Help - Teenager, not Me, has Admin on Computer...

[Turk]

Hi Everyone,

Here’s the issue: We gave a 15 year old girl (my step-daughter) a computer for her birthday & the 12 year old uses it also.

We weren’t thinking when we first gave it to her – the 15 year old is the Administrator and we do not know the password. She is on the computer A LOT more & more… late afternoons, evenings & at night when we sleep and am really concerned she’s saying & doing things she shouldn’t. Her Mom doesn’t know computers at all and I do not want the teenager's rath on me.

- Can I get on it from a cold boot to make myself an Admin and her a User??

- Can I get Net Nanny or another program on it and have it effective without her knowing it??

- Something else I can do??

Thanks…

 

[wapacz]

what os are you running ?

 

[Turk]

Windows 7

 

[Trav]

This could get sticky real fast! I would talk to mom first about it and let her do the talking,getting the step daughter against you could pit you against her daughter.There is no way to win that one!

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Shes almost an adult. Treat her like one.

 

[xBa380]

I believe you can easily boot into safe mode, and easily remove the password on the admin account without any "permission". Do this, reboot as normal (should go right in) and then from there you could set your own password. But talk with your wife first, and let her do the talking for sure depending how close you and your step-daughter are.

Most likely she is going crazy with facebook and myspace and whatever else.

 

[Turk]

Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
Shes almost an adult. Treat her like one.


Ah-hum!!!

I found racey pictures on Facebook of her.... She's on other stuff too...

 

[wapacz]

There are ways to reset the admin password. The problem is that in doing so you lose what her password was. Her is a youtube link to a way to do it. There are more than a few of them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-z_lH0l44I


The second option is you could boot a live linux cd and then you can see anything on the hardrive. This option leaves no traces.

http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/get-ubuntu/download

Third option is a hardware keyloger. They go between the usb port and the keyboard. This would record what was typed in and thus you can get her password and what ever she is writing.

The somewhat of a 4th option is some routers let you block website and such. At certain times.

 

[Quest]

I believe it's a little too late now.

Would resort to talking to her mom to get her consent first before proceeding. You don't want both her and her mom to go against you,do you?

If the outcome is not within your expectations, you may consider wiping her computer (my standard protocol) and then re-install Win 7 again.

Yeah, I know that would be rather drastic measure (provided that you cannot recover her admin pwd).

Q.

 

[Turk]

Her Mom is ok with whatever I do.

Resetting the password may be ok, then just allow her to make a new one as a "User"?

Net Nanny doesn't stop social sites, right?

Can Charter Cable shut off internet connections every night at say, 8PM?

 

[addyguy]

Um, I'm sorry, but you're the parent here. Man up!

Take control of the situation...if the computer is being used for improper purposes, REMOVE IT!

For now she is a CHILD, and it's your house.

I am SO sick of parents that flutter around helplessly "oh dear, my child won't listen to me or do what I say..." Parent have got to learn they are the ones in charge!!!

 

[Mr Nice]

She is just being the typical teenager in America spending time on the internet staying in touch with her girl/guy friends. Its not like you found drugs in her room.

But you do need to see whats on her harddrive for pictures she is getting and sending out.

 

[Trav]

Quote:
Can Charter Cable shut off internet connections every night at say, 8PM?


Probably not but a most routers do.I have a linksys that has time settings and web site blocking that can be filtered by IP address,you will have give each machine an IP address manually.

 

[Smokescreen]

I am a firm believer that kids shouldn't have their own computer. The internet is a powerful tool. It can be had for good...much good, resources at your fingertips. There is a lot of mi-information and other vile deplorable things on the internet that can permanently mess them up. Kids aren't mature emotionally and mentally to handle/filter all the stuff on the internet, I don't know many adults that are either.

The only way to safely instruct kids is to instruct them. We can do this by having the computer out in the open in your house in a busy are where they can safely be instructed and monitored. Get net nanny, and block out sites that you don't want them visiting.

 

[Turk]

Oh, I've laid down the law with her a lot. I am the "Mediator" in the house, and it's not my house, btw.

This is a new marriage... she was given trust by her Mom and looks like it's broken.

 

[eljefino]

you can redirect/block sites like facebook in the router or the windows hosts file (if you're admin). there's a live CD out there that recovers/resets passwords in XP and NT, not sure about newer versions. The win 7 cd (not the dell etc OE restore) should have a "fix previous isntallation" mode on it that could bail you out.

Physical access to the router means she can hit the reset button.

A timer on the power cord to the cable modem shuts down the show.

 

[rick9009]

MY 2cets no computer should ever be in a children room. It should be in the hallway or other public room.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
Um, I'm sorry, but you're the parent here. Man up!

Take control of the situation...if the computer is being used for improper purposes, REMOVE IT!

For now she is a CHILD, and it's your house.

I am SO sick of parents that flutter around helplessly "oh dear, my child won't listen to me or do what I say..." Parent have got to learn they are the ones in charge!!!


Agreed but step children sometimes present a different situation.The step parent is sometimes viewed by kids as an outsider coming in to the family unit.
In these cases so called "manning up" can get you looking for a new place to hang your hat rapid quick.

Every case is different only those involved know the limitations or lack of in their relationship.

 

[bepperb]

It would be a lot easier to manage content (what you can get to via the internet) on a router than on the machine... and a lot less of a mess to deal with her.

 

[saberz]

I had my own computer when I was 14/15. I spent time on it, but i also spent time out with friends. My time spent on the PC was playing games, making websites, using and learning a wide array of programs(photoshop etc).

Now there is a big difference between 1995 and 2010. Todays kids are closet freaks for the most part. Facebook and Myspace, they are also more willing to expose themselves as they moral degradation occurs with each passing year.


Now you can change the password, there are various tools(a bootable CD that lets you over-write the admin password, remove it etc).

OR the better way.

Format the PC. Seriously, wipe it out while she is at school and reload it. Set admin rights and use Group Policy to enforce restrictions. You can either tell her straight up, or just say it was infected and removal of the virus wasn't possible and left the computer in an unusable state.

Secondly, use your routers QoS settings to control when to allow the machine online, for how long etc.