Windows Steadystate/file protection

[OllieC]

Hi, I'm looking atm at using a file protection agent on our fat clients. Mainly we've been looking at Windows Steadystate, really just after any advice from people with experience here....

 

Some things that I've been pondering about:

 

If we enable disc protectioen then create an image and distribute to an entire room... the disc protection will surely trap these machines in a loop, won't it? We use sysprep, is there any way to make it work sensibly with an image without having to enable it on each machine after the oobe?

 

Making changes to machines/updates; I know you can set a time where the disc protection is disabled but what if we want to make changes to machines at another time and don't want to have to faff about with steadystate on each machine. Is there a way of managing over network or another programme that will do it?

 

So yeh, anyone with experience who can point me in the right direction... may be able to spend some money on software if it's not too much and is actually worth it.

 

Or is it just not worth it?

 

(the fat clients are currently running XP... may be 7 in the future and are all on the same domain.)

 

Thanks,

Ollie.

[ajbritton]

Have you read the handbook (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&url=http://download.microsoft.com/download/e/8/b/e8b7c732-93b3-4f0b-aab0-5526cc8505db/Windows%2520SteadyState%2520Handbook.pdf&ei=yY3ASOuMOZT4edmUvPYH&usg=AFQjCNGU3L-Pie7Yl19gQ3A-3lkXrf3Xpw&sig2=iZkKa9KzToIzlcGFf4gBgw)?

 

I've only played with SteadyState but it seems to me that you would build your reference PC, then install SteadyState, they Sysprep and take the image. After the image is rolled out onto the target PCs and the OOBE and MiniSetup have run, then that's when you turn on the Disk Protection.

 

Like I said, I'm no expert but I just happen to be looking into using this product myself.

[tech_guy]

Have you read the handbook (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&url=http://download.microsoft.com/download/e/8/b/e8b7c732-93b3-4f0b-aab0-5526cc8505db/Windows%2520SteadyState%2520Handbook.pdf&ei=yY3ASOuMOZT4edmUvPYH&usg=AFQjCNGU3L-Pie7Yl19gQ3A-3lkXrf3Xpw&sig2=iZkKa9KzToIzlcGFf4gBgw)?

 

I've only played with SteadyState but it seems to me that you would build your reference PC, then install SteadyState, they Sysprep and take the image. After the image is rolled out onto the target PCs and the OOBE and MiniSetup have run, then that's when you turn on the Disk Protection.

 

Like I said, I'm no expert but I just happen to be looking into using this product myself.

 

That's right - about turning the disk protection on after you've put the image on to the PCs. I set up a mini computer training suite (30 PCs) for a charity who couldn't afford to spend any money and we used SteadyState. Brilliant to use and much better than its predecessor the Shared Computer Toolkit.

[OllieC]

I'll have a look through the handbook...

 

Came across this some time ago but it's pretty expensive, seems to what we'd like though, admin the clients file protection over the network and stuff. Faronics Deep Freeze Windows Editions - ABSOLUTE System Integrity

 

My one concern about steadystate is that if we want to push a piece of software out by GP, are we going to end up having to manually disabling it on each client first? Don't want to end up causing more work for ourselves by having it in place.

 

I remember our 98 machines on CC2.4 had disk protection and they never died...

[EduTech]

Lol! i love how it is not compatible with windows 7 yet

[actech]

A cheaper version of Deepfreeze is HD Guard. It has central management and update periods can be configured. We use it on all student PC's and it has been very helpful and has help reduce the general maintenance problems due to accidental installs etc.

[OllieC]

A cheaper version of Deepfreeze is HD Guard. It has central management and update periods can be configured. We use it on all student PC's and it has been very helpful and has help reduce the general maintenance problems due to accidental installs etc.

 

Hmm, interesting, will pass on to NM.

[Jose]

We use SteadyState here to great effect. Our two main ICT suites have gone from september to now without a single reinstall. ( 1 dead hard disk, does not count).

 

I use Italc and steadystate to provide a perfect system.

 

1. create perfect pc image, install italc, install steadystate, disable updates on steadystate.

2. sysprep and deploy using WDS or ghost.

3. name pc and move into correct OU, gpupdate and enable disk protection.

4. use italc to remote manage the PCs and enable and disable disk protection when you need to.

 

You can also schedule WOL scripts to wake up certain suites and update and then save changes.

[LeMarchand]

If you're using SteadyState in an environment that is "fixed" like a suite, I would imagine that it should work well. I've tried it on laptops that go home (with the "retain changes to date x option), and if they are not properly turned off then the program reverts to the original image. As the kids/parents are incapable of shutting down properly and/or using mains power before the battery dies their programs/settings get wiped...

[OllieC]

We use SteadyState here to great effect. Our two main ICT suites have gone from september to now without a single reinstall. ( 1 dead hard disk, does not count).

 

I use Italc and steadystate to provide a perfect system.

 

1. create perfect pc image, install italc, install steadystate, disable updates on steadystate.

2. sysprep and deploy using WDS or ghost.

3. name pc and move into correct OU, gpupdate and enable disk protection.

4. use italc to remote manage the PCs and enable and disable disk protection when you need to.

 

You can also schedule WOL scripts to wake up certain suites and update and then save changes.

How would I used italc to enable/disable disc protection?

[Jose]

Italc is a free remote control software, similiar to rm tutor etc.

 

It has two very usefull features for network managent use.

 

1. remote login, this enables you to log all clients on at the same time with the same username.

2. remote execution of commands and scripts.

 

This script save.vbs changes diskprotection to "save all changes" meaning if you execute this script on a pc with diskprotection enabled then all changes will be saved.

 

The dis.vbs script will change diskprotection to "discard all changes".

 

How you would do it is you would bootup all PCs in a room, you then remote login with a user called "save" this user has a login script that runs save.vbs, it then does a gpupdate /force,

you can then execute any other scripts or virus updates, then using italc tell it to reboot.

Because the computers are now set to "save all changes" they will install and keep any software/changes via GPO.

When you have finished updating your computers restart so they save any changes made, then when they have booted up, login with a user called "dis" which has a login script that executes dis.vbs and either log off or restart.

 

There are other quicker ways of doing certain things but this way gives everyone a good starting place to learn how to manage large ict suites using just freeware.

 

The scripts were written by someone else not me

save.vbs

dis.vbs

[OllieC]

Italc is a free remote control software, similiar to rm tutor etc.

 

-snippage

 

The scripts were written by someone else not me

 

Yays! You've solved my problem, will have to test this out in one of the rooms before we next reimage. Thanks.