Chances are you're not the only person using your computer; it's likely that you'll be sharing your PC to some degree with your spouse and kids. Fortunately, you can configure Windows so that different people using your computer sign on with their own custom settings and access to their own personal files. You should assign each user in your household his own password-protected user account. Anyone trying to access another user's account and files without the password will then be denied access. There are three different types of user accounts you can establish on your computer computer administrator, limited, and guest. You'll want to set yourself up as the computer administrator because only this account can make systemwide changes to your PC, install software, and access all the files on the system. Set up other household members with limited accounts; they'll be able to use the computer and access their own files but won't be able to install software or mess up the main settings. Any guests to your household, then, can sign on via the guest account. tip
Only the computer administrator can add a new user to your system. To set up a new account on your machine, be sure that you're logged on via an administrator account and then follow these steps:
Windows XP now creates the new account and randomly assigns a picture that will appear next to the username. You or the user can change this picture at any time by returning to the User Accounts utility, selecting the account, and then selecting the Change My Picture option. By default, no password is assigned to the new account. If you want to assign a password, return to the User Accounts utility, select the account, and then select the Create a Password option. caution
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