[thomaskcr]

Use Deepfreeze or something similar. You'll mark a their documents directory as excluded and then every time they restart their machine it'll be back to the exact state it was in when you first set it up.

You don't want to have to support them using a new OS for the first time - you'll be in for a headache. I use Deepfreeze for anyone who is a "problem user" and most don't even realize they have it if it's set up right.

[protomyth]

We run Deepfreeze in our library and its cut out all of the problems we were having. Very solid product, but a little spendy. We will probably deploy it a bit more widely when we go to Windows 10.

[ZenoArrow]

Maybe I'm being dumb, but couldn't you just lock down the level of user access on the machine?

As another option, assuming you can use Linux, could go down the route of using Tails or another live distro:

https://tails.boum.org/

[protomyth]

Your not being dumb, but....

Locking down the machines is fine if you don't get any privilege exploits that take over the machine. Plus, this puts the machine in a known, good state every time we reboot or have a new user.

Cannot use Linux (I would use PC-BSD given our BSD infrastructure).

[gruez]

>Locking down the machines is fine if you don't get any privilege exploits that take over the machine

but in that case deepfreeze isn't going to save you either.

privilege exploits = SYSTEM access = kernel mode access = ability to bypass deep freeze (by circumventing their IO driver)

[protomyth]

So far it has been one layer too far. plus I don't have to worry about any saves to the HD.

[danieltillett]

What does it cost? The faronics website seems to avoid minor details like pricing.

[thomaskcr]

$45, I believe there are alternatives I just don't really know anything about them.

You're right about their site though, every single time they've changed it the site has looked more scammy/crappy and been harder to get where I need to go. If I hadn't used their product before I would go to that site and immediately leave.

[protomyth]

$45 w/1 year maintenance https://store2.esellerate.net/store/checkout/CustomLayout.as...

[bsenftner]

This is the answer.

[mercer]

Yeah, I didn't even know this existed!

I still think that the second-best answer is to get a tablet or phablet. My grandmother has mostly switched to an iPad and the vast majority of real problems disappeared. There's the occasional 'how I do get photo <x> to target <y>', but nothing serious.

Feels a bit like defeat though.

[mabbo]

It's been around a long time- I'm 30 and my friends and I spent time trying to figure out ways around it in high school. (My little brother and his friends eventually did- they acquired the admin password).