Windows, Firewall & Unknown Program
 

Ok, I need to run a few programs on a college PC.

Thing is there is a firewall that I can't turn off without a password, and some piece of software or something that deletes any changes made to the computer upon restart.

I think I may have solved the firewall problem (I just messed with the registry and corrupted the program files), now I just need to disable the feature that deletes all the files upon restart.

Any ideas?? And don't worry, i'm not doing anything bad, I just can't install certain webcam drivers and stuff without a restart, which then deleted the installed drivers.. so.

That app is probably running as a service, I'd try to find its name [the service name] and then booting from the install CD to use the recovery console, you can disable services with RC using the disable command [assuming you're running Win2k/XP]

If it's a remotely-adminned box, you're unlikely to find an answer at all, I'm afraid. If you don't have administrator priveleges to a system, it shouldn't be letting you install drivers.

No, I can install the drivers fine, it's just that I have to reboot for them to work properly and take effect. But of course, if I reboot, everything is erased..

Is this done with hardware, or software?

The hardware is probably set up to reinstall everything from the network on restart, at least this is what I've seen before. It could be a BIOS setting. It could also be software.

What would it be under bios? Maybe I could disable it while i'm here - then just turn it back on when I am done...

Because i've noticed a couple of these PC's in the past have not erased. I had a poker client on this one PC for like 4 weeks. So it must be possible.

Try one of those then! Seriously, there's countless ways of achieving this, I have no idea what it would be.

And kudos if your username is an et9/Blueprint reference. And if it's not that's a hell of a coincidence...

Yeah, but they've already been fixed.

What do you mean about that second bit? About my name?

Yeah, there's a couple of bands in the UK called "earthtone9" and "The Blueprint". earthtone9's singer formed The Blueprint when et9 split up, and et9 had a song called "ni9e - this is the sound". Although you say "N9ne", it's quite the coincidence. :)

Whoah.. way off.

The whold name has to do with hip-hop/rap.

Blueprint originally came from Jay Z (he had two records with the name, "The Blueprint, Blueprint2") and n9ne well.. if you can't figure out what the number 9 and rap have in common, God help you.. :p

9 and rap shouldn't have anything in common, in my opinion, but I know the reference. That is an unbelievable coincidence!

It is. :weird:

The way that everything is reset upon a reboot is a piece of software most likely. Every single computer on the network at my school is running it, It's called Clean Slate, by a company called Fortres Grand.

i think you have some virus

:blah: No virus, yenerich. It's done deliberatley by the school.

Try checking your HD for another partition. At my school, it boots to a Linux partition that will redo the main Windows partition if necesary.

Would that name have any reference to Tech N9ne? If so :up:

use teh secret winxp admin login : ADMINISTRATOR, no pass.
it should work on any comp with xp

Not really. If they are smart, they will have password protected. I just use the admin account (password protected) to prevent this.

ummmm that account doesn't even exist on my comp and it works (yeah no pass) it's a failsafe so you can always log onto your own comp as admin

The installer prompts you for an Admin password, no? Certainly did for me. Administrator exists on all XP machines unless you specifically delete it, and is used for various purposes. It's generally hidden, though. It's definately password-protected on my system, and I didn't do anything outwith of the XP installation mechanism.

If it's not password-protected, and you want it to be, log in to it (you'll probably have to use the "classic" login screen, since the shiny one hides it unless you tell it to show it), then use the usual password-change mechanism, which I'm not sure how to do if the Windows Security screen (ctrl-alt-delete, although that usually brings up task manager) is disabled.

Yep :up:

It goes straight to a network logon. So you can't use F8 at boot like a normal system..

It's also a failsafe way for anyone else who wants to to log onto your comp as admin...
unless you put a freakin' password on it.:p

Yeah it's funny, cause I know people who think that there little Windows logon password keeps me off their computers..

Even stores, libraries and school PC's.

Pressing F8 when you boot on most XP systems can get you on no problem.

Just logon as Admin, create a new account, restart and use that account.

Then of course delete it an nobody is wise to your misdeeds :)