Locking Your Computer Manually
Windows 7 gives you three ways to lock your computer before heading off:
Select Start, Shut Down, Lock.
Press Windows Logo+L.
Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete and then click Lock This Computer.
Whichever method you use, you end up at the Windows logon screen, shown in Figure 2. Note that it says Locked under the username.
Locking Your Computer Automatically
The locking techniques from the previous section are easy enough to do, but the hard part is remembering
to do them. If you’re late for a meeting or a rendezvous, locking up
your machine is probably the last thing on your mind as you dash out
the door. The usual course
of events in these situations is that just as you arrive at your
destination, you remember that you forgot to lock your PC, and you then
spend the whole time fretting about your defenseless computer.
To
avoid the fretting (not to mention the possible intrusion), you can
configure your computer to lock automatically after a period of
inactivity. Earlier versions of Windows required a screen saver to do
this, but not Windows 7. Here’s how it’s done:
1. | Right-click the desktop and then click Personalize to open the Personalization windows.
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2. | Click Screen Saver.
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3. | If you want to have a screensaver kick in after your PC is inactive for a while, choose one from the Screen Saver list.
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4. | Use the Wait spin box to set the interval (in minutes) of idle time that Windows 7 waits before locking your PC.
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5. | Activate the On Resume, Display Logon Screen check box.
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6. | Click OK.
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Requiring Ctrl+Alt+Delete at Startup
Protecting your Windows 7 user account with a password ,
though an excellent idea, is not foolproof. Hackers are an endlessly
resourceful bunch, and some of the smarter ones figured out a way to
defeat the user account password system. The trick is that they install
a virus or Trojan horse program—usually via an infected email message
or malicious website—that loads itself when you start your computer.
This program then displays a fake
version of the Windows 7 Welcome screen. When you type your user name
and password into this dialog box, the program records it and your
system security is compromised.
To
thwart this clever ruse, Windows 7 enables you to configure your system
so that you must press Ctrl+Alt+Delete before you can log on. This key
combination ensures that the authentic Welcome screen appears.
To require that users must press Ctrl+Alt+Delete before they can log on, follow these steps:
1. | Press Windows Logo+R to display the Run dialog box.
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2. | Type control userpasswords2 and then click OK. The User Accounts dialog box appears.
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3. | Display the Advanced tab.
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4. | Activate the Require Users to Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete check box.
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5. | Click OK. |
