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SteadyState: How to roll back your Windows XP computer to “Square One” — Just by rebooting.
Microsoft’s free application, SteadyState, is a way to quickly “undo” many problems that can develop as a result of spyware infections, people installing software that “breaks” other software, etc. It’s perfect for that spare PC that you’ve set up for the kids. Perhaps your parents are using a computer for the first time, and you are their computer support person. In any case, install SteadyState, set up a user account, and configure Windows Disk Protection.
Now, your “user” can surf the web, email, and do whatever they need to do. If they run into problems, simply rebooting the computer will undo any software issues, and they are back up and running.
Windows Disk Protection “freezes” a single drive letter (like C:, for example). Users can store document files on another drive, so that documents will not “disappear” after a reboot. This drive could be a different physical hard drive, or you could partition a single physical drive into (for example) C: and D: drives.
Steve Gibson’s Security Now! podcast provides an excellent overview of how SteadyState works.
SteadyState’s Windows Disk Protection essentially provides the same functionality as the commercial product DeepFreeze (from Faronics), which currently costs US$45.
SteadyState is currently available for Windows XP and Vista. Download link.
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