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View what users are doing on the server

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by borlowski

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My boss asked me to check on what a specific user has been doing while at work. Our Network Admin is out and not reachable. Can someone give me some help? I've tried to google it but only find that I can do it but not how. Thanks.

15 replies

by cmiller5400

Unless you have administrative privileges, you are SOL until the network admin is back.

What are you trying to monitor? This will help narrow down the very broad question you asked.

by borlowski

Hi, I do have rights but have never done this before. My boss wants me to check if a certain end user was actually playing games on company time.

by cmiller5400

Are they web based, downloaded or installed on the PC?

by jdclyde

it is the bosses job to know what his people are up to.

It is the lazy and incompetent that try to make up for their poor management skills with technology.

Other than looking in your firewall for current websites he is visiting, there isn't much you can do after the fact.

Is there specific behavior your boss is concerned about? Illegal or wasting time? If illegal activity is suspected, tread lightly because anything you touch can be destroying or tainting evidence.

As for wasting time, either the user gets his/her work done of they don't, and it is the managers JOB to know that.

by borlowski

The end user's boss asked my boss to check. He needs proof before he can put in a disciplinary action. I'm just trying to do what I was asked to do.

by robo_dev

Assuming that you can get physical access to the PC, and you have admin access:

a) look to see if any games are installed
b) check the browser history to see if game sites are there.

Once I saw where a user had accidentally posted screen-shots of the high scores to their online golf game to the shared server drive...duh.

Other clues might be if there is a USB steering wheel, joystick, or flight yoke installed at the user workstation :)

Some of those devices have 'force feedback' which shakes the controls. You might ask other co-workers if they have felt any unusual vibrations recently.

by technogeek-1995

At our to school, they have deleted the "Games" folder that is in start; all programs. These are all Windows Games (ie: Hearts, FreeCell, Pinball, Solitaire, etc). If you do it on that computer it should delete it from that computer ***what I think***. Don't know if this helps or not, but Good Luck!

by borlowski

Thats a good idea for us moving forward. I will recommend we do that.Thanks.

by borlowski

Hi, I don't know that and I don't believe the end user's boss does either. I am sure that makes a difference on how to see what has been happening. Still trying to google this and not finding anything. Appreciate your input.

by cmiller5400

How can you Google a solution to something if you don't know the problem?

Kind of like chopping the arm off for a ingrown toe nail.

If it is web based, and you have web monitoring software, it will be in the logs. If you don't have web monitoring software, you MAY be able to find it in the local PC's browsing history. If they didn't delete it.

In order to watch what happens on the PC's you would need to enable auditing or some sort of monitoring software before this incident occurred.

by borlowski

I'll take a look to see if we have any monitoring software. If we don't, do you have any recommendations? Thanks.

by cmiller5400

Make sure that you disable "windows file protection" or it will copy the files back...

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