The Advanced Security Desktop   Safe4Win

Safe4Win is probably the most Advanced Security Desktop (login protection system 
and user shell) for PC's using Windows 95/98/NT or workstations in a (Novell or 
NT) network and completes or substitutes the standard Windows features and/or 
user shell. Safe4Win is a fully 32 bit application and supports the TCP/IP 
protocol in its client/server version.

The first and basic aim of this product is to control any user -identified 
through compulsory and unique user names and passwords- by different kinds of 
restrictions not provided by the standard shells of Windows. 

To an administrator Safe4Win offers tremendous possibilities of configuring 
Windows individually for each user level; e.g. powerful restrictions for 
inexperienced users to avoid bad settings of  the Windows OS, restrictions to 
unwanted file and application areas, etc. On the other hand this desktop 
simplifies the handling of Windows by reducing and/or harmonizing the accessible 
Window settings and applications for selected or all defined users.

Only users with defined user name (includes password) are able to boot and login 
into the Windows OS. 

Safe4Win comes with its own user shell much simpler to use than the MS Explorer 
and very save against misuse, but also allows to run the standard Windows shell 
(Explorer) after successfully passing the unique login procedure.

Safe4Win comes also with a huge amount of additional features like e.g. time and 
application limited access to Windows, which (partly) may be very useful to 
control different user groups like pupils in schools, children at home or 
changing users of shared PC's in all kinds of business fields.

The product is distributed  in two versions: as

-  a PC/workstation application     and -  a client/server application, 

but the client/server version can also work on a stand alone PC as well.


1. Installation

The complete software is provided as a self extracting file "s4winst.exe"  
fitting to one 1,44 Mb diskette. By executing the file named s4winst.exe  the 
setup program automatically guides the user through the installation procedure. 
The installation of the PC/workstation version contains three main steps:

- license agreement - choosing a home directory for all users - creating users 
currently already registered in Windows

Finally the setup informs about the (automatic and compulsory)  creation of the 
user for the first login under the installed Advanced Security Desktop Safe4Win. 
This user is called "admin" and his password is "admin", too. After the first 
login we strongly recommend to change the "admin" password. 

Now the Advanced Security Desktop Safe4Win  is already controlling the user's 
login and  works as the default Windows shell.


2. Functions of Safe4Win 
__________________________________________________________________ 
note: *    
this functions is also accessible by clicking the right mouse button 
** 
if a user has no administrator rights, some of these functions or buttons may be 
invisible and disabled. 
_____________________________________________________________________________

After starting Safe4Win its main window offers (only) to the administrator the 
following functions handled with buttons. Beginning from the top there are:


2a.  Admin configuration ** 

(The Administrator can use all the Safe4Win functions and therefore it is 
absolutely necessary that the person acting as the administrator must have good 
knowledge and qualifications of the Windows system!!!)

* Run program: 	 allows to run applications which were installed under Windows

* Explorer:		 allows to run the standard Microsoft Explorer as 
Windows shell and additionally Safe4Win is located as icon on the Task Bar

* Setup: 		gives access to the  configuration of users and the 
desktop properties (see also chapter 2b)

* Add application:	 allows to add applications to the Safe4Win application 
list  *

* Exit Security 	finishes Safe4Win offering three different ways for it: 
Desktop:        Shutdown of the system, Log off, and Restart the system. 


2b.  Function "Setup"

Using this button the user will see a dialog box containing the following 
options:

* Clear History:	 	clears the history of launched programs (see 
also "Run program" in chapter 2a)

* Change password: 	allows to change the password of users

* Users:		  	presents the list of users who are currently 
registered under Safe4Win and allows to configure these users (see chapter 2c)

* Customize desktop: 	allows to customize the desktop configuration of 
Safe4Win. It contains color and background settings as well as the main setting 
of the style of Window (see also chapter 2d) 

* View list as:		allows to change the display mode of the application 
list containing all programs to be launched by the actual user

* Show task bar/ 		allows to create a task bar at the bottom of all 
desktops Hide task bar:               or on the other hand -when task bar is 
displayed- this button allows to hide it. This Safe4Win task bar is the 
substitute of the Microsoft             Explorer task bar and offers the same 
functionality.


2c.  Function "Users"

Using this button a dialog box is shown containing all Safe4Win users and a list 
of the "user operation" buttons.

* New:	allows to create a new user under Safe4Win

* Edit:	 allows to edit the properties, rights and restrictions of the selected 
user (see chapter 2e)

* Delete:	 allows to delete the selected user from the Safe4Win user list

* Copy:	 allows to copy all properties, rights and properties of an existing 
user to another one. In fact this operation creates a new user by copying the 
settings of an existing one.

* Rename:	allows to rename the selected user


2d.   Function "Customize desktop"

This function allows to customize the desktop and the appearance of the main 
window. The function is quite complex and offers a lot of possibilities to 
create individual  Safe4Win designs.

* Image settings:	allows to choose the background appearance (e.g. by 
bitmap files). The special window allows to see which bitmap you have selected.

* Color settings:	this dialog is the alternative to "Image settings" and 
allows to choose the background, foreground and font colors

* Show command	 allows to configure some kind of the  main desktop view of 
Safe4Win. buttons:                It is possible to hide or show some function 
buttons of the main window. (see chapter 2a).

* Show window 	allows to show or hide the main window caption. caption: 		
When the user has administrator rights he can display the system menu (while 
clicking the right mouse button on the main window caption), which contains some 
administration tools (see chapter 2f)

* Full screen	allows to display the main window as a full desktop. 

Tip: 	If the user chooses "Full screen", the task bar to be displayed and 
defines a bitmap as background, the Safe4Win desktop is looking like the 
standard Windows Explorer shell.

* Randomize 	allows that the desktop bitmap is randomly created images on 
start:


2e.  Function "Edit" (of dialog "Users")

This is a large and complex function which contains the settings and rights of 
all users. After pushing the button "Edit" a dialog box is shown which contains 
four sheets.

* Sheet "General":	 	this contains the basic user information and 
user rights (see chapter 2g)

* Sheet "Applications":	this contains the application list which the 
administrator commonly uses to give access rights for applications allowed for 
using. Additionally the administrator can copy all shortcuts from the desktop, 
too. All icons have the context menu *, which contains the time restriction 
table (see chapter 2h)

* Sheet "Login time":	defines time restrictions for a user. Safe4Win may limit 
the time a user is allowed to work on this computer. This point has the same 
functionality as the "time restrictions for applications" (see chapter 2h). The 
minimal time interval is 15 min.

* Sheet "Private folders":	allows to give a user one or more (unique) 
private folders.


2f.  Administrative tools of the main window system menu

This tools are only available for the administrator !!!

* Uninstall Advanced	allows completely to remove Safe4Win from the system 
Security Desktop:

* Update Advanced 	allows to UPDATE the installed version of Safe4Win from 
Security Desktop:           any older version to the newest.	

* Create deinstallation	this function creates a special deinstallation diskette 
diskette:                          which may also be used as the boot diskette.

2g.  User rights

The Administrator can change the user rights placed in a special tree view 
inside the dialog named "User Edit" (see chapter 2e).

The rights of this tree are from the top (some items are automatically selected 
on the tree, signed by "+"):

*  Admin rights:		The user is given administrator rights, which 
means rights to access all Safe4Win functions

* Run applications (+): 	 the user gets the right for launching 
applications

* Change password (+):	the user gets the right for a password change

* Shutdown of the		the user gets the right for the shutdown of the 
Windows OS system (+):

* Application		the user can add/remove the application list list change 
(+):

* Customize desktop (+):	the user gets the right for all Safe4Win desktop 
changes

* Run Explorer Shell (+):	the user gets the right for launching the MS 
Explorer Shell

* System settings:		allows a few restrictions for the MS Explorer 
Shell 

* Hide disks:		this option allows to hide disks from the user

* Net settings disabled:	this option allows to disable the first sheet of 
the Network settings dialog which disables the global network settings

* Net identifications	this option disables the second sheet of the Network 
disabled:			properties dialog named "Net identifications" 
which disables this network settings

* Net access check		this option disables the third sheet of the 
Network disabled:			properties dialog

* DOS programs		this option restricts to run DOS programs disabled:

* MS DOS mode	 	this option disables the MS-DOS mode of MS Windows 
disabled:

* Printer settings		this option disable the global printer settings 
and the user disabled:			cannot add/remove or configure any 
printer

* System settings	 	this option disables the system settings of the 
Control Panel disabled:

* Task manager settings	this option disables the task bar settings disabled:

* Application launching	this option disables the possibility to run applications 
disabled:			from Menu Start - Run

* Find elements		this option disables the possibility to find some 
elements disabled: 			in the MS Explorer

* Executable files		by this option the user cannot execute any 
application disabled:			from the MS Windows Explorer. Only 
applications from the Safe4Win program lists are available


The following options disable the global display configurations:

* Display settings disabled * Screen saver settings disabled * Desktop 
appearance settings disabled * Background settings disabled 


Special User rights:

These are optional rights/settings for users:

* Explorer as 		this option defines the MS Explorer Shell as the default 
default Shell:   		Windows shell (instead of the Safe4Win shell). 
(But all settings of Safe4Win are active!)

* Execute autostart	this option enables to execute the autostart folder       
section after login:

* Disabled login:		if this option is selected the user cannot login 
into Safe4Win

* Multiple Login:		if this option is selected the user cannot login 
several times into Safe4Win


2h.   Time/Application restrictions

This dialog allows to set time restrictions for the user's login/applications. 
The dialog contains two choices of restrictions: as by

- weekday       and        - hours

The default setting has no time/application restriction.

The administrator may change this settings for some reasons (e.g. to control the 
accessible application(s) during a school lesson or to limit the children's 
allowance to login to the Internet by the parents). 

The minimal time interval is 15 minutes (normal school breaks). If the time 
limit is reached the Advanced Security Desktop Safe4Win automatically shuts down 
the restricted applications or shuts down the system, but firstly presents the 
user a warning giving him approximately 5 minutes to close the applications and 
save his work to  the disk or another media. The Advanced Security Desktop 
Safe4Win	     		


3. Deinstallation of Safe4Win: To uninstall the Advanced Security Desktop 
Safe4Win from your computer please proceed as follows (only possible with 
administrator right): a) move the mouse cursor on the title bar of the main menu 
and click the right mouse button b) you get the additional "Administration 
Tools" menu (see also chapter 2f)) c) choose the "Safe4Win - Deinstallation" 
item

Safe4Win and all user settings will be removed completely from your PC. After 
the next reboot your Windows will be available as "normal" including the
standard Windows shell.