Thanks Re: Win95 password protection

[David Merchant]

Got some good responses.

I tried using WinU for an virtualy empty desktop and then have the staff
person use a password to exit out of WinU to get to their desktop.  That
worked, but we would have to get licenses for the added machines to put
them on.  And it does take up a Meg or two of disk space, not a lot,
granted, and slows down the staff person, has to wait for the WinU to load,
then click on exit, the password, enter, wait for it to shutdown.  The
third solution I contemplated was the quickest...

I will try the poledit later, as it sounds like it would do the trick as
well, but I went with Mr. Greer's idea of using a little shutdown utility
found at the Windows Annoyances web site to prevent someone from canceling
out of the Windows logon.  Works like a charm!  If the user hits the cancel
button, the logon box will close out but then reopen, preventing the user
from using the computer until they put in the _correct_ password.  This
little utility (takes up all of around 30KB of space) can be found at <
http://www.annoyances.org/win95/win95ann3.html#24 >.  It doesn't slow up
the start up of the computer and the loading of the desktop like WinU does
(not that WinU is turtle-slow).

I had the Windows logon be the primary or first logon (via Networks in
Control Panel), then created a password for the Windows logon, then
installed the Shutdown Utility.  After install, and testing it to make sure
it worked right (important: test first before the next step), I then went
into the CMOS/BIOS and changed the boot up sequence from A, C to C, A and
then turned on the CMOS password option and implemented an administrator
password.  

An astute student employee can still remove the case, remove the CMOS
battery, wait, then restart the computer and maybe be able to bypass the
Administrator password for the CMOS that way, change the boot sequence and
then restart the computer with a boot disk and then find the shutdown
utility files and delete them (s/he would need to know that that is what
the files are called) and then reboot and get in, his/her actions would be
so noticeable to the other student employees, patrons, witnesses, and it
would take effort and time, so but most wouldn't go through all of that.
No security it 100% perfect, but I'm very pleased so far with this utility.

TTFN,
David Merchant
Systems Librarian, Louisiana Tech University
   http://www.latech.edu/tech/library/
javascript list administrator: 
   http://www.mountaindragon.com/javascript