How to use Windows Live Family Safety Filter

If you are sharing computer with your family and children and you worry about keeping them safe online, you need a solution to customize your internet settings. On one hand you want the children to gain computer technology skills for this modern age, and on the other hand you don’t want them to be exposed to things they shouldn’t.

So you need to monitor the online activities of your children, especially when they use instant messenger programs like Windows Live. Keeping your security concerns in mind, Windows support offers Windows Live Family Safety Filter, a free utility, which helps parents like you to protect their children from the unfiltered content and block and unblock sites and users.

Windows Live Family Safety Filter allows you to give your children some Internet freedom while monitoring their web surfing and blocking them from certain websites. You can install it and customize it in a few easy steps -

Step 1: First download 'Windows Live Family Safety filter'. from the Windows Live website. Make sure that you do not download from third party websites.

Step 2: After installing Windows Live Family Safety filter, open it from 'Start->Windows Live->Windows Live Family Safety'.

Step 3: A dialog box will open up, now select 'Add or manage family members on this computer'. Add the children accounts, which need to be monitored by the filter and click 'Close' when you are finished.

Step 4: Now open Internet explorer and go to the Family Safety web site and select the child name that you want to set up and monitor and click the 'Edit settings' link.

Step 5: Now click on the 'Web Filtering' option from left column and select the 'Turn on web filtering' radio button. You can set up here level of filtering from permissive to restrictive using the moving slider to the desired level.

Step 6: You can also select the 'Web filtering lists' option (this is optional choice) and enable a filter list of specific web sites to which you want to restrict access.Finally click on the 'Save' button to retain the settings.

So next time when your child will use the internet, he or she will have access only to those websites that you set up permissions for. Now you will have the peace of mind that your children will not access the restricted websites and materials. You can also have your eyes set on their online activities and the internet usage.

Also find here what’s new in New Version of Microsoft Security Essentials - Makes more Improvements.