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I am wondering if it is possible in both Windows Vista & Windows 7 to block everything but Internet Explorer, as well as block downloading? I am trying to set up a computer in a kiosk terminal for people waiting for the Greyhound buses, so that they may browse the internet whilst they wait.

Is this possible? I know how to block downloading, via parental safety options - but that only works on Internet Explorer, so I'm assuming that is what my customers will have to browse with.

Ben Pilbrow
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VirInvictus
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  • You're better off with going with a linux-based kiosk. This might prove helpful: http://idotmind.com/public-use-debian-computer-how-to/ – laebshade Jul 24 '11 at 13:31

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With respect, if 'parental safety options' are how you manage web browsers then I fear this may be a little out of your league. For system admin purposes controlling a browser via the 'parental safety options' is a bit like taking a knife to a gunfight. And the knife's blunt. And you forgot it and actually don't have anything.

I'd personally question the wisdom of using IE for this kind of thing - even though my personal desktop OS preferences are windows and mac OS X, this would be a great project for a locked down browser on Linux imho.

But in any case, as you mention using IE on windows - you'll probably want to create a guest-level account to run this browser under, create a customised install of IE using the Internet Explorer Administration Kit (aka IEAK) and use group (if in a domain) or local system (if in a workgroup) policies to further refine both computer and browser settings.

You'll then want to consider how to have it both run on login and re-start if it crashes or the user stops it somehow (possibly replacing the shell with IE).

Rob Moir
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  • Well, I'm merely limited as to what I can accomplish. I was given a task to set up the Vista computer to merely block downloads and only allow browsing on the computer (one of which is running Vista while the other runs 7). I agree completely with the linux statement - and that is what I'd normally use in such a situation, but the person who needs the job done refuses to allow it. So I'm stuck in a foreign environment, really. Never even knew one could block downloads, though searching for an answer got me the parental safety options, which didn't block Opera or Chrome... So I'm stuck. – VirInvictus Jul 24 '11 at 12:34
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You can create a Non-Administrators local group policy to control whatever settings you need to control for Non-Administrator users of the computer.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc766291(WS.10).aspx

joeqwerty
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