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User Profiles: One for You & One for the Kids

© Cheryl Lewis

Windows has a wonderful tool that enables you to set up your computer for your use and your child's use seperately. You can establish your own settings and a password to protect them. You can also set up settings and a password (or not) for your child. Once the profiles are established whoever is using the computer signs on with their name and password (if they choose to have one) their individual preferences are instated. Windows keeps track of each user's preferences.

To start the process of setting up the profiles go to the Start menu. Choose Settings from the pop-up menu and then go to Control Panel in the next pop-up menu.

The Control Panel will open and you will look for Passwords and click on the icon. Once the Passwords screen opens you will need to click on the User Profiles tab. Once the User Profiles options appear click the circle for Users can customize their preferences and desktop settings. Windows switches to your personal setting when you log on. Look below that and you will see another box of selections too. Here you can choose to include desktop icons and Network Neighborhood contents in user settings. and/or Include Start menu and Program groups in settings. Once you have decided on the settings you want click OK at the bottom of the Passwords screen.

Next you will get a message that with title Systems Settings Change. The message will say You must restart your computer before the new settings will take effect. Do you want to restart your computer now? Just click on yes. This will automatically close down the computer and then restart it for you. Once it restarts you can simply log on by name.

Once you log on by name you can create a password to restrict access to the system. If you do not want to restrict access remember to leave the Password box empty. Now whatever preferences the user sets under their name will be remembered and that's how the system will be for them. You can use a password for one user and no password for another user.

It is very simple to switch Profiles too. Simply go to the Start menu and click Lof Off. Windows then prepares itself for the next user to sign on with their name and/or password.

The next article will discuss some of the different settings that you can set up for each Profile.

The copyright of the article User Profiles: One for You & One for the Kids in Teaching Computer Skills is owned by Cheryl Lewis. Permission to republish User Profiles: One for You & One for the Kids in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.