Windows Tip Sheet
Be the Master of Your Public Domain
Control what users can do on shared computers with this new Microsoft toolkit.
The all-time most painful computers are shared ones, such as those in schools,
company lobbies, libraries and cafes. Security is always an issue, as is user
privacy -- and Windows and Internet Explorer don’t always lend themselves
to either security
or privacy without some clever configuration.
Microsoft’s decided to bundle the clever configuration bits into a new
Shared Computer Toolkit. It includes special protection for the Windows partition
to keep them from being modified, clearing disk changes with each restart (unless
you’re an admin, of course), so that the computer can be easily “rolled
back” simply by rebooting the computer. Users can be easily restricted
to specific applications and Start menu items, and you can lock user profiles
to prevent permanent changes. Speaking of profiles, you can create them wherever
you like, and even set them to retain settings -- useful if you’re
using the aforementioned disk protection, which wouldn’t normally allow
changes to profiles. The Control Panel can even be locked down while still providing
access to Accessibility features for the hearing, visually and physically challenged
users who may use the computer.
A complete 107-page handbook is available in PDF format to teach you how to
use the Toolkit. Microsoft does warn that this isn’t intended for your
home box as a parental control measure, because some of the security features
will make your home computer less-than-happy with itself. The handbook does
include details on using the Toolkit in that situation to avoid problems, but
it won’t be maximally effective.
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About the Author
Don Jones is a multiple-year recipient of Microsoft’s MVP Award, and is Curriculum Director for IT Pro Content for video training company Pluralsight. Don is also a co-founder and President of PowerShell.org, a community dedicated to Microsoft’s Windows PowerShell technology. Don has more than two decades of experience in the IT industry, and specializes in the Microsoft business technology platform. He’s the author of more than 50 technology books, an accomplished IT journalist, and a sought-after speaker and instructor at conferences worldwide. Reach Don on Twitter at @concentratedDon, or on Facebook at Facebook.com/ConcentratedDon.