Microsoft Steady State for XP. Lock down your PC

This is a great, somewhat new, download from Microsoft. Steady State is a free download from Microsoft that is targeted for public access computers or even PC's around the house. Once installed, a "steady state" computer will continue to be just that..in the same state after each reboot.

The "system" hard drive will always be returned to its configured state after a user is through using the computer. This is a great way to also protect against viruses and spyware because if the system gets infected during a session, all changes will be erased before the next session starts.

This could also work great for the classroom! It is like reimaging a drive after every use.

You can watch a video and download the software here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/sharedaccess/default.mspx

Additionally, because the "system" drive is the only locked down drive, you could actually have a data drive where users could save their data. EG..you could have Word as an application on the system and data stored on drive "D". Each time the system was rebooted Word would behave exactly as configured yet have access to new documents.....

This is a blurb from the Microsoft site:

Depending on the purpose and requirements of your shared computers, different features and configuration options of Windows SteadyState prove particularly valuable. Click the scenario below that most closely matches your situation.
In the classroom
Classrooms and computer labs can offer groups of users a consistent and reliable computer learning environment more efficiently, while increasing the productivity of the teaching staff.
In an Internet café
Internet cafés, kiosks, and other businesses offering commercial access to shared computers can help increase customer satisfaction while reducing computer down time, administrative costs, and total cost of ownership.
At the library
Libraries and community technology centers can help protect computers against tampering cost effectively. They can customize shared user profiles to meet the needs of different patrons.
At home
Parents can use Windows SteadyState on a household computer to let their children share it without causing harm or accessing inappropriate sites on the Internet.
Other uses for Windows SteadyState
Anyone whose work involves repeatedly installing and uninstalling programs on a computer can make good use of Windows SteadyState. Software testers are a good example. If disk protection is on when they install a new program, any problems the program causes won't become permanent. Even a complete uninstall of a faulty program is only a reboot away.