Windows 7 "hidden" features: Guest Mode

[Mastermind]

Windows 7 contains a near hidden features: Guest Mode (Mode guests), which shared the major user-oriented PC, the PC was using the Child and the guests after the restore to its original configuration status. The properties can be activated on individual user accounts; when the user logs off or restart the PC, these accounts open at Guest Mode changes made after will be removed, thus restoring to its original configuration.

Guest Mode in small classrooms, libraries and other public areas of the computer useful, but it is in fact designed for home use, parents will be possible for them to configure the characteristics of the Child.

Secret: Guest Mode originally known as the PC Safeguard. I think we will think this is a bad name. To this end, we can continue to open the Guest Mode user account as a "Safeguard" account.

Tip: Do not take Guest Mode and the Guest account as same and dont get confused, they are completely different things.

Guest Mode history

Guest Mode are called by the Microsoft Shared Computer Toolkit free technology derived. The latter first appeared in 2005 on Windows XP. The software giant at the time of the program described as "the protection of shared by computer users and from non-confidence against malicious software, restrict untrusted users to use system resources, and enhance and simplify the user experience a simple and effective way." It is designed to prevent users from changing the common PC desktop settings and system settings, install malicious software and other unwanted software, or other harm to the PC behavior.

With the release of Windows Vista, Microsoft renamed the technology Windows SteadyState, and by adding new features to enhance their, including the management of the environment provided by the Group Policy support, easy security control, and other characteristics. However, Windows SteadyState and Shared Computer Toolkit, as there is a major limitation: they only support 32Bit systems.

And contrary to some reports online, Guest Mode not based on Windows SteadyState, even though they have similar functions. And Windows SteadyState different, Guest Mode, as part of the basic OS, which is higher than the level of user-oriented PC-oriented level. More precisely, Guest Mode is not a shared PC features a complete solution, it must be based on the user to manually activate or configure. It is designed for home users, rather than the company management and education environment. But he has months than SteadyState enormous advantages: Guest Mode Supported 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7.

Why use the Guest Mode?

Guest Mode will be parents in particular on the use of computer at home, hoping to use the PC as possible children and guests to create a safe user account. Restart each PC or account cancellation, at the Guest Mode to open the account all the changes will be removed, the system restore to the original (open when the Guest Mode) operation status. In addition, Microsoft also said that the characteristics of worry about inadvertently damage to your system is extremely useful to users. It also can be used at schools, libraries, and other similar environment on a public PC. Guest Mode but some of the major significance of the environment is not very big, such as companies and large educational institutions. The problem is because it does not support Group Policy (Group Policy), it is speculated that Microsoft may launch Windows 7 in the next version of Windows SteadyState to provide support in this regard.

Guest Mode Characteristics

Guest Mode will appear in all of the Windows 7 SKU, including Stater Edition, and supports 32-bit and 64-bit. It provides the following features:

* Prevent system settings has been altered
* To prevent software installation: In the Guest Mode activated state to install the software is useless, you can activate it before the installation, or disable it first, then install the software re-enable it.
* Prevent the user preset files from the hard disk write behavior outside
* Preferences file into the user data in write-off after delete

Secret: the protected user account that Windows 7 will add a new unique local user group: SafeZone.

You may have Windows 7 in the Guest Mode and the Guest account and I was puzzled by the distinction. Guest Mode Guest account can not be replaced, it is for real-time users. At guests account you can change the desktop settings, and changes made after cancellation remained.

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Guest Mode Configuration

From the perspective of user experience, Guest Mode is basically a hidden Windows 7 features, you can not search from the start menu and can not search from the control panel. In order to open the Guest Mode, first open the Control Panel, select User Accounts and Family Safety, then select the user account (shortcut: open the Start menu, click the upper right corner of the account picture), then click on "Manage another account", from the available list Select Guest Mode you want to add account.

Secret: an administrator account can not use the Guest Mode, it can only be used in a standard user account. Guest Mode to open the account must be at the sign out of state.

In the corresponding account, click Set up Guest Mode:


And there will be two options: you can turn on or turn off Guest Mode, at the same time can also choose to lock the hard disk required:


By default, open the properties for the user lock all of the local hard disk, which means that they can not open after the disk write to these files, you can choose to configure the hard disk lock (Guest Mode must be opened only after the options activation):


Secret: you can only lock internal hard drives, and external hard drives should not lock, or USB memory.

Using Guest Mode

When you use in a protected mode (open the Guest Mode) landing system account, you will find that there is some change. Pictures such as landing the account has become a cartoon character picture:


Users can change settings, create a file, use a different procedure, when they write-off, these changes will be restored and all of them just created files are deleted. Guest Mode in the use of the user can save the file to an external memory:


In fact, when you insert an external memory when the corresponding pop-up tips:


After Setup what will happen? This is impossible: Guest Mode is used to prevent users from installing new procedures. While you attempt to configure the program will also disappear with the write-off.