Potential Issues and Troubleshooting with Parental Controls

This section outlines potential symptoms, causes and recommended troubleshooting for issues you may encounter with Parental Controls.

Symptoms

Symptoms for issues related to Parental Controls could include one or more of the following behaviors and error messages:

Cannot Access a Web Site

    You may be blocked from accessing a Web site. When this happens you will see the following message:

      Windows Parental Controls has blocked access to this Web page.
      www.sitename.com
      Web page is on the Windows Parental Controls block list.
      What you can try:
      If you want access to this Web site you will need permissions, Ask an administrator for permissions.
      If you get permission to access this site, click Refresh to view the page.
      You may have reached this page by mistake; make sure the address is spelled correctly or hit Back to try another link.

Content On a Web Site is Partially Blocked

    In this case, the page will come up but some of its content will be blocked. You will see an Information Bar that will prompt:
      Some content on the page has been blocked by Windows Parental Controls. Click here for options...

    By clicking on the bar, your options are as follows:

    • About Parental Controls
    • View Blocked Content
    • More information

    Clicking on "View Blocked Content" shows you a dialog on which you can input the administrator's credentials to launch Parental Controls and view what is being blocked. At that time you can decide if you want to keep blocking the content or allow access.

Cannot Launch a Windows or Online Game

    You may be blocked from starting a game. When this happens you will see the following message:

      C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Hearts\Hearts.exe
      Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item.

Cannot Launch a Program

    You may be blocked from starting one or more programs. When this happens you will see the following message:

      Parental Control has blocked this program.
      An administrator can allow this program by opening Parental Controls and changing the permissions.
      wordpad.exe
      Path: C:\Program Files\Windows NT\Accessories
      If you want access to this program, you will need permission.
      Ask an administrator for permission

Cannot Download a File while Browsing on an Allowed Web Site

    When you try to browse an allowed Web site, you may be blocked from downloading files. When this happens you will see the following message:

      Parental Controls has blocked this download.
      To find out why this download is blocked check your Parental Controls settings. If you need access to this download ask permission from the person who set up Parental Controls.

You are Logged Out and Cannot Log On Again

    When you try to log on you receive the following message:

      Your account has time restrictions that prevent you from logging on at this time. Please try again.

Cannot Access the Parental Control Settings

    Attempts to access these settings result in an error, or the settings are not shown.

Cannot View the Activity Report

    Attempts to view the report result in an error.

Causes

One or more of the following could be the cause of such symptoms:

  • Parental Controls is turned On and the settings exist for the logged on account.
  • You are not logged in using an Administrator account.
  • Parental Controls Service (WPCSvc) is turned Off or disabled.
  • You have a Registry Key set on your machine that disabled Parental Controls.
  • You might have Internet Connectivity Problems.
  • You might have another application causing the erratic behavior.
  • You might have another application that has Parental Controls.

Resolution

To resolve these issues, attempt one or more of the following steps:

  1. If you are logged on with a Standard User account, the behavior you are experiencing may be expected. Click the links provided to input credentials for an Administrator account and access the blocked content, game or program. Otherwise:

  2. Log on with an Administrator account and launch the Parental Controls console. Verify that it is turned on for the account that is exhibiting the problem.

  3. If so, verify the settings you have set for that account in regards to:

    • Web Restrictions
    • Time limits

      • If you are logged on when your allotted time ends, you will automatically be logged off. If you try to log back on, you will receive the error message described under the symptoms above.
      • The account will remain logged on and all the applications will remain running. When your allotted time comes up again, you will be able to log back on and resume your activities.

    • Games
    • Allow and block specific programs

  4. If you find that you have settings enabled for the account in question and believe they are not necessary or too strict, modify or remove them as needed and/or appropriate.

  5. Launch the services snap-in and verify the status of the Parental Controls Service (WPCSvc).

  6. Launch the Registry Editor, and then verify that following ParentalControlState key does not exist in any of the following locations:

    • HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\ParentalControls\
    • HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\ParentalControls\

  7. If you do not have Parental Controls enabled and/or it is on but not configured to block what you are trying to use, try one of the following:

  8. Check for Internet Connectivity and "Page Cannot be Displayed" issues. If you have these issues, follow the troubleshooting process to resolve the issue.

  9. If you can browse just fine, clean boot the computer or attempt to access your resource while logged in Safe mode with Networking.

  10. If you cannot view the Report Activity, make sure that you are logged on as an Administrator and you have Parental Controls configured to record the activity.

  11. Verify that you do not have an application installed that has Parental Controls on it. For instance, MSN 8 and 9 Software with Premium Services offer Parental Controls and could also cause one or more of described symptoms.

Note: This information provided by Microsoft.