How to Lock Down Windows NT and Internet Explorer 4.01 Desktop (198771)

SUMMARY

Windows NT security makes it possible to lock down a desktop so a given user has access to only one or a few specific programs. On a public kiosk computer, it is often important that user access be restricted. This article explains the steps that need to be taken to implement this.

Create a text file named Lockout.reg. You can cut and paste the following text:

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies]

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer] "NoDriveTypeAutoRun"=dword:00000095
"NoFind"=dword:00000001
"NoFolderOptions"=dword:00000001
"NoFavoritesMenu"=dword:00000001
"NoRecentDocsMenu"=dword:00000001
"NoSetActiveDesktop"=dword:00000001
"NoDesktop"=dword:00000001
"NoSetFolders"=dword:00000001
"NoSetTaskbar"=dword:00000001
"NoSaveSettings"=dword:00000001
"NoClose"=dword:00000001
"NoNetHood"=dword:00000001
"NoRun"=dword:00000001
"NoDrives"=dword:00000000
"NoTrayContextMenu"=dword:00000001
"NoViewContextMenu"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System] "DisableLockWorkstation"=dword:00000001
"DisableTaskMgr"=dword:00000001
"DisableChangePassword"=dword:00000001
Determine what drives you want the user to be able to access, and then change the value of the "NoDrives" line accordingly. For example:

To give access to only drive C -> "NoDrives"=dword:fbffff03
To give access to drives C and D -> "NoDrives"=dword:f3ffff03
To give access to drives A to F -> "NoDrives"=dword:c0ffff03
Determine if you want a compact disc to start automatically when you place it in the CD-ROM drive. If you do not want this to happen, change the "NoDriveTypeAutoRun" to:

"NoDriveTypeAutoRun"=dword:b5000000
Determine if you want to enable the user to log off or to shut down the computer. You can disable these by adding one or both of these two lines:

"NoClose"=dword:00000001
"NoLogoff"=dword:00000001
Create a new user with User Manager. Set up the menu structure that you want the user to see. This can be done by adding and removing short cuts from the Windows NT\Profiles\%USERNAME% and the Windows NT\Profiles\All Users folders. For example:

C:\WINNT\Profiles\NewUser and C:\WINNT\Profiles\All Users.
Log on as the new user and set up the environment (screen savers, background, and so on).
Find the file you created in the steps above and double-click it.
Log back on as the user. You will notice that the desktop is empty and the start menu only has the shortcuts that you configured in step 4. As stated in article 182439 "How to Disable Start\Help," it is impossible to remove the help item from the start menu. You can disable this by creating a text file named Windows.hlp and copying it over the existing file in the Windows NT\System32 folder.

MORE INFORMATION

Here is a description of the items discussed above:

 Item                Description 
 ----                -----------
 NoDriveTypeAutoRun  Prevents CD-ROM drive from running automatically. 
 NoFind              Removes Find command from Start menu. 
 NoFolderOptions     Removes the Folder Options menu item from the Settings 
                     menu. 
 NoFavoritesMenu     Removes the Favorites folder from the Start menu. 
 NoRecentDocsMenu    Removes the Documents command from the Start menu. 
 NoSetActiveDesktop  Remove the Active Desktop item from the Settings menu. 
 NoDesktop           Hide all items on desktop. 
 NoSetFolders        Remove folders from Settings/Start menu. 
 NoSetTaskbar        Remove Taskbar from Settings/Start menu. 
 NoSaveSettings      Does not save settings at exit.  
 NoClose             Disables Shut Down command. 
 NoNetHood           Hides Network Neighborhood. 
 NoRun               Removes Run command from Start menu  
 NoDrives            Hides drives in My Computer.  
 NoTrayContextMenu   Removes context menus for tray including the Start  
                     button, tab control, and clock. 
 NoViewContextMenu   Removes the context menu when you right-click the  
                     desktop, or when you right-click Explorer in the 
                     results pane.

NOTE: NoRecentDocsMenu and NoRecentDocsHistory requires Active Desktop to be installed; otherwise they do not work.

For additional information about determining the NoDrives availibility mentioned above, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

158457 Defining Local and Remote Drive Visibility Under WinNT 4.0