PC help: Block Live CDs

Q I read the articles on using a Linux Live CD with concern. I have set up Windows to block unsuitable websites from my teenage children.

However, it seems that with a Live CD they can circumvent this security and surf the internet with no restrictions or record of where they have been.
Sam Brown

A It is true that Live CDs can be a problem in this respect. It should be possible to tell the computer not to use a Live CD when it starts and then protect the setting with a password. This is done by editing the Bios of the computer. This stores the basic settings of the computer and is independent of Windows or Linux.

Turn the computer on and look for a message telling you what button to press to enter setup. It will probably be F2, F10, F12 or Del. You need to look for the boot setup options.

The following instructions are for computers that use the Award Bios. This setup screen has a blue background with white text.

Press down once to highlight Advanced BIOS Features and press Enter. There is a list in this screen of the devices used to boot from.

Press Enter to display the menu for the First Boot Device and select HDD-0 (computers start counting from 0, not 1). For maximum security, you should set the two other Boot Devices to HDD-0. Otherwise an enterprising teenager could disconnect the hard disk to force the computer to boot from a CD. You would have to change this back in the event of a hard disk failure or if Windows fails to boot.

Press Esc, then move to Set Supervisor password and press Enter. Enter a password and press Enter. Type it again to confirm and press Enter. Do not lose this password as without it you will be unable to change the settings. Move down to Save and Exit and Press Enter twice to save the changes and exit. The computer will now restart and not look for a CD-Rom when booting.

If the Bios is a light blue or grey it is more likely to be an AmiBIOS Bios. Press right three times and then press Enter to see the Boot device priorities menu. Make sure the first boot device is selected and press Enter to display a menu of possible devices to boot from. Select HDD and press Enter.

It is a good idea to select disable for the second and third boot options to force the computer to boot only from the hard disk. Press Esc and then the down arrow twice to move to Security and press Enter. Press Enter again to change the Supervisor password. Press F10 to save the changes and reboot the computer.

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