When you install Vista you also get the latest version of Microsoft’s Web browser. As you will see when you start poking around Internet Explorer 7, the browser has many security-related features and tools that are designed to secure your computer when connected to the Internet. One such tool, which is only available in the version of Internet Explorer that is included with Vista, is the Parental Controls.

Parental Controls is designed for parents to stop children from visiting inappropriate Web sites. However, it is also a feature that businesses can take advantage of to prevent against unacceptable Web usage.

Note: This feature is not available if the computer is connected to a domain.

You can configure Parental Controls from the Content tab within the Internet Options window. It is also accessible through the Vista Control Panel.

To start configuring Parental Controls, click the Parental Controls button on the Internet Option’s Content tab. The Parental Controls window will appear, listing all the user accounts configured on the computer. Select the Standard User account that you want to setup Parental Controls for.

Under Parental Controls, click the On, enforce current settings option. Once enabled, you will be able to control settings for the following areas:

• Web restrictions
• Time limits
• Games
• Programs

Web Restrictions
Parental Controls lets you restrict what Web sites a standard user account can visit. You can also block Web sites based on the content. This is useful for businesses that want to control the type of Web content employees can access from their workgroup computers.

Under Windows Settings, click the Vista Web Filter option to begin setting up Web restrictions.

The Web Restrictions window will permit you to configure the following settings:

• Allow or block Web sites or content
• Create an Allow list
• Set the Web restriction level
• Block file downloads

Select Edit the Allow and block list link to specify which specific sites users can and cannot visit. Type in the URL of the specific Web site and click either the Allow or the Block button. You also have the option of blocking access to all sites except those on the Allow list you create. For example, you can create a list of work related Web sites and block access to all other sites by selecting the Only Allow Web sites which are on the allow list option.

Time Limits
Parental Controls lets you set time limits to specify when a user is allowed to log on to the computer. For example, to ensure employees are not logging on to the computers after business hours, you can set a time limit from 8 AM to 6 PM. After 6 PM, users will automatically be logged off.

From the Time Restrictions window, click and drag the hours that you want to allow or block. Different logon hours can be set up for different days of the week.

In the next installment of this article, I’ll show you how to prevent users from playing games and limiting access to programs.

[tags]vista, parental control, web restriction, protection, child[/tags]