How to Permit Limited Access to PC?

[Alickadoo]

I have members of my extended family coming to visit. How can I control what they have access to on my PC - assuming that I allow them access?

[Road2Ruin]

Set up a guest account.

[Baldchap]

The answer depends entirely on precisely what you're trying to restrict access to (including where it is stored and how the permissions are configured), and why. This assumes nothing daft like MAC or IP whitelisting going on somewhere that you interact with.

Not being rude, but I would say if you have to ask the question, the absolute best approach is to tell them to bring their own devices. This has headache written all over it.

[Alickadoo]

No problem. I simply wanted to be able to offer access to my PC without giving them access to my emails, etc.

[Baldchap]

If you trust them and there's nothing confidential or incriminating on your PC then a guest account as suggested above is more than adequate.

Or even just log out of your mail and social media on the PC if that's all you are worried about.

[Nicetobenice]

Alickadoo said:

No problem. I simply wanted to be able to offer access to my PC without giving them access to my emails, etc.

What would you like them to be able to do?

[Alickadoo]

Nicetobenice said:

Alickadoo said:

No problem. I simply wanted to be able to offer access to my PC without giving them access to my emails, etc.

What would you like them to be able to do?

I probably haven't thought this through.

I felt that it would be nice to offer access to my PC for ---- whatever! But without them being able to see the tripe that I post on PH, or look at my emails.

If it is too complicated, then I either - I don't give them access to my PC, or, I just take a chance that they will have the good manners not to go rummaging where they shouldn't.

[mmm-five]

Alickadoo said:

I probably haven't thought this through.

I felt that it would be nice to offer access to my PC for ---- whatever! But without them being able to see the tripe that I post on PH, or look at my emails.

If it is too complicated, then I either - I don't give them access to my PC, or, I just take a chance that they will have the good manners not to go rummaging where they shouldn't.

As others have said, just set up a new (non-admin) user account in Windows and let them log into that. Should keep your own data relatively safe (they won't have access to your passwords, bookmarks, files, etc.) unless they go browsing through shared folders or using exploits to access other users' folders.

You can then simply wipe that account when they leave.

[Nicetobenice]

Alickadoo said:

I probably haven't thought this through.

I felt that it would be nice to offer access to my PC for ---- whatever! But without them being able to see the tripe that I post on PH, or look at my emails.

If it is too complicated, then I either - I don't give them access to my PC, or, I just take a chance that they will have the good manners not to go rummaging where they shouldn't.

It's pretty easy to set up a guest account so they can access the Internet

Starts getting a bit more complex for anything else, especially if there is the remotest possibility of them having a rummage

Easiest of all is to give them the WiFi password and then they can crack on with their own device

[Alickadoo]

mmm-five said:

As others have said, just set up a new (non-admin) user account in Windows and let them log into that.

Well, I did that

Settings
Accounts
Other Users
Add Account
etc., etc.

And nothing happened. I expected there to be a little icon on the start screen labelled Visitor, but nothing happened!

[Nicetobenice]

Alickadoo said:

Well, I did that

Settings
Accounts
Other Users
Add Account
etc., etc.

And nothing happened. I expected there to be a little icon on the start screen labelled Visitor, but nothing happened!

Do a proper shut down and restart
If it's not there then I'd give up and tell them your PC is knackered