Recommendation for good desktop lockout software?

[stickybytes]

Hey guys,

I'm looking for a good desktop lockout /policy management software for 100 pcs in a student lounge environment. The students will have administrative rights but i want to prevent them from installing software, changing the desktop, and altering any other system settings. Now you may think i could easily just give them only user rights but the problem is that i still want windows updates to download + install automatically. Does anyone know of any good programs that can do this?

PS: It does not need to be free.

 

[Nothinman]

Automatic Updates will work fine, they just won't have any control over when or whether they install or reboot.

 

[mechBgon]

Make them Limited user accounts and enable Software Restriction Policy. The systems will still auto-update if they're configured to do so. You may also want to check out Windows SteadyState.

 

[Brazen]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
Make them Limited user accounts and enable Software Restriction Policy. The systems will still auto-update if they're configured to do so. You may also want to check out Windows SteadyState.

This is the same thing I was going to suggest. Make them Limited Users and definately look into Windows SteadyState.

 

[stickybytes]

Thanks guys, the windows steadystate definitely looks promising and i will look into it. btw, does anyone know first hand how windows update works with this program? for the majority of the time, the computer will be logged in with a limited user profile. can windows still download + install the updates at the time their scheduled? wouldn't the updates require administrative rights on the part of the user?

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: stickybytes
Thanks guys, the windows steadystate definitely looks promising and i will look into it. btw, does anyone know first hand how windows update works with this program? for the majority of the time, the computer will be logged in with a limited user profile. can windows still download + install the updates at the time their scheduled? wouldn't the updates require administrative rights on the part of the user?

No, if Automatic Updates is set to full automatic, then the updates will run regardless, at the scheduled time or at the first subsequent opportunity (next bootup, for example). Giving students Admin privileges is an invitation to catastrophe, so avoid that.

 

[redbeard1]

A number of schools use this to prevent students from making unauthorized changes. For the student data, they have an icebox(?) that they can put there files in. If it is in the icebox it is preserved, if not, after the next power cycle it is gone.

Deep Freeze