Q: I would like to have buttons on one of my pages which will launch the Add/Remove Programs and Display programs for changing the Windows settings, but cannot find out how to do this?

• "Add/Remove Programs" and "Display" are actually services which run under the Control Panel (Control.exe) applet, instead of being separate programs.
   
  You can, however, add a button to launch individual Control Panel windows in SecurDesk! by creating a button with the following attributes:
  • Add/Remove Programs --
    • Title field: anything you want
    • Dir/Folder field: C:\Windows\System
    • Command field: Rundll32.EXE Shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL APPWIZ.CPL
  • Display --
    • Title field: anything you want
    • Dir/Folder field: C:\Windows\System
    • Command field: Rundll32.EXE Shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL DESK.CPL
  You can run other Control Panel applets in the same way, simply by substituting the name of the .CPL file used to open the window. The .CPL files are found in the Windows\System directory folder, and although you can usually tell from the filename what each does, you can always create a button to try for the files with which you are unfamiliar.

Q: Is there any way to quickly lock my system without logging off?

• If you have set up Users' passwords in the Administration Manager (SecurDesk! full version), then you can lock your system by pressing the F10 key. Your password will need to be entered before you can continue using the system.

Q: How can I prevent an icon from showing in the Task Manager's tray area?

• To hide an icon, hold down the ALT key while clicking on the unwanted icon.
   
  Should you later decide that you wish to restore viewing the icon, you must edit your System Registry to delete the RemoveTask key found under:
  HKey_Current_User\Software\CursorArts\SecurDesk

Q: I have some very sensitive files on my portable. Is there any way to destroy these files if my system is stolen and someone tries to log-in?

• This sounds like dangerous stuff, but it can be done in SecurDesk! 3.1 or later. You might rather simply encrypt these files. However, if nothing less than deleting the files will do, here is how you could accomplish this:
   
  First, you must create a new desktop file (use Desktop/New from the menu). This desktop will be loaded when a user types in an incorrect login password. This desktop can simply display a message, or it can automatically run buttons (placed on its "StartUp" page). In your situation, you would create a button on the "StartUp" page and use the "Delete/Wipe File" Action Script to erase the files you wish to eliminate. You might also want to place a brief message on the main screen (perhaps something like "Please wait while menu loads."). Click on "Exit Setup" to save your new desktop, then IMMEDIATELY use Desktop/Open to return your normal desktop. IMPORTANT: If you leave this desktop open when you shut down your system, you will be unable to re-enter your system without erasing the selected files.
   
  Now that you are back in your normal open the Administration Manager. Click on the "Misc." tab and under the Invalid User section, set the number of times you wish the user to be able to try to log-in with an invalid password (use "1" if you do not want users to have a second chance). Checkmark the "Allow access using" option and select the desktop you just created. If you wish the files to be overwritten (instead of merely deleted), you must have the "Wipe Files" option set in SecurDesk!'s File Manager (Options/Set Preferences/Confirm Actions). It goes without saying that you run the risk of accidentally deleting these files, so be certain to have a backup available.
   
  Note: other users can use this same technique to simply display warning messages, run other software (perhaps to alert you to the invalid log-in attempt), etc. The user who attempts to login is given a very low Security Level, and only any controls which you place on the desktop will be able to be accessed.

Q: How can I switch between SecurDesk! and the normal Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000 or XP desktops?

• You can create a button within SecurDesk! to change between these types of environments:
  1. Click SecurDesk!'s Desktop menu and select "Setup;"
  2. Use the Button tool to drag out a button or icon;
  3. A dialog box will appear, which will allow you to configure the button. Click to enable the "Software" option at the top of the dialog, then type in a Title (e.g., "Switch Desktops");
  4. Place the cursor into the Command field, then click the Action Scripts button;
  5. From the listing, select System Access, then select Switch between the SecurDesk! desktop and Windows. This will place <SWITCHSHELL> into the Command field;
  6. If you wish, you can configure the color, shape and icon for the button using the tabs at the bottom of the dialog.
  Important Note: if you have removed or encrypted the Windows Explorer.Exe desktop shell, then you need to use a different method. The above method should only be used in those situations where you have not restricted access to Explorer.exe. See this topic for instructions on switching desktops where access to Explorer.Exe has been limited or removed.

Q: I am using SecurDesk! on several systems, and would like to allow some users access to a few of the items on the Control Panel? I do not want other users to be able to change these settings, however. How can I limit what appears on the Control Panel?

• You can prevent certain users from accessing certain Control Panel items in several ways under SecurDesk!. Try this method on one of your Control Panel items to see if it will work for you:
  1. Run the SecurDesk! Administration Manager program;
  2. Click on the Encryption tab;
  3. Click on the "+" button;
  4. In the File Type: field, type *.CPL and press Enter;
  5. Navigate to the C:\Windows\System folder;
  6. Select one of the CPL files (example: use ACCESS.CPL to limit access to the Accessibility options) then click on the OK button;
  7. The file will be added to the list of files which are automatically encrypted for some users;
  8. Click on the file name in the list to highlight it;
  9. Specify a password in the Encryption Password field;
  10. Finally, use the Security Level field to specify the minimum security clearance required to decrypt this file (e.g., specifying 500 will allow only those users who have been assigned a Security Level of 500 or higher to access the file).
  When a user with the proper Security Level clearance logs onto the machine, only those items which he or she is allowed to use will be automatically decrypted and will be shown on the Control Panel. Other users will not see these items.
   
  You may also limit access to the entire Control Panel by editing desktop icons and File Manager options to hide this function from various groups of users. You should also hide the Windows and System directories from users who you do not wish to access system settings.

Q: How do I make a file span multiple disks?

• In SecurDesk!'s File Manager, select the file (or group of files) which you wish to split. Next, click on the "Disk" menu and select "Split files across drive...". The resulting dialog will allow you to select the size of each piece of the file(s) and the name of the self-running EXE used to assemble the pieces. Once you have selected the options, click on the "Split" button. Your information will be written to your drive split into sequential files (e.g., if you called your file BOB.EXE, the files written would consist of BOB.EXE, BOB.001, BOB.002, BOB.003, etc.). You can then copy these files onto diskettes or whatever. This feature is great for doing a quick "installation" program or transferring large files to another computer.

General: How can I prevent the use of CTRL+C during booting on my machine?

• Use either Notepad, or the Text Editor in SecurDesk!'s file manager, to open the file CONFIG.SYS (this is located in root directory folder on your C: drive).
   
  Insert a new line at the top of this file, and type the following into that line:
  BREAK=OFF
   
  Finally, save the changed file and reboot your system.