How to Lock the HISTORY?

There are many products on the market today for this, and some of them are free.

Take a look here:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=child+internet+controls&btnG=Google+Search

You'll have to spend a little time finding the one with the best features for you.

Perhaps, here at CR4, people with young children could give you their recomendations, ( my kids are all grown up ).

I've been thinking about doing this myself.
Have any of you used any of this software?

Any recommendations?

I know they will find a way to access this stuff elsewhere if I prevent them from it, but I prefer to know what they've been looking at so we can discuss it.

Browser history is kept in index.dat, is a system file and cannot be easily deleted.

You can read it using this : http://www.softwarepatch.com/software/indexdat-security.html

Worst case you can put a logger on the keyboard. They make both software and hardware versions. The hardware versions are undetectable by any system savy operator unless they decide to actually snoop around behind the computer. It doesn't record mouse motion or clicks but you do get what has been typed. The legality may be an issue but if you own the computer it is generally not an issue.

Seems like you don't trust your son much.

He, like every other male on the planet, is accesing porn, but it's something you'll have to deal with. To check up on him will just drive the two of you apart.

Ultimately, if he wants to access stuff you find objectionable, he'll find a way. You'd be better off showing him through your actions how a mature and tolerant adult human male behaves.

Post number 4 was from me (I'm using a new computer and wasn't logged in).

ffej,

Your advice here is totally off mark.

1.) The original poster does not give the age of the child. You would deal with an 8 or 9 year old far different than a 13 or 14 year old. A blanket trust of your child and relying on a high maturity level given all the influences outside the home is nieve. In this situation a passive parenting style could lead to disaster!

2.) There are numerous ways a parent can be monitoring AND talk with their child about it without driving a wedge. Simply relating "say no to drugs" as a good standard to "say no to pornography" and all the whys involved can be very effective.

3.) Every other male is NOT accessing porn on the internet. My 10 year old son is not and I couldn't even count how many I know who are not. I don't recall ever coming across a method of dealing with boys growing curiosity of the opposite sex by slapping a Playboy Magazine in their hand.

4.) If it was cocaine or PCP we were dealing with everyone would be calling for intervention and the truth here is that porn is VERY addictive and mentally destructive. The porn slave requires more and more and harder and harder. If you don't know this, you shouldn't speak to the subject.

Blind trust has nothing to do with keeping your children safe. That was a moronic bit of advice. Let me guess, you and your parents don't have a good relationship? Bad or failed relationships/marriage? Your opinion is idiotic at best.

I guessed correctly that you must be from some asian country, thus worried about what your child is doing.

Irrespective of your policing, your son will find the ways to see what he wants to see. Just forget and relax.

Also educate him for being mature male as suggested in other post by ff..

Him deleting the history already shows you something is up. Be careful as the web is no playground for the inexperienced - especially a child. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Educate him in the dangers of the net. Make him wiser and you will have more sleep at night. Hackers can easily gain access to your PC by luring him into downloading the wrong files.

You can't just let him do as he will. I have a friend who is in jail for printing pictures of underaged girls. If he had lived in a different state it would have been a misdemeanor instead of a felony. Know your local laws and make sure your son knows the consequences of what may seem like harmless fun.

Local laws?

Laws in Pakistan? Ha Ha .

I will be happy if it is there? This is not my perception, it is information from some friend of mine in Multan.

But because of its orthodox nature, thinking of porno also is a crime in Pakistan

Deleting history does not delete downloaded files that are sitting in your temp folder, these files have address where they come from. Go to "tools", "internet options", "browser history - settings", "view files". There you will find all files that have been accessed.

Good information. However, can't you go and clean out these folders too?

yes sure, however people usually delete history only, lack of knowledge on youngster side might give you temporary advantage in this "information warfare"

The key word there is "temporary". I still think people with young children will be best served with software made for this purpose. Not only will you be able to see where they've been, you can block sites, (and types of sites), altogether. The ability to also see who they are talking to, and what they are saying, is just good parenting.

And these files also can be deleted. If his son is (and he is, as he deletes the history) smart enough, he must be deleting history, temporary internet files and cookies.

But, if you see registry, (which is not adivisable, as it may harm your comp, if you do something wrong), opening of any file, leaves its footmarks in registry.

Hello Signode,

I had the same problem with my son. He was deleting the history files to keep me from from knowing what sites he was visiting. I warned him that I wouldn't tolerate this and that if he did it again he would loose his computer privilages. When he deleted the history files again I disabled his computer. He is allowed to use the family computer only with permission and only when we are present. (I remove the DSL modem whenever the computer isn't in use.)

He has learned that "As long as he lives under my roof, he lives under my rules." Problem solved.

BTW, after a couple of weeks he stopped complaining.

he must have found a different source

Usually you can create a log in your security software that will not be effected by any system history deletions.

Philosophically, (sorry, I know this is an Engineering Forum) porn, drugs, alcohol or even too much Warcraft are similar. As parents, we can't just ban our kids from doing destructive things. We need to talk to them about the dangers and ramifications of doing these things. When my son was old enough to start thinking about girls and sex, I talked to him. I asked him what would happen if he got a girl pregnant. After the initial giggling, we talked about his responsibilities. We talked about his long range goals (he wanted to go to University and get a good job). So I asked him how he thought having a child would impact on this. As we talked through it, he realized the high price he would pay for a momentary fit of pleasure. He's now grown up, but I know he was always careful.

The point is, talk with your kids, respect their perspective and guide, not force, their thinking along the lines you want. They have to buy into the plan, otherwise it won't work.

I think worrying about how to undelete or preserve history just escalates the problem. Respecting each other, talking things through and agreeing on how and what is acceptable will strengthen parent-child bonds and minimize these types of problems.

That's my penny's worth

Grae

I was very intersted in this topic, as I have the same problem. But since this tech question has turned philosophical, I will give my belief as well.

Irrespective of age, this is my home and my computer and I DO NOT want or tolerate such things. Not only is it sin, it is totally disrespectful of ALL females! To the point where women feel they MUST act this way in order to be attractive! Men themselves have caused this confusion in woman, making them believe this lie, to the true detriment of themselves, for we men will lose the true romance that makes a relationship.

AND YES!! Porn is addicting, all studies and statistics prove it!! and to "leave the chidren" to their own immaturity of this destructive behaviour...well, let's just give 'em all loaded handguns to play with as well. Whenever I find this behaviour, I simply discuss the TRUE ESSENCE of manhood with my son, for a real man would never degrade a woman in such a way as posting her naked body for the whole world to see, and no real man would want a woman who desires such publicity. These are not women who make decent wives or mothers.

As for the "trusting your children" issue?, checking up on them is not distrusting, it is being wise and knowing ALL the CRAP that has come against us as we grew up and doing our best to stay alert and defend them from what could destroy them and their future realtionships. We can't fight what we don't know about. -

NOW, back to the original question...I check the temp files, but, every now and again I find that all that is left is the cookies, meaning he is clicking the "delete browsing history" under the tools. I would like to know how to lock the temp files so they cannot be deleted.

Bravo! My husband could learn a few parental involvement tips from you, I'm sure. And I'm going to print your response (minus the last paragraph about how to halt the deletion of temporary files) to demonstrate to my teenage son that a real man appreciates and values the embodiment of a woman, not just a woman's body.