Help me keep my Mums PC running Virii free!
 

Hi all,
My mum and dad have a PC, which to be honest is the worst thing that could have happened as they now require my help 24/7 :D

Anyway, i have myself on their machine as an Admin and them as limited users to prevent them running things they shouldnt (worse than kids you know). However, Norton and MSN Messenger etc do periodic updates, which wont install under a limited user account - but that means that every time i go over there i have to go and log in as me and update all their stuff etc.

So - i wanted to know if there was any way i can, as an admin, give rights to the limited users to allow specific programs to run updates etc.

Any ideas?

Re: Help me keep my Mums PC running Virii free!
 

Does norton have a manual update link that you can create a shortcut to and give it "Run as" rights to?

Re: Help me keep my Mums PC running Virii free!
 

I think you can set live update as a scheduled task in control panel and run it as your admin account. IIRC :)

Re: Help me keep my Mums PC running Virii free!
 

What about Messenger etc though - its not really just norton.

Re: Help me keep my Mums PC running Virii free!
 

Messenger doesn't really update on a regular basis, that aside unless you are running windows pro you are going to have problems assigning rights to the accounts.

Re: Help me keep my Mums PC running Virii free!
 

Group policy editor?

http://www.theeldergeek.com/group_policy_editor.htm

Re: Help me keep my Mums PC running Virii free!
 

If this is not too personal a question, how old are your mum and dad? :)

Re: Help me keep my Mums PC running Virii free!
 

Like I said, unless they are running xp pro ;)

Re: Help me keep my Mums PC running Virii free!
 

Can't you update via remote access?

Re: Help me keep my Mums PC running Virii free!
 

Yes they are running XP Pro - so thats an option - is the group policy thing difficult to use for somebody who knows his windows but hasnt used that tool?

Remote access still has me logging into their machine all the time as well.

Incog - they are both about 55.

Re: Help me keep my Mums PC running Virii free!
 

It's not hard to use but it can be tricky finding the bits you want to setup sometimes.
You may find that someone on the forum knows the bits that you need to adjust though ;)

Re: Help me keep my Mums PC running Virii free!
 

Can I refer you to my age over under my avatar.I am more than capable of running my own PC and learning how to use it.I'm also capable of updating my own AV.Why not just give them the benefit of the doubt and explain a few things so they don't need you to help them all the time.The more you force them to learn the better for them and you.

In fact today I've just installed a brand new 250 GB external hard drive just by reading the installation manual. ;) I don't think I'm any kind of exception either as homealone is also 52 and there are many on here who are older than us.You can also send them here when they have a problem. ;)

Sorry to take this off topic and pray continue. :tu:

Re: Help me keep my Mums PC running Virii free!
 

No probs Incog, i have tried and tried and tried with them, as has my brother and this has been going on for some time.

They can use the PC reasonably well, but not to the level i would trust them with Admin rights, and to be honest i dont think they would trust themselves. I still get asked if doing this or that will "harm the computer" - sometimes you just cant win. :shrug:

Despite them having the PC for - well - about 2 years now, i had to go round the other day and plug back in the ADSL modem for them as they didnt know how to do it and to show my dad how to get piccys off his digital camera (again).

Some older (note i said older and not old :D) people have difficulty with this sort of thing and to be honest they are both some of them. It is intersting to watch them work the PC though - what comes naturally to us its seen in a different light to them, and Bill Gates should maybe sit people like my mum and dad down and learn how they use a PC and even interpret what its telling them to perhaps get a better understanding of how an interface should work.

They are getting it though - just a bit at a time.

Re: Help me keep my Mums PC running Virii free!
 

Also my age, i mastered it. :D

Re: Help me keep my Mums PC running Virii free!
 

This reminds me of an old saying:

"Give a man a fish and he has food for the day, teach that man how to fish and he has food for a lifetime."

Sometimes you need to let people make mistakes, that's how the human brain is designed to learn - we learn from experience.

Showing someone how to do something correctly isn't always as effective as explaining to them what they did wrong and showing them how to fix it :)