Contents
Before Installing TooMuchPC
Windows Usernames and Passwords
A basic feature of Windows 95/98/Me is the ability to logon to Windows with a specific username and password. Each individual user of the computer can then customize the appearance of the Desktop, the Documents menu, Favorites folder, etc., according to their personal preferences.
If you have never logged on to Windows by entering a username and password into a dialog similar to one of those shown below, and you wish to keep it that way, then this is not the program for you. TooMuchPC requires everyone to logon with their own individual username when Windows starts up.
Setting Up Windows Usernames
If you are not currently logging on to Windows with a specific username and password, then you need to create a username for yourself and for each person who will be using your computer. You can create usernames for everyone else either before or after installing TooMuchPC. Before you can install TooMuchPC you must at least have a username set up for yourself, and you must be logged on with that username.
If your computer is running Windows 95:
You can create create a new username by clicking Start->Shutdown, then selecting "Close all programs and log on as a different user" as shown below. Windows will then prompt you to enter a username and password with a dialog similar to one of those shown above.
If your computer is running Windows 98 or Me:
On some systems you can create new usernames by going to Start->Settings->Control Panel->Users. On other systems you can create a new username by clicking Start->Log Off. Windows will then prompt you to enter a username and password with a dialog similar to one of those shown above.
You may want to refer to the Windows documentation or Help system for your particular computer, regarding how to create usernames and profiles.
Windows Username Passwords
Each individual user can change their own Windows logon password at any time. This is done by going to Start->Settings->Control Panel->Passwords.
Windows Logon Dialogs
Before installing TooMuchPC, go to Start->Settings->Control Panel->Network->Configuration and look at the setting for "Primary Network Logon". If it is set to "Client for Microsoft Networks" or something similar, change it to "Windows Logon". (Do this even if you have several computers networked together). You will be asked to reboot. The reason for making this change is that it sets the initial logon dialog to the one for logging on to Windows, instead of the one for logging on to a network. The Windows logon dialog will not let you proceed without entering a valid username/password combination. This prevents a problem with the network logon dialog - it will let your kids enter your username, then cancel out without entering a valid password, then logon to Windows with their own username/password combination. Somehow, this fools Windows into thinking that you are logged on instead of your kid.
Windows XP / 2000 / NT 4.0
TooMuchPC is fully compatible with Windows XP, Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0. However, with any of these
operating systems, there are additional considerations and actions you need to take before using TooMuchPC.
Windows Administrator vs Limited User Accounts
Your own Windows user account must be an Administrator account. The users that you want to control with TooMuchPC
must have Limited or Restricted user accounts. Every user account including your own should be password protected.
In addition to any user accounts you create, there is always a special Windows user account named "Administrator";
you should be careful to give this account a password. In Windows XP, "Administrator" is only visible if there are no
other user accounts in existence, or if you boot up in Safe Mode. To enter Safe Mode, press F8 while booting up,
then choose "Safe Mode" from the menu that appears.
NTFS File System
With Windows XP, 2000, or NT 4.0, unless you restrict access to certain system programs, it will be fairly easy for a knowledgable user to bypass TooMuchPC. And in order to restrict access to anything, you must be using the NTFS file system. With these operating systems there are 3 possible file systems: FAT, FAT32 and NTFS. New PCs shipped with any of these operating systems already loaded will almost certainly be equipped with NTFS. For those who upgrade from Windows 95, 98 or ME, you are given the choice of converting to NTFS during the upgrade. But even after upgrading, if you don't have NTFS you can still convert to it.
The only situation where you really can't use NTFS is when your machine is dual-boot and must be capable of running Windows 95, 98 or ME in addition to XP, 2000, or NT. For everyone else, it's a good idea to convert to NTFS. To convert, open a DOS Prompt window and run the Convert program. For more information refer to your Windows documentation or look up Convert or NTFS in the Windows Help system. A typical example of running Convert would look like this:
C:>convert c: /fs:ntfs
How To Tell If You Have NTFS
Go to My Computer and right-click on a disk drive such as C: and choose Properties. The file system in effect
for that drive will be shown.
Restricting Access to Certain System Programs
With Windows XP, you have to boot up in Safe Mode (press F8 during bootup, and choose Safe Mode from
the popup menu). Search your PC for "TaskMgr.exe". Then follow the procedure above as for
Windows 2000. Repeat the process to restrict access to "MsConfig.exe".
Windows XP Fast User Switching
TooMuchPC works fine with Windows XP's feature called Fast User Switching. The only thing you need to be aware of is that after you change TooMuchPC's user settings, the new settings won't take effect until you log off. In general, when you want to change TooMuchPC's user settings, you should be the only user logged on to the machine, and you should log off after making the change.
How TooMuchPC Works
Administrators and Ordinary Users
TooMuchPC divides Windows usernames into two categories: ordinary users, and Administrators. You, as the person who is installing the program, are the initial Administrator. Administrators tell TooMuchPC what time limits to impose on the computer use of ordinary users. TooMuchPC imposes limits only on ordinary users; Administrators are not limited in any way.
TooMuchPC keeps a list of the Windows usernames that you have told it are ordinary users, and another list of those usernames you have told it are Administrators. You can add or remove usernames from these lists at any time. However, you (as the initial Administrator) cannot be removed from the list.
After TooMuchPC is installed, you can add ordinary users and more Administrators (e.g. your spouse) to these lists through the popup menu.
Administrator Password
All of TooMuchPC’s settings are accessed through a popup menu. This menu is accessible only to Administrators; that is, it can only be accessed when an Administrator is logged on. When an ordinary user is logged on, the popup menu can’t be seen.
All of the items in the popup menu are protected by what is called the Administrator or TooMuchPC password. You have to enter this password in order to change any of TooMuchPC’s settings. The purpose of the Administrator password is to prevent anyone else from making changes to TooMuchPC’s settings in situations where, for example, you are logged on but are then called away from the computer for a while. You don’t want any ordinary users to come along and be able to make changes to the settings.
Note that the Administrator password is the same for all TooMuchPC Administrators. It is NOT the same thing as your Windows logon password. You should NOT use your Windows logon password as the TooMuchPC Administrator password.
During program installation, the Administrator password is the only piece of information you are prompted to enter. After installation, you can change the Administrator password at any time through the popup menu.
How To Reset The Administrator Password
If at some point you forget the TooMuchPC Administrator password, and don’t have it written down somewhere, you won’t be able to access any of the items in the popup menu, and won’t be able to make any changes to the settings. If this happens, you can reset the Administrator password by simply re-installing TooMuchPC. The only piece of information that the installer prompts you for is this password. If TooMuchPC is re-installed on top of an existing installation, all of your current settings are kept intact, including registration info if you have registered your copy of TooMuchPC.
Note that in order to re-install TooMuchPC on top of an existing installation, you must be logged on with the same username as when you originally installed it. TooMuchPC will only let the initial Administrator re-install it. This restriction prevents anyone else from re-installing it and thereby changing the Administrator password without your knowledge.
Entering User Settings With The Popup Menu
Each time you log on to Windows after TooMuchPC is installed, a blue square icon appears in the System Tray area of the Taskbar (usually located in the lower right corner of the screen):
Click on the blue square to popup TooMuchPC’s menu:
When you select any item from this menu (except for "About TooMuchPC…") you will be prompted to enter the Administrator password:
User Options
Select Add Users… from the popup menu to add usernames to TooMuchPC’s list of ordinary users. The dialog below appears, where you enter a Windows username and set the limits for that username’s computer use. After clicking Ok, you will be asked if you want to add more users to the list.
If Must ask for permission before using the computer is checked, then the following dialog will appear whenever this user logs on to Windows:
By limiting the length of individual computer sessions you can force your users to share the computer. The default session length is one hour. This works in conjuction with the Re-logon Limit. When a user’s time on the computer is up, that user must wait for the amount of time shown in the Relogon Limit box before they will be allowed to log on again. This prevents users from having a full session, then immediately logging back on for another session, thus hogging the computer.
If Enforce bedtime limit is checked, then this user will not be allowed to log on after the bedtime. If the user is logged on when the bedtime is reached, then they will be forced to log off at that time, unless you allow additional time as described below.
Allowing Additional Time
When any time limit is reached for a user, whether it is the session limit, the total daily time limit, or the bedtime limit, a dialog similar to the one shown below appears, which prevents the user from continuing to use the computer. If you want to allow the user more time on the computer, enter the amount of additional time you are allowing, enter the TooMuchPC Administrator password, and click Ok. If you don’t want to allow the user any additional time, they must click on Save My Work And Log Off. A countdown timer appears, giving the user 5 minutes to save their work and log off or shutdown, before the system reboots:
Revoking A User’s Computer Privilege
A great disciplinary tool is to simply remove a child’s username from TooMuchPC’s list of authorized users. This effectively revokes their computer privilege; they won’t be able to use the computer when you’re not looking. To do this, click on the blue square TooMuchPC icon in the System Tray, and select Remove Users… from the popup menu. The following dialog appears:
To restore the user’s computer privilege later, just select Add Users… from the popup menu and add them back.
Another option is to select Edit User Settings… from the popup menu, then set the Must ask for permission before using the computer checkbox.
We have found that after having revoked a child’s computer privilege once or twice, the mere threat of doing so becomes a very effective disciplinary tool.
Unauthorized Users
When anyone tries to logon to Windows with a username that is not in TooMuchPC’s list of authorized users, the following dialog appears:
Time Remaining Display
When an ordinary user is logged on, the blue square TooMuchPC icon in the System Tray gradually changes from blue to red, as the user’s time expires. This lets users see at a glance approximately how much time is left. For example, if a user’s session is half over, it would look like this:
Users can see exactly how much time is left by moving the mouse pointer over the icon and holding it there for a second or two. The time remaining pops up like this:
Changing The System Clock
When TooMuchPC is installed, changes made to the system clock (e.g. by double-clicking on the time display in the System Tray, then changing the time) will take effect only if an Administrator is logged on. If an ordinary user tries to change the system clock, the change will not take effect. This prevents users from getting around the time limits by setting the clock back.
Installing TooMuchPC
Before installing TooMuchPC, you must be logged on to Windows with your own username, as described above. If you are not logged in to Windows with a specific username, the installer will detect this and abort.
Double-click on TooMuchPC.exe to run the installer. The installer presents a series of informational screens explaining the basics of how TooMuchPC works, much as this document does. You can move forwards and backwards among the installer screens by clicking the Next and Back buttons. You can exit the installer from any screen by clicking the Exit button.
The only piece of information that the installer prompts you to enter is the TooMuchPC Administrator password. The installer makes no changes to your system at all, until you click the button labelled "Finish Installation" on the final installer screen.
Uninstalling TooMuchPC
Click on the blue square icon in the System Tray to invoke the popup menu. Then select Uninstall…
30-Day Trial Period
After the 30-day trial period is up, TooMuchPC goes into a dormant state; it does not enforce any limits. If you don’t want it anymore, just uninstall it. To unlock it and restore full functionality, you must register your copy. To do this, go to www.BlairSoft.com and click on the Purchase link.
Shortly after purchasing TooMuchPC you will receive an email containing your registration information. To enter this information and unlock the program, click on the blue square icon in the System Tray and select About TooMuchPC… from the popup menu. Click the Enter Registration button and enter the information exactly as it appears in the purchase confirmation email.