WatchDog 4.0

CNET editors' review

Reviewed by: CNET Staff

This program gives you a decent degree of control over how your computer is used, and how it monitors various activities. WatchDog's bland but straightforward interface makes it easy to set permissions for users and to assign users to specific groups. The program can shut down a PC after a specified period of time and lets you allow or block access for any hour or day of the week. However, we didn't find a list for adding URLs we wanted the program to block. The utility can stop other users from changing the computer's settings and running programs and offers a number of additional security options. For example, you can protect access to WatchDog with a password and use it to disable the Task Manager. For more security, you also can hide drives, as well as the Control Panel and Start menu items. The application also monitors user activities by taking screenshots and recording keystrokes, sites visited, and programs launched. The built-in server lets you read logs and change settings from a remote location. In our analysis, the program provides enough control both for parents and for very small businesses.

Publisher's description

From CQL :

WatchDog is a security program designed for parents, libraries, kiosks, and other multi-user environments. This program allows you to monitor and restrict use of your computer in several ways. When a user logs on to the computer, the internal timer in WatchDog starts counting down the user's available time. When the user runs out of time, WatchDog can either shut down Windows, restart Windows, restart the computer, or display the WatchDog login form. You can also track which applications have been used and what Web sites have been visited. This highly configurable program offers many options.

Version 2.0 featured many new enhancements, including application time monitoring, a new interface, an easier options interface, policies based on the user, and improved security and stablity. Version 3.0.5 added new networking code, application restrictions, keyboard logging, and Windows Login integration. Version 4.0 has numerous new features, an import/export feature, a completely redesigned interface, and improved networking.

Note: This is a 30-day trial version. The cost to register is $25.

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