How to Monitor a Local or Remote Computer

Most of the time, it becomes necessary for us to monitor our own

computer or a remote computer to keep track of the activities going on.  

This may be for several reasons.  Especially it is most necessary for

the parents to monitor their computer to keep track of their children’s

activities during their absence.  Some people may also require to

monitor their computer to keep an eye on the activities of their spouse

or partner.  Today, with the advancement in the field of the software

technology, it’s just a cakewalk to monitor the computer.  For this all

you have to do is, use a PC Monitoring Software.

But the job doesn’t end here.  This is because there exists tons of such

monitoring softwares on the market and many times we get confused which

to choose and how to use them.  So I have decided to make this job

simpler for you, by writing this post.  In this post I’ll give a

detailed information about Computer monitoring softwares which include

their features, advantages, installation, usage procedure and so on.  To

make this post , let’s take up each topic in the form of question and

answer.

What exactly is a Monitoring Software and how can it help me ?

A computer monitoring software is just like any other software

(program) which when installed, secretly monitors each and every

activity that takes place on the computer.  The activities such as web

browsing, chatting, gaming etc.  are all recorded and saved.  These

monitoring softwares can record each and every keystroke.  So it is

possible to capture usernames and passwords very easily with minimum

effort.  Monitoring softwares are also commonly known as Keyloggers.

How can I install a monitoring software ?

Installing a monitoring software is too simple.  During the

installation, you need to setup a secret password and hotkey

combination which is required later to see the recorded data ( logs).  

After the installation is complete the software goes invisible, but

keeps running in the background.  Whenever you want to see the logs,

just press the hotkey combination (ex.  Shift+Ctrl+F10).  Now a small

window will popup asking for a password.  Here you need to enter the

password that was setup during the installation time.  After you enter

the password you’ll be able to see all the activities that took place

on the computer during your absence.

Can the person using the computer come to know about the presence of

the Monitoring Software ?

Most of the time it becomes impossible to detect the presence of the

monitoring software.  This is because, once installed it hides itself

from Start menu, Program Files, Control Panel, Task manager etc.  

Because of it’s stealth behaviour the user can never come to know that

he/she is under the presence of monitoring.

Which Monitoring Software should I use ?

There exists different flavours of these softwares and you have to

choose the one that best match your needs.  Here is a list of some of

the best monitoring programs that I recommend.

For Monitoring a Local PC:

If you want to monitor a local PC (may be your own PC) then the

following program is recommended.

Spy Agent Stealth

For Monitoring a Remote PC (Also works on local PC) :

If you want to monitor a remote PC you may use the following programs.  

These programs works for remote PC as well as local PC.

Win-Spy Monitor

Realtime Spy

Spy Anywhere

Keystroke Spy

For Monitoring a Network :

The following program can be used to monitor an Entire Network of

computers from one central location.  This becomes handy to monitor the

staff in a company or students in a school/college.

NetVizor

For monitoring a PC from Cellphone:

If you want to monitor your PC using your cellphone you can use the

following software/program.

Cell PC