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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):
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POLEDIT is NOT included in
the options of the
Windows Setup
program, so select the
button "Have Disk.." |
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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" |
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Browse your CD-ROM:
tools\reskit\netadmin
\poledit. |
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Accept the path
to the directory,
from where the s/w
will be installed
(in this example:Win95) |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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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