Loosing data every time I turn off my computer?

Hello all!

I just purchased a new HP Media Center computer for my new job that only has "community computers." When they set my computer up to get on their network they wipped out everything on my computer. Including the new software I just purchased and loaded on!!! Now I just found out that it is set up to wipe out everything I save to it including pictures, videos, internet bookmarks, papers I write, I mean everything that I don't save to their network!!
On top of that it won't even let me load back any of the software to MY computer. ie spy sweeper, Norton antivirus, ACT anything.

Can Anyone help me to by-pass any of this?

A few of the programs they loaded to my computer are:
Remote Desktop Connection
Windows Journal Viewer
Point Administrator
Java Web Start

I think that their Server is from www.sun.com

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

Hi jmp175. Welcome to the board.

There's some software available that works sort of like an imaging program except that instead of restoring the image when you want, it restores it every time you boot your computer. I can't for the life of me remember what it's called. I put this in here because it's been mentioned on this board before and perhaps somebody else will come up with the name. Basically, what it does is restore your computer each time you boot it to the original config. For example, when you install a program, it'll work fine. Reboot the computer and the software you installed is gone and anything you saved using it is gone too. The computer is returned right back to square one. Does this sound like what's happening to you?

If this is what's going on you'll probably have to talk to whoever's in charge of the network you're on. You can get around it but you have to know a password to be able to allow the changes you made to the disk.

I could certainly be wrong about this but from what you say, it does sound like it could be what's going on. If so, I wouldn't blame you for being mad if you had to purchase the computer yourself. On the other hand, with all security issues with the internet and issues with various things that people install on their computers these days, you can't blame them for wanting to keep the junk out of the network. I would imagine it saves a bunch of time and money if all of the computers always stay the way they were after the original install. Their take on it is probably you don't need anything more on the puter than what's necessary for work. Perhaps if you talk to them about it, they'll allow certain changes. If it were me and if the computer was an expensive one, I'd buy or build the cheapest piece of junk I could for work and take that one home. Then again, I could be way off base here and be totally wrong about this. It sure does sound like it could be what's happening though.

Anybody remember the name of that program?

 

Thanks

Yea, that sounds like exactly what is going on. Looks like I need to figure out the admin password or do just what you said and take it home and bring in just a shell for work.


Thanks!

 

At least one of those programs you are referring to, Zander, is DeepFreeze. It's great for internet kiosks and some educational environments.

 

That's the one Abraxas! It hasn't been all that long ago that it was mentioned here but I couldn't for the life of me remember what it was called.

Actually, it probably wouldn't be a bad thing in a lot of home environments. It would be kind of fun to install it and let the kids go nuts and install anything they want. The fun part would be watching them the next day when they started the computer and everything was gone. If they didn't know about it, it would be a great chance to turn the tables. Drive them nuts instead of the other way around.

 

LOL. Well, I thought about what someone would put into a search engine trying to find it, and I had a hard time thinking of anything. ( "No change system ", maybe.) So I thought I'd mention it to you.

It would certainly be a great thing for some home systems---it would then be OK to let even the smallest users have free reign (though a 2-year-old managed to put a small image of my desktop into my Media Player by some unrepeatable key combination---randomness may even defeat DeepFreeze.).

But would it really be worth all the whining if a teen's new IM contacts disappeared? (Yes. Yes, it would. )

 

I know what you mean. When I made the first post, I tried for quite a while to find it by searching here and Google. I had a heck of a time trying to think of search terms to use. Don't remember just what I all tried but it seemed to be all but impossible. I finally decided it was easier to just mention it here. I kind of figured somebody would read this thread and know the program I was talking about. Thanks for helping out.