Desktop Configuration and Cloning

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Desktop Configuration and Cloning

• Instructor
• Chuck OShea
• coshea_at_infopeople.org
• An Infopeople Workshop
• Fall-Winter 2006

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This Workshop is Brought to You by the Infopeople
Project

• Infopeople is a federally-funded grant project
  supported by the California State Library. It
  provides a wide variety of training to California
  libraries. Infopeople workshops are offered
  around the state and are open registration on a
  first-come, first-served basis.
• For a complete list of workshops, and for other
  information about the project, go to the
  Infopeople website at infopeople.org.

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Introductions

• Name
• Library
• Position
• What is your experience with adding software,
  configuring administration functions?

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Packet

• Agenda
• PowerPoint
• Exercises
• Handouts
• CD

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Class Assumptions

• You are comfortable with basic computer skills
• You have installed and configured software
• You are are the person at your library who will
  be configuring your Public Access Computers
• You will be using Windows XP

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What kinds of computer issues arise when offering
computers to the public?
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How do you handle these problems currently?
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Workshop Goals

• Help you understand the issues in making
  computers accessible to the public
• Share a solution
• create a hard drive image set up for public
  access computing
• clone it

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If Working with a Used Computer

• Need to clean up the hard drive
• dont know how its been used
• registry could be hiding things
• get rid of personal files/programs
• Restore depends on manufacturer
• Want to do more than just reinstall OS

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To Create a Secure Public Access Computer

• Install Updates
• Install Apps
• Tighten System
• Customize Profile
• Use Shared Computer Toolkit
• Change BIOS
• Create Image
• Clone

We are assuming you have a new computer with a
clean install of Windows XP or have restored the
hard drive of a used computer.
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Step 1 - Install Updates

• Download and run Service Packs and updates so you
  are running the most current version of the OS
• less vulnerable to security risks
• bug fixes
• take advantage of new technology

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Step 2 - Install Applications

• For example
• Microsoft Office
• Virus Spyware Protection
• Printer Drivers
• Public Browser
• Media Players

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Public Browser

• Features
• easy configuration
• URL tracking
• popup restriction
• auto clearing of cache and cookies
• Installation
• Configuration

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Public Browser Configuration
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Public Browser Overrides

• What are they?
• What do they do?
• Shift/Alt/Control/Insert

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Exercise 1

• Install Configure Public Browser

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Step 3 - Tighten System for Public Access

• Remove unnecessary programs
• Remove unnecessary features
• Disable unnecessary services

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Removing Unnecessary Windows Components for
Public Access

• Fax
• MSN Explorer
• Outlook Express
• Networking Services
• Windows Messenger

What about games?
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Exercise 2

• Removing Unnecessary Windows Components
• for Public Access

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Remove Unnecessary Features for Public Access

• Remote desktop
• System restore
• Fast user switching
• Offline files
• Hibernation

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Exercise 3

• Removing Unwanted Features
• for Public Access

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Disable Unnecessary Services for Public Access

• Distributed link transaction
• Secondary logon
• Task scheduler
• Terminal services
• Telephony
• Wireless zero configuration

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Exercise 4

• Disable Unnecessary Services for Public Access
  Computers

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Step 4 User Profile

• A user profile defines customized desktop
  environments, such as individual display and
  network and printer connections settings.
• With profiles, the system administrator can set
  access for different users
• Desktop shortcuts
• Windows preferences
• Printers
• First-time settings

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For PAC You Need Two Profiles

• Administrator
• install and uninstall software
• configure settings
• create and delete users
• Limited
• run programs
• access the Internet
• create files and folders
• Public
• Adults
• Children

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Create Public Account

• Creating a Public account for shared access with
  limited access
• Account will be shared by all public users
• Account will be a Limited Account that will not
  allow user to perform administrative functions

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Configure the Public User Profile

• Log on as local user
• Run all programs installed for the first time
• Examples
• configure Office programs
• Windows Media Player
• Adobe Reader
• Configure settings

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Exercise 5

• Create a User Account and Configure the Public
  Profile

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Customize All Users Start menu

• Changes made to All Users Start Menu affect
  everyone that uses that computer.
• Most programs install Start menu shortcuts in the
  All Users profile
• To customize All Users Start Menu
• Login as administrator
• Remove unwanted Icons
• Add programs to Start Menu

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Step 5 - Use Shared Computer Toolkit

• Free from Microsoft
• download the latest version
• get product support
• view demos
• http//www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sharedaccess/de
  fault.mspx

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Microsoft Shared Computer Toolkit

• Only works on Windows XP
• protects windows partition (drive c)
• allows you to restrict users
• easy access to computer settings
• profile manager
• easy access
• more options
• easily change Accessibility options

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Hive Cleanup Service

• Prompted to get when you install Shared Computer
  Toolkit
• Eliminates log off problems
• Must be installed and running to work

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SCT Step 1 Prepare Disk

• Prepare the disk for Windows disk protection
• requires unallocated space
• we will use Symantecs Partition Magic 8.0 to
  create an unallocated partition
• minimum of 1GB up to 10 of disk space
• space used for temporary files

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Partition Magic

• Allows you to
• merge partitions
• create new partitions
• resize partitions
• Run it from the CD
• does not need to be installed

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Exercise 6

• Download and Install Shared Computer Toolkit,
  Install Hive Cleanup Service, and Run Partition
  Magic

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SCT Step 2 Set Security Settings

• Prevent account names from being saved
• Force passwords to be secure
• Prevent Windows for caching credentials with
  profile
• Prevent creation of files and folders on Windows
  Drive
• Prevent logon to locked profiles
• Remove cached copies of locked profiles
• Remove Shut Down and Turn Off Computer options
• Prevent MS Office document from opening in IE
• Use Welcome screen
• Remove administrator from Welcome screen
• Recommended

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SCT Step 3 Create Public Account

• Weve already done

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SCT Step 4 - Configure the Public User Profile

• Weve already done

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SCT Step 5 - Restrict Local User Profile

• Set and lock to prevent permanent changes by user
• change general settings
• recommended restrictions
• optional restrictions
• lock profile
• Once changed and locked, must be unlocked to
  alter settings

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General Settings

• IE Homepage
• Proxy
• Proxy Exceptions
• Session Times
• Restrict Drives
• Lock Profile
• Restart at Logoff

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Locking a Profile

• The following are items that are not kept between
  logons when a profile is locked
• Internet history and cookies
• Favorites
• Files stored on the desktop
• Desktop wallpaper
• Changes to program settings
• Accessibility changes
• Start menu changes

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Recommend User Restrictions for Public Access
Computers

• Start Menu restrictions
• General Windows restrictions
• IE restrictions
• MS Office restrictions
• Software restrictions

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Optional User Restrictions Include Additional

• Start Menu restrictions
• General Windows XP restrictions
• Internet Explorer restrictions
• Software restrictions

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Exercise 7

• Setting User Restrictions

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SCT Step 6 - Testing the Public User Profile

• Check
• Desktop
• Screen saver
• Programs availability
• Check Accessibility Tools
• Visuals
• Sound
• High contrast
• Keyboard and mouse
• Check Menus

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SCT Step 7 - Windows Disk Protection

• Protects the Windows operating system and program
  files from being permanently changed on a Windows
  partition.
• User changes will stay until the next restart
• Admin can make permanent changes
• add new programs
• modify registry
• add user account

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Options for setting Windows Disk Protection

• Clear Changes
• clears all changes with each restart
• One Restart
• retain changes for one restart
• Indefinitely
• keeps files through multiple restarts
• Save Changes
• write changes to C

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Windows Disk Protection Settings

• Set schedule for critical updates
• Set schedule for antivirus updates

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Exercise 8

• Turn on Disk Protection

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Whats the BIOS?

• Acronym for basic input/output system, the
  built-in software that determines what a computer
  can do without accessing programs from a disk
• On PCs, the BIOS contains all the code required
  to control the keyboard, display screen, disk
  drives, boot order, date and time, and a number
  of miscellaneous functions

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Step 6 - Change BIOS

• Access the BIOS during bootup by pressing and
  holding the F2 key
• Change Boot Sequence
• Internal HDD
• Only Internal HDD Bootable

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Use Passwords for Security

• Admin Password
• System Password
• NOT recommended
• requires password to boot
• Internal HDD Password
• NOT recommended
• travels with hard drive even if removed from
  computer
• Password Changes
• Set to Permitted

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• You MUST set an Admin password to keep people
  from changing BIOS settings.

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Exercise 9

• Change the BIOS

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Yesterday We Created Our Public Access Image

• Installed Public Browser
• Removed programs, services, and features
• Partitioned disk
• Installed HIVE and the Microsoft Shared Computer
  Toolkit
• Created profiles
• Set security with SCT
• Changed the BIOS

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Clone

• We spent a full day creating an image
• Now we want to make our other 20 computers
  identical without spending a day on each one
• So, you clone it

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Benefits of Cloning

• Easy to set many computers
• When the computer goes bad
• restore computer by replacing image

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Cloning - Requirements

• Image and clone must have identical hardware
• Need different images for computers with
  different hardware

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What now?

• Sysprep vs. New SID
• What is Sysprep
• When to run

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How Do You Keep Your Computers Current?

• Create an updated image
• Re-image all computers

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In the Ideal World

• Have a reference computer
• no one uses it
• update and patch regularly
• update programs as needed
• Create new image from reference computer
• Re-image all computers

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Exercise 10

• Making It Happen

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Evaluation Form

• infopeople.org/workshop/eval/