Introducing WINSelect 8.0

We are thrilled to announce the release of a brand new version of WINSelect. In addition to some bug fixes, this version includes a couple of highly requested features – the ability to control the Windows 8 Start Screen aka “Metro Interface” and the ability to disable the Internet Explorer address bar. WINSelect Enterprise and Standard users can download the latest version from Faronics Labs and Deep Freeze Cloud users can access the service by Signing In.

Control Windows 8/8.1 Charms

You can now opt to block the Windows 8/8.1 Search, Share, Start, Devices and Settings charms so your end users cannot access them.

Disable Windows 8/8.1 Task Switching Bar

The Task Switching Bar in Windows 8/8.1 allows users to switch between various apps. You can now choose to disable this Task Switching Bar.

Disable Right-Click on Windows 8/8.1 Start Screen Tiles and Customization of Start Screen

Users can access options for unpinning a tile from the Start Screen, pinning an app to the Taskbar, uninstalling an app and turning a live tile off etc., all through the right-click menu available on Start Screen tiles. You can now choose to disable this right-click action on Start Screen tiles so users cannot access its menu options or customize the Start Screen.

Disable Uninstall of Windows 8/8.1 Apps

By choosing this option in WINSelect 8.0, you can prevent users from uninstalling Windows 8/8.1 apps via the right click menu on Start Screen tiles.

Disable Pinning of Windows 8/8.1 Apps to Taskbar

You may not want users to pin Start Screen apps or to clutter the Desktop Taskbar. WINSelect 8.0 provides the option to prevent users from pinning Windows 8/8.1 apps to the Desktop Taskbar via the right click menu on Start Screen tiles.

Boot to Desktop

Windows 8/8.1 boots to the Start Screen instead of the Desktop by default. You can change this behavior and have the workstation boot directly to the Desktop, instead of the Start Screen

Disable Start Button Context Menu

The Start Button Context Menu, available on right-clicking the Start button in Windows 8.1, provides handy access to a collection of Windows Features like Programs and Features, Power Options, Device Manager, Control Panel, Run and so on. You may not want to allow your end-users access to this menu. WINSelect 8.0 provides you with the option to disable this context menu.

Disable Internet Explorer Address Bar

Administrators often need to restrict the URLs that may be accessed by users in their network. With WINSelect 8.0, you can disable the Address Bar in Internet Explorer, preventing users from entering and accessing a URL of their choice.

Note that this feature is available for desktop versions of Internet Explorer (9.X onwards) only.

Summary Infographic

To summarize, WINSelect 8.0 enables you to control the Windows 8/8.1 user experience by disabling Windows 8/8.1 Charms, disabling the Task Switching Bar, disabling the right-click on Start Screen tiles, preventing customization of the Start Screen, disabling the uninstall of Windows 8/8.1 apps, disabling pinning of Windows 8/8.1 apps to the Desktop Taskbar, choosing to boot directly to the Desktop and disabling the Start Button Context Menu.

The above options are available under the Start Menu panel within the System tab of the WINSelect Policy page on Deep Freeze Cloud and the Start Menu item under the System node of the WINSelect Enterprise and WINSelect Standard configuration interface.

We hope you find these enhancements useful for your environment. We love to hear from our users – let us know if you have any feedback by contacting us.