Protect Your Computer from Your Parents

You, like anyone, needs privacy, especially in your computer. But unfortunately, your computer is the one that is most attacked. How can you protect it from your parents, roommate, sibling(s), or anyone who lives with you? Continue on to find out how.

Steps

  1. Set up a password. This is key. You'll want a distinct password, I've been able to guess a lot of my friends' passwords, just to show them how easy it is. You'd be surprised how many people have their username as their password. So make the password a secret obsession you have, or something from your childhood or even a random object e.g.: 'CD case'.
  2. Make others in your household an account. Almost 75% of the time, people will stop going into your account if you make them their own. Be sure to give them limited access, unless you want them to be able to access your account.
  3. There is obviously still a chance that they'll get into your files and mess around. Here's what you do: go to your desktop. Right-click and make a compressed zipped folder. Name it Desktop Stuff or whatever you want. Put all of your desktop files except My Computer and Recycling Bin, into the file. Then go into the folder, and click file, add password. Add one, different from your username. It can be a simpler one, but not easy! if you are an advanced user, make an encrypted file container with FreeOTFE or truecrypt.
  4. Go to My Documents, make a compressed zipped folder, named my documents, same thing, again different password.
  5. If you don't want people to know your internet history, there are TWO things to do. One, set your History to 0 days to keep, by clicking Tools > Internet Options, in Internet Explorer. Also in Tools > Internet Options, clear your history every time after you use the Internet.
  6. You don't want friends to get into any of your online accounts, right? Click Tools > Internet Options, again and go to Content on the top of the box. Click AutoComplete, and then clear passwords, and clear forms, and then uncheck all the little boxes, so they don't save again.
  7. For extra security, download Mozilla Firefox if you don't already have it. Parents won't check it, and it's easy to clear everything but your favorites - Tools, Clear Private Data.
  8. You can use Google Chrome Incognito feature for private internet browsing. Using this feature allows you to surf internet in a way that no history is saved in the browser.
  9. For protection from password cracking programs such as Ophcrack, press the Windows key and R at the same time, type in syskey and press enter, choose update, select password startup, and type a password. This will encrypt your password with another password to make using software such as Ophcrack to crack the password much more difficult.

Tips

  • To further protect your data, create a free email account and keep it a secret from everyone, then when you need to hide a file just email it to that account.
  • Look into techniques such as encryption, alternative data streams and steganography to protect your data.
  • Use FreeOTFE or truecrypt for encryption.
  • Make passwords for all files. You might need a list. Make the list on your PC, and put it into a separate folder and make an extremely complicated password.
  • Get a copy of Firefox or Opera at LiberKey and place it on a flash drive. It's a lot easier, and it can't be found unless they get your flash drive. Plus, you can also use it at almost any computer you can get to, making it harder for it to be traced or found.
  • Install Linux and use it instead of Windows, almost all people you know will be lost if they try to sneak on your files (don't use a desktop manager, this will give them just a login prompt!)

Warnings

  • Your parents might get suspicious if you delete your whole history, so just delete the sites you don't want them to see.
  • Never put extremely personal info on your PC; friends can get into it if they have hacking skills.
  • This does not protect you against hackers.
  • Export or use of strong encryption may be restricted in some jurisdictions.

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