If you’re planning on having guests, you can bet they will want (and expect) access to your computer. They'll be checking e-mail, surfing the Web, printing, and writing letters home. If you find yourself in this position, enable a Guest account. A Guest account is the perfect way to give visitors the computer and Internet access they need while still keeping the computer and your personal files safe and secure. The Guest account should be configured to show on the Welcome screen so that guests have easy access to it.
Once configured, the Guest account has the following properties:
• It provides access to the computer for anyone who does not specifically have an account on it.
• It is not configured with a password.
• Guests cannot install software or hardware.
• Guests have access to installed hardware and software.
• Guests cannot upgrade an account to Limited User or Administrator or join any group that has more privileges.
• Guests cannot change the picture or make permanent changes to the computer.
• Guests will have access to items in the Shared Documents, Shared Pictures, Shared Music, and Shared Videos folders.
Once you’ve decided you need a Guest account, it’s extremely easy to enable the default one. When your guests leave, though, you should disable the account immediately. An enabled Guest account is considered a liability and is not a good long-term security configuration.
To enable and configure the Guest account in Windows XP, follow these steps (Vista is similar):
1. Open Control Panel, and open User Accounts.
2. Click the Guest account icon.
3. On the User Accounts page labeled Do You Want To Turn On The Guest Account, click Turn On The Guest Account.
4. Back at the User Accounts Page, click Change The Way Users Log On Or Off.
5. Verify that Use The Welcome Screen is checked. Click Apply Options.
6. Make sure to log off each time you are finished with the computer. When a guest accesses the computer, they’ll go through the Welcome screen to log on.
Remember, guests cannot harm the computer by installing applications or hardware, and they will not have access to your private files.
