15 August 2001

I have a home office and I find the kids are always changing my computer settings.

Clicking things and playing with settings is part of discovering how things work. For kids and adults this is one of the most effective ways of learning how to use computers. Unfortunately the results can also be very disruptive on a home computer.

If you can afford it, get a new computer for the kids. Having their own computer means they are then responisible for any problems that appear on it. Giving the kids the new computer will mean they will leave Mum or Dad's cranky old office computer alone.

If you can't afford a new computer then you can setup user profiles. In the Control Panel open the Passwords applet, then select the User Profiles tab. Select the "users can customise their own settings" option and tick everything below it. Depending upon the version of Windows you may also have to open the Users applet and add the names of the users you want on the system.

With profiles enabled everybody has their own settings and each person has to log on to use the computer. Make sure your password is difficult to for the kids to figure out: Do not use the cat's name. Profiles won't however save your files from being deleted.

If you can't afford to lose your data, and remember you are as likely to delete or damage files as the kids, make sure you have a backup system. A regular backup is essential for all offices. We recommend a tape or disk backup with an automatic scheduling function. We'll be covering the costs of backup units in a future small business helpdesk.