Windows ME securing files with a password

[Birdman]

Using windows me. I've put my name in as a new user and on startup the
computer correctly asks me for my password. And when the password is
entered, the computer correctly finishes booting up.

The problem is, if I click on cancel when prompted for the password, the
computer boots up with, I assume, me as a guest, and I still have full access
to the computer.

And this leaves me wondering what's the purpose of setting a username and
password.

What I'd like to do is set a global password. When the computer boots up it
would say something like "What's the password?" If the password is not given
the computer is not accessable.

Or another idea is if the username and password is not given then certain
parts of the computer are not accessable.

Or in other words, how do the wife and I keep our 15 year old daughter (and
her friends) out of our personal files without unplugging the computer and
putting it in a 100 plus pound safe?

Help! Help!

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE/WM]

"Birdman" <Birdman@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:8D792AB2-0645-4E16-B1EB-95356DBA1D62@microsoft.com...
> Using windows me. I've put my name in as a new user and on startup the
> computer correctly asks me for my password. And when the password is
> entered, the computer correctly finishes booting up.
>
> The problem is, if I click on cancel when prompted for the password, the
> computer boots up with, I assume, me as a guest, and I still have full
> access
> to the computer.
>
> And this leaves me wondering what's the purpose of setting a username and
> password.
>
> What I'd like to do is set a global password. When the computer boots up
> it
> would say something like "What's the password?" If the password is not
> given
> the computer is not accessable.
>
> Or another idea is if the username and password is not given then certain
> parts of the computer are not accessable.
>
> Or in other words, how do the wife and I keep our 15 year old daughter
> (and
> her friends) out of our personal files without unplugging the computer and
> putting it in a 100 plus pound safe?
>
> Help! Help!
>
>

Not much in Windows ME. I means a lot more in later editions of Windows
with NTFS formatted hard drives.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE/WM
Do not send mail.

 

[Joan Archer]

As you have found WinME was never made to be as secure as later versions
of Windows and I think the only way to achieve what you want would be to
set a BIOS password if your machine is capable of it, that way it would
need the password before the OS started to load but you would have to be
careful not to lose it or you could find yourself locked out of your
machine.

If you need help with WinME problems why not visit
microsoft.public.windowsme.general where you will get all the help you
need from experts with that OS.
Joan

Birdman wrote:
> Using windows me. I've put my name in as a new user and on startup
> the computer correctly asks me for my password. And when the
> password is entered, the computer correctly finishes booting up.
>
> The problem is, if I click on cancel when prompted for the password,
> the computer boots up with, I assume, me as a guest, and I still have
> full access to the computer.
>
> And this leaves me wondering what's the purpose of setting a username
> and password.
>
> What I'd like to do is set a global password. When the computer
> boots up it would say something like "What's the password?" If the
> password is not given the computer is not accessable.
>
> Or another idea is if the username and password is not given then
> certain parts of the computer are not accessable.
>
> Or in other words, how do the wife and I keep our 15 year old
> daughter (and her friends) out of our personal files without
> unplugging the computer and putting it in a 100 plus pound safe?
>
> Help! Help!

 

[Roger Abell [MVP]]

The truth is that Windows ME (and Win9x) have no security model
built into them whatsoever. You are wanting to do things that those
DOS based operating systems were not designed to support. For
example, as you noticed, the "password" is actually just like sugar
frosting put on a cake to make the junk inside seem good. It is not
really protecting anything at all.
Probably the best you can do if you are going to stay at WinMe is
to get something that gives you the ability to encrypt the files over
which you have concern.

Roger

"Birdman" <Birdman@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:8D792AB2-0645-4E16-B1EB-95356DBA1D62@microsoft.com...
> Using windows me. I've put my name in as a new user and on startup the
> computer correctly asks me for my password. And when the password is
> entered, the computer correctly finishes booting up.
>
> The problem is, if I click on cancel when prompted for the password, the
> computer boots up with, I assume, me as a guest, and I still have full
> access
> to the computer.
>
> And this leaves me wondering what's the purpose of setting a username and
> password.
>
> What I'd like to do is set a global password. When the computer boots up
> it
> would say something like "What's the password?" If the password is not
> given
> the computer is not accessable.
>
> Or another idea is if the username and password is not given then certain
> parts of the computer are not accessable.
>
> Or in other words, how do the wife and I keep our 15 year old daughter
> (and
> her friends) out of our personal files without unplugging the computer and
> putting it in a 100 plus pound safe?
>
> Help! Help!
>
>