Start with the full message and the names selected at the top of the panel: the computer and the child. Changing another account’s limit does not change the time available to the child currently using Windows.
If the installer reports that limits are not running, or the panel cannot read the supervision state, seeing settings alone does not confirm protection. Until checked, the parent should monitor computer use themselves.
The panel will not open or its shortcut is missing
- Open the panel from the parent’s account. The local panel requires administrator permissions; refusing to start from a supervised child’s account is intentional.
- Search the Start menu for FamilyTimeGuard Parent Panel. A desktop shortcut may belong only to the account used for installation.
- If the panel was not installed on this computer, run the installer again and select Install the parent’s panel on this computer. On the child’s computer, keep supervision enabled too.
- If the panel used to work but files are now missing or Windows reports a startup error, keep the message and repair with the installer.
Check: the panel opens after you approve permissions and lets you choose the correct computer. For a lost parent account password, see help with Windows access.
The panel does not show the child
Check the message before running the installer again:
| What you see | What to check |
|---|---|
| Nothing to manage yet | This computer has no child data of its own. If it is the parent’s panel-only computer, choose Add computer… and add the child’s computer. |
| A message that no child data was found in the folder | Check the computer name. If it is correct, run the installer there and check the accounts selected for supervision. |
| A folder read error or sign-in error | Resolve the access problem described below. A read error does not mean an empty child list. |
Only an S-1-… identifier instead of a name |
The panel could not read the account name. Keep the message; do not guess which child’s settings these are. Check the installation on that computer. |
The installer does not create Windows accounts. If the child’s account is missing from its list too, check that it exists and is enabled. An administrator account cannot be selected for supervision. Prepare the computer explains account setup.
Check: the correct computer shows the child’s account under a recognisable name. Then check its supervision state too.
Cannot connect to the child’s computer
- Check that the child’s computer is on and awake, and that both computers are on the same home network.
- In Add computer…, enter only the computer name, for example
KOMPUTER-DZIECI. An empty Browse… list does not rule out connecting by name. - Check that Let this computer be managed from another one on this network was selected during installation on the child’s computer.
- In the Windows credentials dialog, enter the name and password of the parent’s account on the child’s computer that was selected for network access in the installer. For a local account, a name such as
Rodzicis enough.
| Message | Next check |
|---|---|
| The computer or network path was not found | Check the name, network connection and whether network access is enabled on the child’s computer. |
| Incorrect user name or password | Check the account shown in the message. It must exist on the child’s computer. Enter its password, not just the name of an account on the parent’s laptop. |
| Access denied | Check that this account was selected for network management in the installer. Administrator membership alone does not replace that selection. |
| That computer is not being asked again | After restoring the connection, select the child again to resume reading. |
If these checks do not resolve the problem, check the home network profile and file sharing in Windows. Microsoft describes local network sharing settings. Keep parent account authentication for FamilyTimeGuard: do not follow advice to turn off password-protected sharing, and do not manually share the data folder with everyone. If unsure, ask the person who set up the network to check it.
Check: the panel reads the child’s name and settings. When you save a change, you receive confirmation and can see the saved value after selecting the account again.
Settings are visible, but supervision is off or unknown
Not supervised means the program is not enforcing this account’s limits. If it should be supervised, choose Start supervision and confirm any prompt to save settings.
Supervision unknown means the account list could not be read. Check the connection and error text first. If the problem also occurs when the parent opens the panel on the child’s own computer, repair the installation.
Check: the account shows Supervised, and the short test in First setup ends the session as configured. The label describes the saved supervision state; it does not replace a test.
A new limit will not save or has not taken effect
- Check the selected account and computer. Choose Save below the tabs.
- Wait for Saved. The new settings will take effect within a minute. An asterisk by a tab means unsaved changes; an exclamation mark means an invalid value.
- If the panel reports that another panel or the installer changed the file, note the changes you intended to make. Select the child again, read the current settings and only then edit them. Do not overwrite the file outside the panel.
- For a network save error, check the connection and parent account. If saving fails on the child’s computer too, check the message, free space and any permissions warning.
Remember that Programs to close (…)… saves its own list when you choose OK. By contrast, OK in the correction dialog only confirms the edit — you must then save the correction with Save in the main window.
If the panel’s version differs from the program on the child’s computer, or the panel refuses to save an unknown setting, see Updates.
Check: selecting the account again shows the expected values. A minute after saving, check the behaviour in the child’s account too.
The child loses access early or gets more time
On the selected account, check these in order:
- Today’s limit: do you use the same allowance every day or separate weekday values? How much time has already been used?
- Allowed hours: remaining time ends with the current allowed period, even if some daily allowance is unused.
- Dated corrections: a positive value adds time; a negative value removes it. A correction can grant time even on a day with a 0-minute limit.
- Time zone: if it is missing or wrong, follow the time-zone instructions in First setup.
- The Windows account: is the child using a sibling’s account or another computer? Their limits are separate.
For example, with a 60-minute limit and allowed hours of 16:00–20:00, starting at 19:45 gives at most 15 minutes in that period. Raising the limit to 90 minutes does not move the 20:00 boundary.
Closing a game and locking the screen do not stop counting. Leaving the sign-in screen open after switching users can also keep using the child’s time. For a break, the child should save their work and sign out.
If the panel shows a usage record dated later than today, check the computer’s date and time zone. Do not delete the usage file to remove the message; keep it to help explain the problem.
Check: you can explain the displayed time left using today’s usage, correction and the end of allowed hours. If the numbers still do not agree, note them along with the date and time you checked.
Time has run out, but the child can still use the computer
Check At the limit. With End the programs, the child stays signed in and applications outside the list may keep running. To end use of the whole account, choose Sign the child out.
If you use the programs list, check the filenames in Task Manager’s Details tab on the child’s computer. The name on Processes may differ. First setup explains the list and its limitations.
If signing out is selected but the session stays open, check supervision, the last settings save and error messages. A countdown reaching zero alone does not confirm that the action works. Run a controlled test; if it again fails to end the session, keep that child’s audit.log and proceed to repair the installation.
Check: the Windows sign-in screen appears after the short test in First setup. Restore the intended limit afterwards.
The icon or spoken warnings are missing
- Check for FamilyTimeGuard among the hidden icons by the clock in the child’s account. Do not look for it in the parent’s session.
- Check volume, mute and the selected audio output. If other programs are silent too, start with Windows sound settings.
- If the icon is visible, right-click it and check Language and Voice.
- Save work, sign the child out and sign in again. If the icon does not return, check supervision in the panel and repair with the installer.
Warnings are scheduled at 10, 5 and 1 minute remaining. A short three-minute test will not play the ten- and five-minute warnings. A session left running while the child is away can end without them hearing a warning.
Check: in the child’s account, time decreases, a warning plays during the test and the selected final action takes place. Missing sound alone does not prove that the limit is off.
The panel’s time is not changing or cannot be read
The panel and icon read state saved by the supervising program. The number does not have to change every second. A visible countdown alone does not confirm that the child’s computer is still saving current data.
- Make sure the child’s computer is awake, the connection works and the child is actually using the supervised account within allowed hours.
- Leave the child in that account for more than a minute, then check usage again. If the panel has stopped retrying reads, select the child again.
- Read the full message. Today: no usage recorded yet may mean the account is being used for the first time today; a message saying usage cannot be read means an error, not zero usage.
For a write error, check free space on the child’s computer, using Microsoft’s guide to Windows storage settings if needed. Do not delete FamilyTimeGuard files to free space. For a permissions warning, repair with the installer; if the message names a parent account or group, also make the access change it recommends.
An error reading earlier usage may give the child extra time. Do not clear the file or edit its entries manually. Keep the message and log to help identify the cause.
Check: during a controlled test, usage increases, time left decreases and the limit is enforced. A message about an earlier read or write error may remain in the panel for several days; check the event time instead of deleting the log to hide the warning.
What to prepare if the problem remains
Note:
- the full message, including the error code;
- the panel version and any message about a different version on the child’s computer;
- the computer and account names, and whether you are working locally or over the network;
- the date and time of the problem;
- the configured limit, today’s usage, correction and allowed hours if the issue concerns time;
- what you did, what you expected and what actually happened.
If a log is needed, read the path to the selected child’s limits.ini in the panel. audit.log is in the same folder. service.log in the shared %ProgramData%\FamilyTimeGuard folder helps with problems starting supervision. Privacy and data lists the files and their contents.
Keep a copy of the relevant log before repair. If you give it to someone helping you, check its account names and paths. Do not share passwords or the drive recovery key. FamilyTimeGuard does not send this report automatically.