making it so applications can't be installed

[yawnmoth]

I'm trying to make it so that applications can't be installed on
Windows XP machines and am having some difficulty figuring out how to
do this. I tried making it so the machines would be logged in under
Guest accounts (as opposed to administrative ones), but I'm still able
to install such applications as BitTorrent.

I got a "some features are blocked by windows firewall" when
installing the application, but I don't know what these features are
and I'm somewhat dubious, anyway, since, as far as I know, the Windows
Firewall doesn't block outgoing connections (only unsolicited incoming
ones).

Any ideas?

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I'm trying to make it so that applications can't be installed on
Windows XP machines and am having some difficulty figuring out how
to do this. I tried making it so the machines would be logged in
under Guest accounts (as opposed to administrative ones), but I'm
still able to install such applications as BitTorrent.

I got a "some features are blocked by windows firewall" when
installing the application, but I don't know what these features are
and I'm somewhat dubious, anyway, since, as far as I know, the
Windows Firewall doesn't block outgoing connections (only
unsolicited incoming ones).

If the applications install only under the user's profile (and many are
being written to do this) then people will be able to install them.

Also there are 'portable apps' - so those applications don't even have to be
installed to be ran - if they can access whatever media the application is
on - they can usually run the application.

I personally recommend less time worrying over what the user can run and
more time just limiting what they can do to the entire machine. Giving them
User rights (or even Guests rights as you say you have done) limits them
fantastically - in as far as their ability to harm the machine overall. If
they harm their own profile - just erase everything and make them start anew
each time they do it. Their bad - consequences are a new profile. ;-)

 

[JS]

If you have a test machine you can use, what I would do is to install an
application (that you don't want others to install)
and make note of the registry entries (Example:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Adobe\Photoshop) it creates.
There will be entries under the Photoshop key but you can ignore these.

Now that you know the reg key as mentioned above you can create a .reg file
that creates this key on a user's PC.
Then set the permissions (by user groups) to 'Deny' access.
Now when the user goes to install the application, the install will try to
add/create the
necessary subkeys (below the 'Photoshop' entry you added) and fail.

Note: I have not tried this but it should work.
The downside is you need to do this on an application by application basis
and
that could create a list of applications far too large to be practical.
If on the other hand it's just one or two applications you are
trying to block it just may work, except on those 'portable apps' that
Shenan mentioned.

JS

 

[HeyBub]

I'm trying to make it so that applications can't be installed on
Windows XP machines and am having some difficulty figuring out how to
do this. I tried making it so the machines would be logged in under
Guest accounts (as opposed to administrative ones), but I'm still able
to install such applications as BitTorrent.

I got a "some features are blocked by windows firewall" when
installing the application, but I don't know what these features are
and I'm somewhat dubious, anyway, since, as far as I know, the Windows
Firewall doesn't block outgoing connections (only unsolicited incoming
ones).

Any ideas?

What's the name of the Microsoft program that puts everything back the way
it was?

Ah, yes. "Steady State"

Check it out:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...2d-93e9-4b02-bd95-9d770ccdb431&DisplayLang=en