.

[VISTABOBY]

HI. H2FOOKO

YOU CAN SET THE ACCOUNT in many different group.

open the <control panel> and find <users accounts> set the users in different group.

If you want set the internet content access limit. you can set at the internet options. click the content and set in the content advisor.

[cluberti]

Using the content advisor in the IE Tools > Options can set IE to only be able to view certain sites, and not able to view others. It's easily bypassed by someone who's good with Windows and the registry, but it's easy and free to setup.

Otherwise, you'd need a proxy server external to the box to do this in a more secure manner.

[H2Fooko]

Thanks to you Vistabody & Cluberty ,

The content advisor is very helpfull, but not 100% secure like you wrote, and I can't see it on XP home Edition. I guess that it scans the site's vocabulary and compare it to a list of forbidden words, but avaiable on XP pro.

Does it work for any languages: english, french (I am), Ukrainian & russian (my wife & kids) ?

When I tried to disable my internet access by removing the 'all users' startup folder icons dealing with my WiFi card or removing some lines in the registry, I could do it but for every sessions. I then changed the place of those icons from 'all users' to 'my' startup folders only it didn't work like expected: everybody was able to access Internet. Did I forget something ?

I then discovered that the MS Wifi icon in the startup tray was always here whatever I did. I guess that its not a startable process like the others (startup folder or registry key) but a king of service ?

If it is a service, what is its name ?

How can I stop it for some sessions but not for all ?

Well any idea would be welcomed

Edited November 23, 2005 by H2Fooko

[H2Fooko]

Hi,

Well I have found a quite interesting link giving several ideas to test.

There are about 5 pages of replies

I would like to share it:

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,12245639

I will be back to tell you which solution I've choosen.

[H2Fooko]

Hi everybody,

I have promised you, nearly a year ago to explain my solution

In order to prohibit Internet access under XP Home for certain sessions, the idea was to activate during startup the Internet connection and to disable it before extinguishing the computer or closing the session in progress for the users with high priviledges (administrator type under XP Home).

Indeed the other users with lower priviledges, cannot activate the Internet access (by right clicking on the icon of connection then by choosing "activate") if this one is disabled before starting up. This icon remains grayed.

To carry out these activations and disablings in an automatic way, it is necessary to be able to launch an executable during startup and another one before closing the session or switching off the computer, and this systematically.

The execution of a script during startup does not cause any problem, it is enough to place a short cut in the starting directory pointing towards the script to execute.

Nothing is foreseen on the other hand :

1/ To Execute a script before closing a session or switching off the computer under XP Home.

My first idea was to look for the use of the Group Policy editor. Unfortunately Windows XP Home does not give access to this editor (gpedit.msc). Only Windows XP pro makes it possible to do it.

Please see: Group Policy Editor explanations in English or Group Policy Editor explanations in French

One finds well on the Net the possibility of installing this additional functionality on computers carrying out Windows XP Home, but the group policy editor remains inoperative in spite of appearances. At least for the functionality which consists in executing a logoff script. The user interface of the editor works well but not the functionality modified by means of this interface.

I ended up discovering the work of a specialist (Mr. Alexander Frink) who wrote a freeware that I tested on my personal computer under XP Home service pack 2 allowing to execute a script at logoff of a session or before the extinction of the computer. Here are his explanations.

This freeware "gina_x86.dll" is substituted to a native Windows librairy '* dll' named "msgina.dll". By modifying keys in the register data base, it is possible to execute logoff scripts under XP Home edition.

Unfortunately it is necessary that the logoff script is located in a shared directory by all the users. It is a weak point on which I am thinking about.

In any case I have crypted my logoff script while waiting better.

Note that the logon script is protected because it is located in the starting directory of each user. This directory is distinct from one user to another and can be reached only by the user of the session in progress.

Once the possibility given to XP Home to execute logoff scripts, it is now necessary to find the way:

2/ To activate and disable the internet connection without any manual intervention of the user by means of a script.

Here also, I have taken advantage of exchanges of experts on a forum explaining a VB script doing what I was looking for.

This Visual Basic script can be run under Windows XP (Home or Pro).

It has to be duplicated in 2 files: one to enable the internet connection at startup, the other to disable it before login off or switching off your computer.

These scripts have to be francized for those who have a French version of Windows XP ("En&able" = "Activer"; "Disa&ble" = "Désactiver"; "Network and Dial-up Connections" = "Connexion au réseau local" etc...).

Hope this will help one of you