WinXP - How do I limit many of the guest users capabilities to make modifications?

[wildcardmy]

The users in the computer lab has been very <---> . They made configureation changes and modify registry settings. Some of them stole the Admin passwords by booting from safemodes and did something to gain access to the administrator's account.

Some of the less annoying problems are: they change the default webpage for mozilla, change the wallpaper, default folder... some of them installed softwares in accessible parts of the HDD (2 partations)... so is there any way for me to limit this?

I'm quite busy (im a student) so it's a bit tough for me to go through too many articles and learn step by step... but then again, if there isnt any choice, i would.

Here's a list of what I dont want them to do:

- Install softwares, if I can I would like to bar them from executing exe files but this will limit them from opening other valid applications right?

- Change the explorer settings

- edit desktop settings such as the wallpaper, screen resolution, Icons placed on the desktop, tool bar size, them color.. if i can, i dont want them to access the 'display properties' at all...

- change the settings of the start menu, and the programs listed there...

in short... they should only able to:

run valid applications and surf the web.. NOTHING ELSE..

is there a simple program for this? I heard the tweakXP can do it.. but is it free? the library is not willing to spend extra... is there any alternative to TweakXP?

[TINNY]

my friend, try googling or search at download.com . It helps a lot!

This site seems to have a lot of info. Pardon me for not simplifying things for I am in a similar quandary to you.
http://www.tweakxp.com/security_tweaks.aspx :- this is a list of interesting topics on windoze security. Taken from http://www.tweakxp.com/

[wildcardmy]

At the time of your writing, I was already reading a few how-tos there...

thanks for pointing it out though.. hopefully other could make use of it...

[TINNY]

poyo la ko!

[wildcardmy]

Originally Posted by TINNY

poyo la ko!

Look at that, ure spamming..

Is that one of the many reasons why you could make more than 700 posts?

Btw, what's "poyo la ko" ?

In anycase, I found that I have a lot of work to do to protect the computers here from the 'inside'.... users, even guest users have enough capabilities to tweak them and make the computers their own...

[TINNY]

TINNYoyo la ko!
wildcardmy:Look at that, ure spamming..

heheh. just testing. i thought you're a Malaysian coz of the 'my' at the end of your nick. I must be wrong if you don't understand.

[wildcardmy]

Originally Posted by TINNY

heheh. just testing. i thought you're a Malaysian coz of the 'my' at the end of your nick. I must be wrong if you don't understand.

U assume too much.. u could have just asked me by PMs...

As the wildcard name is quite popular, i had to put an extention to the nick, thus i chose my as in 'mine, or my-wildcardmy... by that would sound lame thus the my is in the back...

[Tormod]

Wildcardmy, welcome.

You will need Windows XP Pro to get the kind of security you want. There is something called Group Policies (defined with the Group Policy Editor) which can be set up for different usergroups.

But also in XP HOme you can make sure that your users are not admins so they at least get a little bit less access - but that gives little security, really.

[Tormod]

By the way, here is an interesting article on how to do it in XP Home without the Group Policy Editor.

http://www.j79zlr.com/gphome.php

[UncleAl]

Windows should be installed into C: with nothing else. All programming should reside in D: or higher. That way you can reinstall the nightmare OS at will without disturbing everything else. One reinstalls Windows every year anyway - it accumulates trash that cannot be removed. You want to to turn off every "help" option - like the gigs of useless log files that pile up like the garbage they are as Windows "optimizes" your hard drive.

The quick answer in a teaching environment is to abandon hopeless Windows and CD-boot from a Knoppix LIVE! CD. The new version comes out any day now. All machines will be identical, nobody can hack the OS, the new browser will be Firefox. You can install the CD onto the hard drive no problem . Linux runs much faster than Windows with much more modest machine resources,

http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=knoppix
http://www.applia.fr/contents/knoppix64.html
http://www.knopper.net/knoppix-info/index-en.html
http://www.knoppix.com/ (English)
http://software.newsforge.com/softwa.../1724256.shtml
http://www.linuxpickup.com/product_i...roducts_id/222

If you are stuck with BillGates' horror you are stuck but good. Get hold of ZTREE for the administrator to handle the hard drives,

http://www.ztree.com/

A better color scheme install is

http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/zt.zip

after you get in in there. Nobody can make Windows work. ZTREE will get you into a Windows hard drive so you can fully appreciate the horror of it all. Nothing is invisible to ZTREE. It custom configures simply and effectively. You cannot do anything naughty without a confirm.

Good luck, and remember... "The next release of Windows will work." That has been the promise since Win 3.0. Get ready for 64-bit promises. If you have AMD Athlon rather than Intel Pentium hardware, the future arrived years ago, e.g.,

http://www.applia.fr/contents/knoppix64.html