Welcome - System Security Manager

What are user accounts anyway?
The Windows operating systems XP and 2000 allow you to create multiple user accounts to which you can assign different access rights. This will make it possible for you to, for example, create a guest account on your system in addition to your own administrator account. You can then for instance allow a friend to use this account to log on to your system without running the risk of endangering your personal data because he or she will not be able to gain full access to your computer when logged on under this guest account.

If you created more than one user account, all of these accounts will be displayed on the screen after bootup. The user can then log on to the limited account entering the password assigned to it. As a limited user, he or she will then only be able to use those features and files made accessible to the limited user account.

What is the Security Manager there for?
In the course of installing SiteKiosk, the InstallShield Wizard will automatically create a user account called "SiteKiosk". Since assigning all individual access rights is extremely difficult and time consuming even for experienced users, the Security Manager (only available under XP/2000) will assist you and make this process a whole lot easier for you.

Shareware Note:

Please note that you will not be able to change the Security Manager's default settings until you have registered SiteKiosk.

General Information

Only Administrators are allowed to alter configurations
If you want to modify settings in SiteKiosk's configuration or in the Security System Manager, you will have to be logged on as a user with unlimited administrative rights. Thus, log off as "SiteKiosk Restricted User" and log on as administrator to alter the settings.

Logging off from your SiteKiosk user account
To log off, you can click on "Logout" in SiteKiosk's "logout navigation". If you run WinXP, you can also log off by clicking Start/Logout provided you did not turn on the option "Hide Logout" under "policies". Under Windows 2000, you can press CTRL-ALT-DEL to open the logon dialog box.

Cancel autologon process
You can cancel the autologon process by holding down the SHIFT key. However, you might have to unlock the keyboard first in case you (for understandable reasons) locked it beforehand.
Should you only see a logon screen that doesn't give you any further logon information, reboot WindowsXP in Safe Mode. After rebooting in Safe Mode, you should not have any difficulties solving this problem.

Changing the security settings takes extremely long
Changing user rights to the account "SiteKiosk" can, indeed, take several minutes. This is mainly because read/write access rights have to be modified for all the directories on your hard drive.

Access to file manager (Explorer) can be granted
Don't have any second thoughts about allowing your users to use the Microsoft Explorer because the Security Manager will make sure that all critical functions are disabled.

Don't confuse My Documents (SiteKiosk) with My Documents (admin)
By default, the Security Manager will release the folder "My Documents" under SiteKiosk (user files) for read/write access to files. This means that users will be able to save files to this folder and open them in other applications.
When you define the file system rights, make sure you only release the folder My Documents of the SiteKiosk user rather than the one of the admin account.

Uninstalling SiteKiosk and user account
When you uninstall SiteKiosk, the SiteKiosk user account will be uninstalled as well. Please note that the uninstall process may take several minutes because, just like with the definition of the access rights, all user rights will have to be properly uninstalled.

Save SiteKiosk .skcfg files to SiteKiosk folder Config
In order to make sure that your users won't be able to attach any .skcfg files to their e-mails, you should save all your SiteKiosk configuration files to the folder Config located in SiteKiosk's installation directory.

Automatically delete files created by the user
You can have SiteKiosk automatically delete all files that users created on your terminals. You will find the corresponding settings for this option in SiteKiosk's configuration tool under "Downloads".
You should generally only grant read/write access to the folder "My Documents" of the user account SiteKiosk.

Security risk through USB memory sticks or other removable storage drives
As long as you make the ports of your computer accessible to them, users will be able to plug in disk drives, memory sticks or any other removable memory media that they might have. This fact represents a security risk because users might try and execute tools or programs stored on these media.
If you want to prevent users from accessing the data stored on these storage drives, open SiteKiosk's configuration tool and turn on the option "Lock workstation when removable disk is attached" under the category "Access".

Caution: Hard drive with FAT file system
In Windows you can choose between two kinds of hard drive formatting: NTFS and FAT
Only if you format your disk using the NTFS files system will you be able to assign specific user rights to every single file. When launched, the Security Manager will caution you if you applied the FAT format because FAT-formatted drives present a security risk.

With this command you can convert FAT-formatted file systems into an NTFS file system WITHOUT running the danger of losing any data stored on your hard drive:
CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS

The actual converting takes place in most cases during the next system boot. You will usually find more information on the command CONVERT with the command:
CONVERT /?

BIOS Settings

settings..»

Manage Configurations

Reset to default configuration (maximum protection)

Load unrestricted profile (regular Windows user)
Click on this link to reset the settings for the user account "SiteKiosk" to its default values. These rights will then be restored to the values they had before you applied the settings by clicking on the "OK" button.

You will need this option whenever you want to install applications that will automatically create a user when launched for the first time. Microsoft's Winword, for example, requires you to launch the application at least once under an unlimited user account before you can use it when logged on as a limited user. Otherwise, you will receive an endless number of error messages.

Thus, if you already assigned limited rights to the SiteKiosk account, you can use this option to revert the process.

Import settings
Use this function to import the settings you have exported previously.

Export settings (.swcfg)
This function allows you to export the settings you applied. You might find this function useful, for example, if you want to use your settings on several different computers. The extension of these files is: .swcfg

Notes On The SiteKiosk Configuration Tool

Allow HTTP Post File Uploads
If you want to allow your users to attach files to their e-mails, you should turn off the checkbox "Block HTTP post file uploads" under Access.

Entries under Windows & Dialogs
Some entries for the 'Windows & Dialogs' section will become redundant when you launch SiteKiosk on a limited user account because they will, for example, prevent the opening and saving of files.
However, you will not have to go back to the list and make any manual changes because SiteKiosk will disable the corresponding entries automatically.

Notes and tips:

You will find the most important notes and tips under General Information.