Limit the experience

[johnnywyoming]

I'm working on the computer interactive for my museum's new exhibit and I want to limit access to four or five websites correlated to the exhibit topic. I want to keep visitors from changing the computer and website configurations. I hope to be able to hide the keyboard with only a trackball for visitors to interact with the computer. Using Win 98se and IE5. Suggestions?

[bassman]

Hmmm, sounds like an interesting one that brings up a few ideas.
First off, to show only the sites you want, you can save them to your harddrive and view them off line. You will loose use of the links, but you want to limit access anyway.
Second, you will want to limit access to the rest of the machine. Win98 has limited security features, but you might try this. Set up a "user" profile and an "admin" profile under "users" in controle panel. Use logon passwords so that the public can't get to "admin" and only supply them with the features you want them to have access to. Check out the "help" section on the start menu for more info.
You may need to go online occasionaly to update the sites you want.
Another idea is to open the site you want, R-click anywhere in the open field and select "view source". This is HTML and probably some other codes. If you save this document and all others related to the site (one per page) into one folder, you can modify them so links to other sites don't show up as links. They can then be viewed off line with a browser (I.E., Netscape...) This may sound complicated, but HTML is fairly simple if you learn a few of the basics.
As for hiding the keyboard, I think that can be done as long as there is no written input needed by these folks. You will need it to login in the morning and at closing. Just set it up in a cabinet where the keyboard can be tucked into the back or something similar.
Enjoy and let us know how it works http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/cool.gif

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They say to eat before you go to the grocery store so you don't buy so much. That doesn't work at the liquor store does it!

[tjaymadison]

Seems like you'd have to use some thing like those 'parental control' packages,
but even then I'm not sure you can configure them to be that restrictive.

Luckily, my parents are quite liberal. And they are retired in Hawaii. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

You might be able to do it with some kind of menuing system.
As long as no keyboard will be available, that might be an option.

Some BIOS's will let you boot with no keyboard attached.
Look through the setup options for the option "Halt On".

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"I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question."
-- Charles Babbage, mathematician, computer pioneer, analytical engine designer (1791-1871)
-- (Question: 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?')

"Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand."
-- Homer Simpson

[This message has been edited by tjaymadison (edited 06-07-2001).]

[mjc]

Here are a couple of links that are for what I think you are after...Kiosk mode.

Using IE in Kiosk Mode (http://www.kiosks.org/articles/kioskmode.htm)

How to use Kiosk mode (http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q154/7/80.asp)

And since you want to run them without keyboards try setting them up with a USB keyboard...hot swappable...turn them on, remove the keyboard...take it to the office.

You can make a start page set it to tbe the home page for IE and limit the links on the start page to what you want....now kb, no keyboard shortcuts, very hard to go elswhere. Also set IE to restricted for the security settings and then add what you want to the trusted sites list...

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mjc
Links list:Computer Links (http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/highrise/11/index.htm)

Celts are the men that heaven made mad, For all their battles are merry and their songs are all sad.

[johnnywyoming]

Thanks for the replies. I think MJC's Running IE in Kiosk mode is what I'm after. I've decided to leave the keyboard plugged in, but hidden with the computer in the cabinet. I'm not clear if I can then have my visitors interact with a trackball or whether it has to be a touch screen?