Windows 7 and Windows Steady State

For a few years now I’ve been recommending Windows Steady State be installed on public access computers. Steady State was a free program from Microsoft that did the same thing as the more costly DeepFreeze and Centurion products that many libraries are familiar with. All three programs allowed you to set up your computer the way you wanted it, and then lock that computer so that no matter what a user did, no changes survived a reboot. In fact, I liked Steady State so much we use it here in the computer lab at the Commission. Then, Monday morning I checked my voice mail and had a message from a Nebraska librarian asking me what she should use instead of Steady State on her new Windows 7 computers since Steady State won’t work. What? This was news to me, so I dove in to the Google to see what I could find out. The simple answer was that this is correct. Windows Steady State is not, nor will ever be supported by Windows 7. It will continue to work on XP and Vista, but 7 is out. While researching this, I did discover that in early beta versions of Windows 7 Microsoft had actually integrated Steady State into the OS and called it Guest Mode. (This is different from a Guest Account which I’ll discuss shortly.) This idea was a wonderful solution in my opinion. Then, when the first release candidate (RC1) was available, users discovered that Guest Mode had been removed, never to be seen again. (Bad Microsoft!) So, the question still stands: what to do about security on new Windows 7 computers? Well, you’ve basically got two options. Option #1: Purchase either DeepFreeze or Centurion. Both are now software only as Centurion does not make or support the key-based hardware version any more. I’ve personally used DeepFreeze in the past and have found it easy to use. I have not personally used Centurion but have not ever heard any serious complaints. For 10 computers DeepFreeze will run you less than $300 and for Centurion I was unable to find any pricing on the Web site. My recommendation: do with whichever costs less. Option #2: Have your users log in using the Guest Account. A Guest Account will give you all the security you’ll ever need. However, unlike Steady State, DeepFreeze or Centurion, you will not be able to customize this account at all. No setting the wallpaper, no customizing desktop icons, no nothing. It’ll work and it won’t cost a dime, but it will not necessarily look the way you want your computers to look. As always your comments and suggestions on this topic are welcome. If you’ve got an option that you think I’ve missed, please share it in the comments below.