Q: (from Kim)
"I demo’d the Talker for him and was explaining the nuance of locking down the computer functionality to make it an exclusive AC device.
He said there is a quick Microsoft program designed for XP that does just that."
A:
The technology is called Windows Steady State and is designed as a free add-on for Windows XP. It locks the configuration down via a profile that you can customize and move from one computer to another. In addition, it comes with some predefined profiles included a “single task” profile that forces the execution of only one program even if you try to stop that program.
Steady State also locks the drive so accidental downloads of viruses or installation of applications can be wiped out with a simple reboot. But also permits a small windows for receiving updates from Microsoft Windows Update.
Here is the URL for Steady State:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/sharedaccess/default.mspx
(this technology was originally called the Shared Computer Toolkit)