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