Internet help: I've got a kid who won't behave on it

[lazarus]

My daughter (age 12) has discovered the joys of chat and surfing.

Now, she limits her surfing to a few sites I'm relatively okay with. No message boards at all. She does tend to hit lyrics sites looking for lyrics to her songs to print out.

Popups happen, even though I've got a popup blocker. Apparently, it's an arms race in that field.

And I've blocked her chat programs (Yahoo and AIM) so that only people whose ID she puts in can contact her. That keeps the random cruising loon away.

I constantly check the History file and her chat/messaging stuff for bad contacts.

But things are still happening to my computer. Weird things. For instance, for three days straight the desktop icon for My Briefcase changed to something else. At one point, all my .mp3 icons changed from the standard WinAmp icon to a weird thing I've never seen before, what appears to be a stick of dynamite attached to a plunger. I managed to fix that, but I have no idea what caused it.

So, any advice on what could be causing this weirdness, and is there anything I can do short of sitting at the desk with her to increase protection? Keep in mind my budget is beyond tight right now.

[teach1st]

1. Prevent some stuff with...

You should remove the bad stuff with programs like spy-bot and ad-aware. But the best medicine prevents the stuff that kids attract. Spywareblaster is a good start at being preventitive.

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

[teach1st]

3. Don't foreget Spyware Guard...

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareguard.html

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

2. Use the "OFF" switch

Send her little self outside into the sun (school starts soon!)

Then update and run your antivirus program. Ad-Aware would be another good investment: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/

[lazarus]

12. She's not allowed on very much

And she only goes on in the evenings.

I've got the Ad-Aware/Spybot thing going already, though.

[LTR]

4. To protect against browser hijacks

Try this trick:

http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

This replaces your HOSTS file and bars many spyware/adware/pop-up and ad servers. Blocks known sites that try to change your browser and other settings.

You can also add IP addresses of other web pages you want to block.

If someone tries to access a site listed, the page will show up not found.

I also suggest downloading AdAware and Spybot. These two programs eliminate spyware. They are freeware for the basic version (which does more than an ample job). Keep them both updated. New threats always come up.

[carpetbagger]

5. Ask her.

She should know. Probably she installed some improved system or something, or changed the default.

I have that same icon on a program called "hijack this", which is a free program that shows on demand a list of exe-type files operative on the system, which is a good way of deleting stuff that gets through the spyware and adaware.

[lazarus]

13. Yeah

that icon is on "hijack this". It was so weird how it spread to all my mp3's, though.

[IdaBriggs]

6. Norton!

Totally get the latest and greatest $50+ version of Norton w/everything. I've tried Ad-Subtract (which I love) and Spy-Subtract (which caused me to delete something important on my husband's computer - doh!), and a couple of other programs recommended by other computer savvy people, and NORTON is the way to go. (I've got it on the new laptop I'm using, and its been fantastic.) It was worth every penny but that might be because my livelihood is dependent on my computer not getting "infected." Best, Ida

[Lizz612]

7. Ask her

point blank if she has downloaded or installed any programs on to the computer. My sister used my laptop once and downloaded Yahoo IM, and it added a bunch of stuff that I neither need nor use. The .mp3 icons might have changed if she installed a different .mp3 program.

[jpgray]

8. Tell her not to install something without asking you first

If the icons changed on your mp3s, she must have installed something that runs them and changed their 'open with' properties.

[necso]

9. If you are using XP,

set her up an account without administration privileges.

[Dogmudgeon]

10. Here we go with the "punish the spoiled brat" posts again

Seriously, though, your icons changed because something called the Icon Cache got corrupted. It's not from malicious code -- it's because Microsoft put a very low priority on it, so when there is a big fight for memory (like when an MP3 is running), it won't be kept in proper shape.

You're wise to keep her use "safe and sane", but the dangers are far over-rated. Talking to her about what she encounters is the best cure of anything ailing anybody about the Internet. Statistically, sending her to a religious school will expose her to more pedophiles than AIM will. (One-in-twenty vs. one-in-200.)

And just remember, in about three years, she's going to develop what will seem to be a raging psychotic mental illness pertaining to boys. If you're lucky, Justin Timberlake will still be hot and urging his fans to vote Democratic.

--bkl

[Nlighten1]

11. What OS are you using?

You can remove your daughter's account from the Administrator's group. She won't be able to install software then.

[lazarus]

14. I'm still on '98

until I get the money to buy some more discs and backup the rest of my system, then I'm going to XP. I'll set her up a non-admin account then.