There are so many people in the world who don’t have access to computers. Whether it’s because they don’t have access to one, or simply because they never learned how to use one, there are still many people who don’t have computers in their lives. If you want to limit this group of people to only those that you choose – without having them figure out how to get around it – a great way is by booting your PC offline. Elaborating on what we mean, let’s say that you want others to only be able to check email and leave messages for you if you give them your password. Or maybe you just don’t want anyone else accessing your files and programs on your computer, but only yourself. Anyhow, the point is that with this method, no one will be able to access your computer from anywhere else but from your home network.
How To Boot People Offline On Your PC
Start Windows in Safe Mode
You’ll first need to boot the victim’s PC in Safe Mode. This mode is much simpler and more basic than the regular Windows mode, which is what all your victims will see and use. So, boot the computer in Safe Mode by following these steps: – Turn off the PC and wait for two seconds – Press the power button and the Windows key at the same time until you see the lock screen. – From the lock screen, press the Power button and then the Windows key again – You’ll enter the BIOS or the boot menu. Under most computers, you’ll see a menu similar to the one below. Select the option that says Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking, and then press the Enter key.
Make your victim login to Windows
When you first boot the victim’s computer in Safe Mode, you’ll see a very basic version of Windows called the Start menu. This menu won’t have any desktop icons on it and will only have a limited set of options. So, your first step will be to log the user into Windows. Follow these steps: – When the victim’s computer boots in Safe Mode, press the Windows key on the keyboard – You’ll see the Start menu appear with an option to log in to Windows. Select Log in to Windows, and then press Enter to log in. – The user will see a blank screen with an option to Sign-in / Search – Press the keys on the keyboard to sign in to Windows.
Disable networking and VPN connections
Now that the user is logged in to Windows, he’ll see a very basic version of the OS where he won’t have any network connectivity enabled. There might be some apps or files that he needs to use, but for the most part, he’ll be offline. To disable networking and VPN connections, follow these steps: – When your victim is on the Windows desktop, press the Windows key on your keyboard and then R – You’ll enter the run command. – Enter network settings and then press the Enter key – You’ll see a list of network settings. Look for one of the networking options with the VPN or Remote Network toggle enabled. Disable it, and then press Enter. – You’ll get a notification about the change – A popup message will appear on the screen, saying that your networking settings have been disabled.
Hibernate the PC
Now that networking has been disabled, the victim’s computer can go offline. So, follow these steps to hibernate the PC: – When the victim signs into Windows in Safe Mode, press the Windows key on the keyboard – You’ll see the log in screen. – Click the Lock icon on the bottom-right corner of the screen – You’ll enter the sign-in screen. – Type in your password, and then click OK – You’ll be taken to the desktop. – Press the power button to shut down the PC – Wait for the PC to fully shut down and then unplug the power cord.
Rudely wake up the PC after a while
After the PC is powered off, you’ll need to wait a few minutes before you boot it back up. This way, all the data will be safely copied to the hibernated state, and the user won’t have to start from scratch. So, boot the PC back up and follow these steps: – Wait a few minutes before powering it on – It might be tempting to power the PC back on right away, but this will only ruin the data copied from the hibernated state. – Power on the PC and wait for it to fully boot up – The computer will take a few minutes to fully boot up and load Windows.
Enter the Command Prompt
Now the PC is booted back up, you’ll need to enter a command prompt to go offline. To do this, follow these steps: – When the PC is back on, press the Windows key and R at the same time – You’ll see the run command. – Type cmd and press Enter – You’ll see the command prompt appear.
Disable automatic updates
Disabling automatic updates can be a lifesaver while you’re booting the PC offline. Bootstrapped apps often check for updates, and that can cause a lot of problems when your computer is offline. So, it’s best to disable automatic updates while you’re in the command prompt: – When the command prompt appears on the screen, type in devmgmt.msc – You’ll see a menu appear with different options. – Find the option that says Windows Update, and then disable it – This will make sure that your computer doesn’t check for any updates while it’s offline.
Enter the command to go offline and then log off
Now that automatic updates have been disabled and the user can’t access the Internet, you can go offline. To do this, follow these steps: – When the command prompt appears, type in Cmdr. and press Enter – You’ll see the command prompt appear again. – Type in slmgr.VBS – This command will let you disable Windows offline updates. – Press the Enter key – This will enable you to go offline. – Type exit, and then press the Enter key – This will log you off Windows. Congratulations, your victim will go offline without even knowing how!
Conclusion
This may sound a little crazy, but it’s actually a great way to boot people offline. It’s especially useful if someone in your life doesn’t have access to a computer, or if you just don’t have time to teach someone how to use one. But be careful when you use this method; it’s easy to accidentally set someone’s PC back online. So, make sure you only boot people offline when you need to. And if someone is accidentally online, they can always sign back into their computer.
FAQ’s
What if I don’t want the user to go offline?
You can always unplug the Ethernet cable or just simply reboot the PC. If you don’t want them to go online, you can also change the DNS settings in Windows or install a software firewall that won’t allow them to connect to any websites.
How can I boot someone offline if they’re using a Mac?
Bootstrapping is only supported on Windows PCs, so unfortunately it doesn’t work on Macs. However, there are other ways you can disable internet access on a Mac computer; check out this article for more information: https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-disable-internet-access-on-mac-osx/
Can I boot someone offline if they’re using a Linux computer?
No, you can’t boot anyone offline on Linux, so it’s best to just unplug them from the Internet and you’re set.
Can I use this method on a Windows laptop?
Yes! Just like a desktop PC, you only need an Ethernet port to be able to boot a user off of their PC without internet access (in other words, if they don’t have one). So yes, it’s possible to do on laptops as well; just make sure that the user has no other means of connecting back online once they’re gone offline (i.e., no WiFI or mobile data).
