Windows SteadyState - Restore Your PC to Factory Settings
Restoring Computer Settings with Windows SteadyState
It can be frustrating when multiple users alter the settings on a shared computer. This article explores Windows SteadyState for Windows Vista and XP, a tool designed to revert a computer to its original configuration following a user session.
Understanding Windows SteadyState
Windows SteadyState not only restores the PC to a pristine state, but also allows administrators to define limitations on user access. Virtually all computer aspects, from applications to websites, can be locked down. Initial setup requires administrator privileges, beginning with the installation of current drivers and Windows Updates.
Following updates, install desired programs and configure settings to reflect the preferred machine state. Once configured, and with user accounts created, public access can be granted. Any modifications made by users to the system's configuration will be automatically undone upon restarting the computer. The following details demonstrate SteadyState in operation on a Windows XP system.
Installation of SteadyState necessitates validation of your Windows copy through Genuine Advantage. If the Windows Genuine Advantage tool isn't already present, you will be prompted to download and install it.
Adding and Restricting Users
Upon launching SteadyState, an overview of User Settings and Global Computer Settings is presented. From here, access can be configured to be either highly restrictive or relatively permissive.
The initial stage of the SteadyState wizard involves adding the username, password, and a profile picture. You have the option of creating the user profile on the system drive or an alternative partition or drive.
The subsequent step focuses on General settings, allowing adjustment of the user's session time. It's crucial to lock the profile to prevent users from making permanent alterations independently.
Within Windows Restrictions, you can impose limitations on various OS features. Restriction levels can be set to High, Medium, Low, or None, or customized to meet specific requirements. Certain drives can also be hidden from the user to prevent unwanted data manipulation.
Feature Restrictions enable the locking down of Internet access via Internet Explorer, as well as program menus and settings. A particularly useful feature is the ability to designate a user home page and establish a whitelist of permitted websites.
The Block Programs section allows you to specify which applications a user is authorized to access.
Windows Disk Protection safeguards system settings and data residing on the operating system's drive. It is disabled by default; to activate it, select "Protect the Hard disk."
The following screen allows you to enable disk protection, and a system restart is required to finalize the process.
After the restart, you can select a level of disk protection, choosing between always removing changes, retaining them temporarily, or permitting all changes.
The cache file size can be adjusted to reclaim disk space if necessary. The minimum allocated space is 2GB.
Schedule Windows Updates and updates for other programs. Custom scripts can also be utilized to define a specific scheduling time.
Achieving functionality in Windows 7 proves challenging. Installation was attempted using compatibility mode on a 32-bit Windows 7 system, but not all features operated correctly. Currently, there is no official support for Windows 7. A similar feature was considered for inclusion but ultimately abandoned. However, for public XP or Vista machines, it remains a viable solution.
Conclusion
This program is ideal for public computers in locations such as coffee shops, schools, libraries, or for preventing unintended modifications by children. It officially supports XP and Vista. Perhaps some readers have successfully implemented it on Windows 7? Share your experiences in the comments below.
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