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Installation of Win95/98 System Policy Editor (POLEDIT)

While WindowsNT enforces permissions (you need to have a proper user-right to be able to perform certain activities), Windows95 and Windows98 still operate using the old DOS-PC rules: "The user is knows, what he is doing, and is allowed to do whatever he like to do on his system".

That can cause in a professional environment some problems, when multiple persons work on the same system. To implement some (maybe a lot) restrictions, Windows 95/98 includes a utility called:
"
System Policy Editor" (POLEDIT), which allows to edit easily the Windows Registry to define such limitations (example: Enforcing Network Login or No File and Printer Sharing):

POLEDIT is NOT included in
the options of the
Windows Setup
program, so select the
button "Have Disk.."

Browse your
Windows95 CD-ROM:
admin\apptools\poledit
If you have a Windows95 version on floppy disks, then POLEDIT
is NOT included, but you can download it from
http://www.microsoft.com/msdownload/default.htm and then
follow the link to "Windows95 Shareware and Utilities"
 

Browse your CD-ROM:
tools\reskit\netadmin
\poledit.
Accept the path
to the directory,
from where the s/w
will be installed
(in this example:Win95)
Select the option:
"System Policy Editor"


You can access the "System Policy Editor" now via the Start-Menu
under: "Accessories / System Tools / System Policy Editor":



WARNING:

The "System Policy Editor" makes modifications to
your Windows Registry !
And if you are not careful, you can destroy your
Registry, corrupting your Windows installation !
And once your Registry is corrupted, don't ask me
for my help, I can give you only ONE advise:
"Re-install Windows ! "


Therefore,
BEFORE making modifications to your Registry (i.e. before using POLEDIT) , make a BACKUP copy of your Registry (there are multiple methods to do that, I usually follow this procedure):

Restart your system in MS-DOS-Mode
(calling up a DOS-Box is NOT sufficient for this job ! )

DOS-command: Explanation:
CD \WINDOWS  
DIR *.DAT /ah this should list your registry files "SYSTEM.DAT" and
"USER.DAT" (if you have user-profiles activates,
there will be multiple USER-files)
ATTRIB -r -s -h SYSTEM.DAT
ATTRIB -r -s -h USER.DAT
Make the registry files accessible
MD REGBACK make a directory to store the files
COPY SYSTEM.DAT REGBACK
COPY USER.DAT REGBACK
make a backup copy of your registry files
WIN restart the Windows GUI


In case you have problems and need to restore your old Registry:

Operation: Explanation:
restart your system  

wait for the message:
"Starting Windows95", then press the F8-key

During booting, hold down the "Shift"-key
(or is it the "Ctrl"-key ?)
get to the Windows Boot menu
   
Select the boot-option: "Command Prompt only" The system should then NOT start up the
Windows GUI, but just DOS-7, getting
the old DOS-prompt : "C:>"
CD \WINDOWS  
ATTRIB -r -s -h *.DAT make the registry accessible
COPY REGBACK copy back the original Registry
Files (allow to overwrite)
Reboot your system again  

 

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