Microsoft Freebie

Posted on July 5, 2008

Microsoft has come out with a nice utility that is a free download, called SteadyState.

Its primary function is to protect your system. Once you have your computer setup just the way you like, it’s no fun to have a kid, spouse, friend, or even a program come along and mess things up for you. Sometimes, just one small change can really wreak havoc with your system.

Enter SteadyState, a free Windows utility for XP and Vista. SteadyState basically creates new user profiles that it keeps away from your actual system. It can also go a step further by locking down access to drives, putting tight restrictions on a user’s configuration access, and have the main user’s hard disk restored to its previous state whenever some misdeed occurs.

You will probably need to do a little housework before you begin using SteadyState, such as making sure everything, especially Microsoft products, has been updated, patched, etc. to the very latest releases. Laying the groundwork minimizes problems with the execution of the restriction plan.