Windows SteadyState runs on genuine copies of Windows XP Professional,
Windows XP Home Edition, and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. And, Windows
SteadyState is offered at no charge to Windows Genuine Advantage
customers!

Validation Required
Before Windows SteadyState can be installed, you are required to
validate that your computer is running genuine Microsoft Windows. As
described in the privacy statement,
Microsoft will not use the information collected during the validation
process to identify or contact you. By running genuine Microsoft
Windows®, you can download and install Windows SteadyState, as well as
enable certain product features and obtain non-security updates and
product support from Microsoft. For more information, see the Windows Genuine Advantage Web site.

SteadyState Helps Make it Easier to Manage Your Shared Computers
Shared computers are commonly found in schools, Internet and gaming
cafés, libraries, and community centers. It is increasingly common for
owners, teachers, or non-technical personnel to manage shared computers
in addition to their many other responsibilities.

Managing shared computers can be difficult, technically challenging,
time-consuming, and expensive. And what’s more, without system
restrictions and protections, users can inadvertently change the
desktop appearance, reconfigure system settings, and introduce unwanted
software, viruses, and other harmful programs. Repairing damaged shared
computers can require significant time and effort.

User privacy is also an issue for shared computer environments. Shared
computers often use shared user accounts that make Internet history,
saved documents, and cached Web pages available to subsequent users.

Windows SteadyState provides a more effective way to help defend shared
computers from changes by untrusted users and unwanted software
installations. It can also help safeguard system resources.

What’s New in Windows SteadyState
Windows SteadyState
includes many new features and enhanced capabilities. Windows
SteadyState is not simply a redesign of the Shared Computer Toolkit; we
listened to you, our customers, to better understand how we could
provide a solution that could really help you manage and maintain your
shared computer environments.

It’s Easier to Use

• Easier to set up – Installation has been simplified and the
  improved Windows Disk Protection feature in Windows SteadyState does
  not require repartitioning.
• Easier to use –
  • The Windows SteadyState UI has been redesigned to help make common tasks easier to manage from one location.
  • With simplified user restriction settings, you can choose a High, Medium, or Low restriction level for each user account.
  • Windows SteadyState enables you to import and export user accounts from one computer to another.
  • Ongoing support efforts include a fully-revised Windows SteadyState
    Handbook (included in both PDF and XPS formats), updated Help content
    included with the download, new online demos, and the new Windows
    SteadyState Community Web site.

It’s More Secure for You and Your Users

• Increased Protection for All Users – Windows SteadyState
  includes more Windows and program feature restrictions, as well as
  support for Windows Update. Windows SteadyState also enables you to
  restrict user access to local programs.
• Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) – There are significant
  risks to running a non-genuine copy of Windows. Only genuine Windows
  customers are able to receive Windows product downloads, Windows
  updates other than security-related updates, and special offers.
  Windows SteadyState requires that your copy of Windows is genuine
  before installation. For more information, please visit the Windows
  Genuine Advantage Web site.

Features Included with Windows SteadyState
Windows SteadyState includes the following features to help you manage your shared computers:

• Getting Started – Provides the initial steps to help you during your first time use of Windows SteadyState.
• Windows Disk Protection – Help protect the Windows
  partition, which contains the Windows operating system and other
  programs, from being modified without administrator approval. Windows
  Disk Protection helps protect the Windows operating system and all
  files on the computer from permanent change. Any changes made by shared
  users when they are logged on to the computer are removed when the
  computer is restarted. Windows SteadyState allows you to set Windows
  Disk Protection to remove all changes upon restart, to remove changes
  at a certain date and time, or to not remove changes at all.
• User Restrictions and Settings – The user restrictions and
  settings can help to enhance and simplify the user experience. Restrict
  user access to programs, settings, Start menu items, and options in
  Windows XP. You can also lock shared user accounts to prevent changes
  from being retained from one session to the next.
• User Account Manager – Create and delete user accounts. You
  can use Windows SteadyState to create user accounts on alternative
  drives that will retain user data and settings even when Windows Disk
  Protection is turned on. You can also import and export user settings
  from one computer to another—saving valuable time and resources.
• Computer Restrictions – Control security settings, privacy
  settings, and more, such as preventing users from creating and storing
  folders in drive C and from opening Microsoft Office documents from
  Internet Explorer®.