File Manager

i have read over a few posts, I think I hvae everything setup, but still cannot get File Manager to work. I want to "unprotect" my "My Documents" folder.
1. Protection is ON
2. In file manager i have selected the folder

this is where i get a bit confused...do i click "Update Selected"? If I do, it scans through all files/folders, but then what? If I save a file to my My Documents folder, it is gone after reboot.

Suggestions...simple steps..thanks

 

Hi LillyWhites and wlecome

The File Manager is saving the folder itself and not the files it contains. Add the individual files in the folder you want to save as well and then click the Update Selected button.

Mike

 

this doesn't seem very practical.
Scenario:
I'm working on a file, then I save to My Docs...and I download a few items....save to My Docs, update a few more files...save to My Docs. While working, my Symantec AV has updated its virus defs (c:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\VirusDefs)

To be able to keep these items, (i think you are saying)I would need to add each file to File Manager and click the update button, but I would think adding the root folder and clicking update would exclude all files/folders below the root....so that any updates in ...\virusdefs for example would be excluded.

Application:
I am testing deployment/configuration to determine the best way to incorporate Returnil into my office environment. I have 12-15 checkout laptops that I would like to keep at a certain state, while allowing users to save files when they have it checked out. Secondly, I have problem users that install everything and anything and screw up their PC's with Spam/Spyware.

 

Granted, but you need to keep in mind that we cannot determine intent or purpose before the fact and each item, be it file or folder, is a distinct object. Given this, there are changes you might need to make to the folder that you do not want or need to make to the content it contains. To make this a bit easier to understand think of a situation where you need to make permissions, access, or naming changes to a "generic" folder. Why add a performance hit to then re-save the content within that folder when you only needed to make a change to the folder itself?

You must keep the fundamental purpose of the File Manager in mind: convenience when making frequent changes to the items in the list. Ex: Say you and I are sharing a document on a system where RVS is installed with protection on or you are working on that document but are in the initial draft stages. You and/or I would then be making frequent changes to that specific file but would not be making changes to the folder that contains it. By adding the file to the FM list and depending on the preferences selected in RVS, you and I could then simply check the file item in the list and save when needed.

The FM however is not the only way to save content in the Premium Edition. For files that you only need to save once or infrequently you can also do the following:

1) Right click the file or folder and then select "Commit selected to the real system"
2) Drag & Drop the file or folder onto the desktop tool bar

In regards to AV updates you do not need to save anything while you are in RVS's protected mode as the updates will be applied and would be valid until you restarted the computer. Why did I bold that? The reason is to bring attention to the fact that you can update manually or via the program's automatic update feature and log out of your account. When the next person logs in (assuming the system was not restarted), they will also have the most recent AV update.

Even if you shut the system down before user "B" logged in, the AV would update as per your schedule. The only difference here would be that the update would be larger.

Some suggestions here. First, you are using these computers as "public access". This means there are legitimate restrictions you should have in place on these systems that has nothing to do with RVS or RVS protection.

1) Reduce all users other than authorized personnel to limited users
2) Have only ONE Administrative account that is only used when required
3) Configure proper policies for all users
4) Create and maintain a standard image that you can use to wipe and restore each system when required. This is made more simple when all the systems are similar (hardware, software).

In #3 I will not presume to tell you what those policies should be but will suggest some additional reading here at Wilders (posts by BlueZannetti are good starting points) and within the Microsoft knowledge base and technet sites.

To address user convenience, you should consider adding a separate data partition (EX: DAT D:\ ) on each system that can be used to save documents as you describe (That is, do not allow access to "My Documents" or any other System folder but allow them to save within that new partition or a special folder within that data partition). Then at the time of transfer to a new user, you simply restart to drop the changes made to the System partition and then log into the system to delete the contents saved in that special partition or drive.

An alternative to creation of a "premanent" partition is to use the included Returnil Virtual Partition to do the same thing. This method has the added benefit of not allowing limited users to write to the root of the VP so each user would need to create a folder that they then could use to save these documents. This makes it much easier to "tiddy" up between users in that you would simply delete the folder(s) they made which would also delete the contents of said folder(s).