I have this key logger in my computer. It logs almost all key strokes made on the keyboard but I noticed that when anytime I get on the instant messanger it doesn't log the key strokes. Does any one know why it doesn't log the key strikes when on the instant messanger? Is there a good key logger, which is not commercial use, that can log every keystrike even if you are on instant messanger?

I will appreciate your help very much. Thx.

Why do you want a keylogger? Give us one valid reason for using one and then we'll help

He has a 14 year old daughter and he doesn't want her to be cybering/dating with 40 year old guys?

Don't help! Plus that's more of an issue that could be solved with effective parenting rather than a keylogger.

She could also go to her friends place to chat. Or to cybercafe's..
So there is no point in keylogging. And furthermore, it's an act of distrust.

Thats pretty much the root of the problem (no idea if this is the OPs problem), computers are not babysitters, they take input, give output, shouldnt be responsible for a childs learning. if the child is that stupid (or uneducated) then they should not be allowed to use one . The kid doesnt like it? tough.

It's a breach of trust to spy on anyone.

Despite all that, i can think of alot more nefarious reasons for wanting one... and no legitimate reasons...

Well, to tell you the truth, I'm studying, researching, on how they work so I can make my own. Also, even though you might not believe me, I'm not doing this because of a child (which I don't have any) it's the other way around. If you know what I mean.

I almost fogot to add. In my opinion this isn't just about trusting your child. It's more like not trusting the person who is chatting with your child. You never know wether that person is trying to seduce your child into doing the unthinkable.

True. And I can imagine all kinds of scenarios where I might wish I'd breached that trust. Like if your child vanishes unexpectedly and you have no idea where they are. I'd trade breach of trust for bringing a kidnapped child home any day.

I don't have keyloggers or anything like that installed to monitor my kids, and I respect their privacy, but they have been well informed that should us parents decide they might be involved in something seriously bad or dangerous all bets are off and our "privacy policy" may change unilaterally. Any parent would use whatever means are at their disposal to locate a missing child. While I wouldn't have keylogger data to help track down a child, it's a safe bet that us parents (and the police) would be combing through cached data, temp files, cellphone records, email address books, credit card transactions, etc. to help find a missing child.

I would not pre-judge any parent who decided a keylogger was in their family's best interests. What may seem terribly inappropriate in my situation may be the best solution in someone else's.

Hmm, just a little OT.

The ideal keylogger would take everything entering from the keyboard driver and duplicate it, passing the original on to its destination and echoing the copy to a file or something. In order to do this, the keylogger has to be very closely tied to the kernel; close enough that it can intercept the data from the keyboard driver before it is returned to the calling function. This would be difficult to do in an open-source operating system, nigh impossible on a system where the kernel is a bit more untouchable.

So the next layer up, at least in the way I'm thinking about it, would be at the equivalent of the graphical interface layer. This receives keys like CTRL-ALT-BACKSPACE in X11. Then above that would be the window manager or graphical shell, which would receive keys like ALT-TAB in Windows. Next would be the application level, where the typing actually gets interpreted. So you can kind of picture a flow like this:Somewhere along the way you have to insert your keylogger.

So why doesn't it work for specific applications? My guess is that it watches a specific interface between the window manager and the application, an interface which as it happens isn't used by your instant messenger program. Maybe the IM application uses a less-common route in an attempt to subvert keyloggers.

Disclaimer: I don't know for sure if this is really the way it works. It makes sense to me both logically and from experience, but I don't know for sure. Plus, different graphical systems may have different ways of handling how data gets passed from keyboard to application. But I figured any ideas might help, right?

LoL I remember when my mother tried to put a keylogger on my Win98 box when I was younger. Ctrl+Alt+Del... She didn't like me talking to people I didn't know on the internet and looking at porno. Please, what kid doesn't talk on the internet and look at porn these days? There is still one person I talk to regularly online that I don't know in real life that I met in some AIM chat room when I was like 15, and she was 10 (though she lied to me about that at the time). I'm 20 now, and she doesn't have a computer anymore, so we write each other letters snail mail style. Yes, I know she's not a psycho old guy killer, I wasn't going to meet her until she was 20 or so, but her daddy died when she was 14 and I drove 2000 miles accross the country to go to his funrel (her mom let me). Yes, I left a crowbar in my car just incase. And a 12 gauge. But it was all good.

It is a bit werid I suppose. I have many friends in real life that I hang out with all the time that are my age, but my best friend's still a 15 year old on a computer. I'm such a loser.

Sorry, got sidetracked... I like the little external keyloggers that you use as an extention in between the computer and keyboard or snap over the wire. They make me feel like James Bond.

Well, I had a hunch about using the keyboard driver to log every key strike but I didn't think it was going to be sooooo complicated. You know, using the keylogger with the kernel.

If I'm going to make something like this I'm going to need to do more research not only on the keylogger but on the kernel too.

This sure is going to take up so much time. And so much frustration. But hey everything is possible.

I wonder if they already have one?

Sounds like a movie story. Good one anyway. Mabye, you can write a script for a movie the name is "key logger".

Do these externel keyloggers exist? If so, where can I get one? How much does it cost? Sorry, don't mean to sound childish asking so many questions at a time.