In the previous section you were shown how to create a, Standard, Windows User Account and then how to change its picture and add a password. In this section I will show you how to apply Parental Controls to that, Standard, Windows User Account and then how to change some of the parental control settings.

Parental Controls allows an Administrator Account to change the way a, Standard, Windows User Account uses the computer and its internet connection. An administrator account can set each hour of the week to be blocked or allowed, for example, so that when a hour is blocked the standard windows user account cannot use (log-on to) the computer within that hour. If you set up parental controls to block hours from 12am to 6pm and from 9pm to 12pm, Monday to Sunday, the standard windows user account will only be allowed to use (log-on to) the computer between 6pm and 9pm every day.

To set up Parental Controls the first thing you need to do is open the Control Panel with an Administrator account and then click on the PARENTAL CONTROLS link. This will open the Parental Controls window (Fig 1.1) so that you can apply Parental Controls to a standard windows user account.

Fig 1.0  Click on the PARENTAL CONTROLS Control Panel link to continue




Fig 1.1  Select the standard windows user account you want to apply Parental Controls to

When the Parental Controls window opens select the Standard windows user account you want to apply Parental Controls to. In this example there is only the John standard windows user account, therefore I clicked on John. After clicking on a Standard windows user account your are taken to the User Controls window (below) where you can switch Parental Controls OFF or ON amongst other things.

Fig 1.2  The User Controls window - Click on the ON, ENFORCE CURRENT SETTINGS radio (circle) button to switch Parental Controls on.

If you decide you no longer want to set up parental controls at this stage (i.e. you want to cancel/exit) either click on the red e(X)it button or click on the BACK (Blue Arrow) button. Otherwise click on the ON, ENFORCE CURRENT SETTINGS radio (circle) button, to Switch ON Parental Controls for this selected Standard windows user account, and then click on the OK button to apply the default parental control settings (Time Limits OFF, Games Ratings OFF and Programs Limits OFF).

If you click on the OK button without editing the other Parental Controls settings for this standard windows user account, the next time you use the Parental Controls control panel (as in Fig 1.1 above) simply click on this standard windows user account again to edit its settings again. The reason I mention this is because the wording on the Parental Controls control panel, CHOOSE A USER AND SET UP PARENTAL CONTROLS, could lead you to confusion because you might be thinking "I have already SET UP PARENTAL CONTROLS for this standard windows user account".

In other words, you might misinterpret the wording SET UP to mean Create From Scratch". It would of been better if Windows 7 set up Parental Controls for the first time and then stated "EDIT PARENTAL CONTROLS" for any additional editing. Anyway, as said. Once you have set up (created) for the first time Parental Controls for a particular standard windows user account, and then clicked on the OK button, the next time around you are editing that standard windows user account's Parental Controls settings - You will not be creating Parental Controls from scratch, in other words, for that standard windows user account.

If you want to edit the other parental controls settings now, instead of clicking on the OK button straight away, you can do so. Begin by editing the TIME LIMITS settings.

Clicking on the TIME LIMITS link (below) takes you to the Time Restrictions window (Fig 2.1) where you can then choose the Times/Hours when this standard windows user account can be logged-on to the computer. TIME LIMITS has nothing to do with the time/hours that this standard windows user account can go on the Internet; It is purely for account log-on. For example. In Fig 2.1 below I have restricted (set) the time that this standard user account can be logged-on, to Evenings and The Weekend only - The white Allowed squares. Monday to Friday, from 12am to 6pm, the standard user account cannot be logged-on - The blue Blocked squares.

Fig 2.0  Click on the TIME LIMITS link to take you to the Time Restrictions window




Fig 2.1  The Time Restrictions window - Place blue square on the hours you want blocking

In Fig 2.1 above I clicked on Monday 00 hour with the left mouse button, kept the left mouse button held down (pressed) while I then dragged (moved) the mouse pointer across and downwards until I reached Friday 17 hour. This highlighted, in blue, all the squares within that mouse-dragged range. When I was happy with the selection I let go of the left mouse button and then clicked on the OK button to return to the User Controls window.

If you want to select individual hours simply click on a square to either set (block) that hour or clear (unblock/allow) that hour. Each square Toggles (switches On/Off) in other words - Click to set (block), click again to clear (unblock/allow), click again to set (block) again and so on.

Fig 2.2  Click on a square to either set (block) its hour or clear (unblock/allow) its hour

The time restrictions you set (block), or clear (unblock/allow), will not take affect until this standard windows user account logs-on. If you set time restrictions when logged-on to this standard user account, using your Administrator account authorization, you will have to log-off this standard windows user account and then log it back on again for the time restrictions to take affect.

Assuming you have set up your TIME LIMITS (above) and then clicked on the OK button of the Time Restrictions window, so that you are on the User Controls window again, the next link to click on is the GAMES link. This will take you to the Game Controls window.

Fig 3.0  Click on the GAMES link to take you to the Games Controls window




Fig 3.1  The Games Controls window - Click on the SET GAMES RATINGS link to continue

The Games settings, by default, are set to allow the standard windows user account to play any type of games. If you want to block the standard windows user account from playing games altogether simply click on the NO radio (circle) button underneath the question Can User-Account-Name Play Games? (above). This will disable/fadeout all the other settings on this window. If, however, you want to filter what games are played by the standard windows user account begin by clicking on the SET GAMES RATINGS link (above). Doing so will take you to the Games Restrictions window.

Fig 3.2  The Games Restrictions window - Select a Games Rating that is suitable for this standard windows user account.

The settings on the Games Restrictions window (above) allow you to set the Age Rating for this standard windows user account, as well as block certain types of Game Content (Bad Language, Discrimination, Drugs, Fear, Sex and Violence). Starting from the top of this window, the ALLOW/BLOCK GAMES WITH NO RATING radio button settings mean you can either allow or block unrated games. A good commercial game is normally rated for its Violence game content for example. Allowing unrated games means you are knowingly allowing this standard windows user account to play games with bad Game Content in them.

The next setting is the AGE RATING setting, in the blue box. Read the description next to each age rating carefully before selecting one, by clicking on its radio button.

The last settings, BLOCK THESE TYPE OF CONTENT, allow you to block certain types of Game Content (Bad Language, Discrimination, Drugs, Fear, Sex and Violence) even if a game is classified to view that kind of game content based on its Age Rating. For example. Some parents might say that the BBFC 16+ rating is okay even if it allows some minor violence, whereas other parents might agree with the BBFC 16+ rating but want any minor violence blocked. To set any of these ratings simply put a tick next to each game content type you want blocked. By default the settings for games are to allow everything, based on BBFC R18+.

Fig 3.3  Click on the OK button when you have selected your settings

When you have finished with the settings on this window click on its OK button to return to the Games Controls window. From there, click on the BLOCK OR ALLOW SPECIFIC GAMES link to take you to the Game Overrides window (Fig 3.5 below).

Fig 3.4  Click on the BLOCK OR ALLOW SPECIFIC GAMES link to continue




Fig 3.5  The Games Restrictions window, showing the Allowed Ratings and the Blocked Ratings (Denied Descriptors)

In Fig 3.5 above the games that come with Windows 7 are listed as specific games, with each having a PEGI3+ rating. This means all of these games are Family Entertainment games basically. However, they can only be played due to the rating settings I have set up. Meaning. Even if they are Family Entertainment games I still might not want them to be played - I could of clicked on NO for the question Can John Play Games? on the Game Controls window. Even at this stage, I could still Block each specific game by clicking on its ALWAYS BLOCK radio button (above) or allow it by clicking on its ALWAYS ALLOW radio button. Hence the word Override.

When you have finished with the settings on this window click on its OK button to return to the Game Controls window (below). In turn, when you have finished with the settings on the Game Controls window click on its OK button to return to the User Controls window.

Fig 3.6  Click on the OK button when you have selected your settings

From the User Controls windows click on the ALLOW AND BLOCK SPECIFIC PROGRAMS link to take you to the Application Restrictions window (Fig 4.1 below) where you can then select Specific Programs to Allow or Block for this standard windows user account.

Fig 4.0  Click on the ALLOW AND BLOCK SPECIFIC PROGRAMS link to continue




Fig 4.1  Tick the specific files/programs you want to allow - Leave all other files/programs blocked (unticked)

On the Application Restrictions window there are only two settings. ACCOUNT-USER-NAME CAN USE ALL PROGRAMS and ACCOUNT-USER-NAME CAN ONLY USE THE PROGRAMS I ALLOW. In normal circumstances you would just leave the default setting ACCOUNT-USER-NAME CAN USE ALL PROGRAMS set, but sometimes you might want to restrict the standard user account to only use certain programs. To do this you first need to click on the ACCOUNT-USER-NAME CAN ONLY USE THE PROGRAMS I ALLOW radio button (setting). This will then create a list of all the programs this standard windows user account can use (Fig 4.1 above). When the list is created you then need to scroll through it, putting a tick next to each program you want this standard windows user account to use (Fig 4.1).

This may sound simple enough but the list is actually advanced. Meaning. It contains programs such as Driver Setup.exe files, Windows 7 operating system files, Unknown files/programs and Well-Known files/programs. And although each program and program group is given its own path name, such as D:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12 for the Microsoft Office Home And Student 2007 programs, there might still be program names or file names in the list that you do not recognize. For example. Above shows the Microsoft Office Home And Student 2007 program entries, some of which you might know and some you probably will not know. Deciding which entries (files/programs) to tick can be tricky. Therefore I recommend you do the reverse.

Instead of ticking the allowed files/programs only, tick them all (so they are all allowed) and then untick those files/programs you want blocked. So if you wanted Office EXCEL blocking you would untick anything in the list that mentions EXCEL. Be careful though as other non-microsoft, non-office, files/programs could be listed with EXCEL in their program name as well. Hence why I say the list is Advanced and should only be used by an experienced person. Otherwise you might block one program not realising you are blocking another program as well.

When you have finished with the settings on this window click on the OK button to return to the User Controls window. When you return this time take note of the Current Settings on the right-hand-side of the User Controls window. They will display what you have set for each of the main settings. When you are happy with everything that you have set click on the OK button to exit Parental Controls. Your settings will then be applied - Some of them only when this standard windows user account next logs on.

Fig 4.2  Click on the OK button to finish

If you create another standard windows user account and want it to have Parental Controls you must follow all the steps above. This is because each standard windows user account is individual. Meaning. You do not set up Parental Controls once - You must set it up for each standard windows user account. So you could have one standard windows user account with parental controls and another standard windows user account without parental controls.

Microsoft product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation.  As stated here by the Microsoft Corporation.