Deskman Classic ™ - User Guide
Problem solving, important remarks and recommendations.
Antivirus & Firewall Configuration
Make sure your firewall and antivirus software do not block Deskman, or put deskman.exe in Sandbox/Quarantine mode.
Double-check antivirus and firewall settings if:
- There are installation errors
- Deskman crashes at startup
- Restrictions do not work, even after restarting Windows
Use Strong Passwords
Protecting Deskman with a strong password is highly recommended.
Security Levels
Deskman provides you with a high number of combinations to protect your system. Press Ctrl-S to save your restrictions into a preset and manage multiple security levels. Select carefully the restrictions to be applied: higher level of security = lower system control. Make use of the included presets in case of doubt.
Systems are not protected after pressing Apply
Log off or reboot.
Safe Task Manager
Deskman includes a safe Task Manager that substitutes the Windows Task Manager. Make use of it to protect running services and applications, including Deskman, while optionally allowing users to close unresponsive apps, open new ones, or access desktop icons.
Maintenance
Administrators can disable most restrictions temporarily by pressing the Maintenance Key, disabled, by default.
Configuration Backup
Maintaining your configuration and presets is time-consuming. Backup your data from the File | Export menu.
Optimize Windows Startup
To make sure Deskman is started fast enough at Windows startup, your system should be in good shape.
- Uninstall unused programs
- Remove unused startup programs: run "msconfig.exe" and check the Startup tab
- Check your hard drive for errors from time to time
Restrictions
Some restrictions are marked with a special symbol.
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
 |
Important/recommended restriction |
 |
No-maintenance policies (see below) |
 |
Unavailable restriction—some settings need to be revised before proceeding |
No-maintenance Policies
Many policies cannot be disabled/enabled without logging off. Windows needs to reload the registry to be aware of any changes, and the registry is only reloaded at startup. They are what we call "persistent restrictions". You can view persistent restrictions by clicking the Highlight No-maintenance Policies option in the View menu.
Maintenance mode does not disable persistent restrictions. For example, if you disable the Control Panel, it will remain disabled even if you enter maintenance mode.
Avoid using persistent restrictions by enabling the Block Explorer option instead. This option — located in the Policies tab, Windows Explorer section — can be paused when entering maintenance mode and it's very effective for protecting access to Windows Explorer and Control Panel.
List of persistent restrictions:
- Desktop : "Display Properties" and "Recycle Bin Properties"
- Explorer : All of them, except for "Block Explorer" and "Main Menu".
- Internet Explorer : None. Restart Internet Explorer after making changes.
- Privacy : All of them, except for "Cut, Copy, Paste". In addition, "USB Drives" requires a full reboot to activate changes.
- Start Menu : All of them, except "Start Menu".
- System : All of them, except "Browser settings". In addition, "Disable Camera" requires a full reboot to activate changes.
- Taskbar : "Context Menu" and "Properties".
- Drives : All of them.
- Disabling Ctrl-Alt-Del is also a persistent restriction on 64bit systems and requires a full reboot or logging off to activate changes.