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FAMILY SETTINGS 

Vista Family Settings 



 

Get Set: A Quick Guide to Using Windows Vista’s Family Settings

Windows Vista™ enables parents to tailor their children’s games experiences, helping avoid content they deem inappropriate. Parents can permit access to games by specific types of content, by ratings or even by specifying certain times of day that users have access to the computer with an easy-to-user scheduling tool (e.g. “no games after 9 pm”).

The Microsoft Games for Windows website at www.gamesforwindows.com/isyourfamilyset has an article including tips and tricks for determining if a game is appropriate. You can also use the Windows Game Advisor to help you make sense of all the games for Windows available. By simply entering an age range and the genre of games you’re interested in, the Game Advisor will provide you with a list of age-appropriate content, based on ESRB ratings. It will also provide you with direct links to game title web sites that offer opportunities to view game footage, or possibly, participate in a trial of the game so you can make informed decisions.

To access Windows Vista’s parental controls, please:
  • Click on the Windows Vista “Start” button at the lower left to open the “Start” menu.
  • Click on the “Instant Search” field to enter “par” to search for Parental Controls.
  • Click “Parental Controls” to open the settings.
  • Click “Create a new user account.”
  • Click the test field to enter a username.
  • Click “Create Account.”
At this point, parents will be given choices to control a variety of content and times including:


Web Content
By simply clicking on the box that indicates which material should be blocked, parents can help prevent their children from accessing a variety of web content, including pornography, mature content, and information about alcohol, tobacco, and gambling.


Computer Games
Parents can restrict the types of computer games played based on two criteria: its ESRB rating and by what content is in the game. By accessing “Game Controls” in the parental controls, parents can block games that are either too mature or have objectionable content, like the use of alcohol, tobacco, or violence.



Time Limits
Parents can also help prevent children from using the computer at specific times by simply accessing the “Time Limits” function. Using an easy-to-understand schedule, parents can set which time the computer can be used and for how long. Children receive a warning message that their session is about to expire, which allows them to save their work so no data is lost.

Finally, parents can also review activity reports to monitor what their children are seeing and doing, and to refine the use of parental controls. This is accomplished by viewing the “Activity Viewer” in the “User Controls” section of parental controls.


When considering a new game, be sure to look for the Games for Windows brand on the box. This means that the game delivers the highest quality gaming experience possible on a Windows Vista-based PC. Games featuring the Games for Windows branding take advantage of the new gaming features in Windows Vista, including full support of family settings.

You can be sure that your games will take advantage of new family settings in Windows Vista when it bears the Games for Windows brand.


We hope this information encourages you to fully utilize the family settings features included in Windows Vista™. If you need more information, please visit: www.gamesforwindows.com/isyourfamilyset.