How to prevent guest access to a PC?

I'm building a new system for a customer who wants to prevent guests from using her PC when she's not around.

I'd thought of DeepFreeze, but this implies that there will be users who are likely to make changes, and she doesn't want the guests to have ANY access to the PC.

I'd thought that electrical stores might sell a key-operated power socket that I could permanently wire the PC into, but such gadgets don't seem to be readily available in New Zealand.

Suggestions would much appreciated.

Cheers

 

Disable the Guest Account.

Control Panel, User Accounts.

Make sure she and other legitimate users have strong passwords.
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/...all/proddocs/en-us/windows_password_tips.mspx

Although long passwords I believe are just as effective:
wouldarosebyanyothernamesmellassweet
or something similar.

Although, Bill Gates noted one time that when it comes to securing physical access to a workstation the only really reliable method to gaurd against a determined hacker is a large and angry dog.

 

Could you use a case, like the Antec Sonata II, that has a lockable front door that covers the power on button.

Gordon

 

Thanks for your comments, guys.

Bill, passwords aren't a great deal of use in XP. If user passwords aren't set, any admin can remove any other admin account.

If a user password IS set, anyone can go in via safe mode as Administrator (as long as the Administrator password is known) and delete the relevant password.

If an Administrator password IS in place but unknown, Winternals ERD Commander (and several other progs) can delete it, enabling safe mode access, and then removal of all other passwords.

Gordon, your suggestion has merit if one were to use a case of that type, and I'll take that on board. However, for various reasons, I use a Foxconn 3GTLA-397 for my builds, and it suits my needs 99.9% of the time. But it doesn't have a lockable start button.

Arie, your suggestion also has merit, but a computer-savvy meddler with a few clues will know that opening the case (unless it's padlockable) and resetting the CMOS via several popular methods will bypass the BIOS password. Plus, there's the additional nuisance for the user of having to enter the BIOS password.

Nope, it seems like my idea of a key-lockable power socket (with the PC permanently wired at both ends) might be the most practicable (as long as I can find this item of electrical hardware)

Thanks everyone for your contributions..

 

You can get USB dongle-based logon security.
No dongle, no access.

 

A dongle - that's an interesting idea. How does it work?

 

Well, actually, this particular situation is unusual. Without going into details, this person has frequent, youthful guests on short stays who are unknown to her before they arrive, and who she may never see again, and while it's necessary that she offers them a certain amount of trust, she would prefer that they have no access whatsoever to her computer.

Given the extent of schooling in computer use that most young people are given these days, I don't think it's at all unlikely that someone, most likely male, would view a BIOS password as a challenge.