I've not described that very well but is there a piece of software (cheaper the better) that I can install on a USB stick, that won't allow the pc to get into windows without the stick being plugged in?

My PC at work keeps being accessed by 3rd parties at lunchtime and half-days etc- but the way its setup means they can access my desktop/email/files/internet with their login. I don't like it.

I just did a quick google search for 'USB login control' and it seems to be finding interesting software.

Thanks - my Google skills were weak.

Set the internal drive up as non-bootable, and then install the bootloader onto a flash stick. Without the flash stick, the PC won't boot. With the flash stick, it will boot, and the bootloader will then redirect things back to the hard disk. Simple, and probably good enough for this problem.

EDIT: or use the system/user passwords in the BIOS, assuming a very recent model machine here..

-ml

Thanks Mark, nice simple idea there!

Are you allowed to install this extra software on your PC though?

Nothing is locked down. Its totally open. Worryingly.

Or are you asking "am I allowed?". I don't care if I am or not - I don't like leaving my files and Internet connection free to whoever decides they want to download something dodgy.

I've mentioned it to line management but nothing happens so I figure I'll do it myself. Its a sad day when it comes to that, isn't it

Well, seeing as it's theoretically a "trusted environment" you could go for security through obscurity. Ever wanted to learn the dvorak keyboard layout? Perhaps a keyboard with no labels at all would be helpful. Or perhaps a KVM switch hidden behind the computer, without the monitor going through it. Press the key combination before you leave, and they can type all they want but it won't go through to your computer.

All of this is easily bypassed if the person cares enough, so it's really only good if there are other computers around they can use instead. Most solutions are going to work with windows' login process, so if you have limited rights on the computer it's going to be hard to find a solution that works for you. Are you sure you don't have the ability to modify the permissions on your own files?

Matthew

Could you explain the current situation better, please?

You claim that you have separate logins, but no security. That would imply that you need to prevent them from logging in. The obvious solution is to lock your screen when you leave rather than logging out, but that's so obvious that there must be a reason you can't do that.

You also say "allow the pc to get into windows", implying that maybe it's being turned off, as the only time the PC "gets into Windows" is when it boots. If that's the case, check your PC's BIOS to see if allows you to set a BIOS password. Many modern PCs do. If so, use that.

There are systems that allow you to connect and disconnect the hard drive with a key, but somehow I doubt reconfiguring hardware is within the realm of things that you're allowed to do.

You could look at a fingerprint reader. I'm sure that the software that comes with them will allow you to configure it so that a fingerprint is required for login.

He mentioned that people just switch it off and back on again, which would defeat locking the login. It seems that people log in using a centrally managed username/password, but see the files on the system's drive.

Phil, do you know who is using it, can you ask them to not use it? Or maybe put a piece of paper on it with a note asking people to find another computer?