Windows XP for Net Cafés (SteadyState Demo)

[@ciach0_]

It wouldn't be an MJD video if even deleting files wouldn't go wrong

[@mihoub]

We may see a day where shit don't go wrong in a MJD video

[@burts06]

@@mihoub we will never see that ever

[@cyphaborg6598]

Netcafe, it's pretty rare where I live. You have a better chance at a library.

[@connerwilliams668]

I agree

[@pardonless]

Facts

[@kon578]

4:3 monitor with Windows XP looks so nostalgic.

[@nilswegner2881]

No nostalgia to be had with software that was already terrible in the early 2000s. Switched to debian basically as soon as my parents gave me my own computer

[@default9555]

​@@nilswegner2881bet you're very funny on parties

[@maddlyinlove]

Wah wahh wahhhh get off the video about windows if all you're gonna do is cry about it ​@@nilswegner2881

[@yatapaws]

4:3 forever thoooo :p

[@dxtremecaliber]

@@nilswegner2881what the hell are you talking about? lol

[@bumblebeegamerreal]

I'll be honest, watching an MJD video with his retro setup and software gives me this unfounded pure nostalgia

[@mr.tuttifrutti9280]

Yeah

[@cs8712]

[desire to go back to 2003 intensifies]

[@YoungMrBlue]

Proceeds to click on 70 other mjd vids

[@CoffeeOnRails]

Fun terminology time! That “book database” you refer to is called an OPAC, or Online Public Access Catalogue. It’s usually provided as part of an ILS (Integrated Library System). Free examples include Koha and Evergreen.

[@leburn98]

When I took an accounting class, we had Windows XP machines with a program called Deep Freeze. Basically, the admin would set up the PC, then enable the program to 'freeze' it in it's current state, similar to SteadyState. The problem was the IT guy installed Office and whatever programs but didn't run the initial setup, so we were forced to go through the initial setup each and ever time. Eventually the IT guy updated the PCs to stop this, but he left the Deep Freeze unlock tool on my PC. Safe to say I found it. With my new found power, I remembered that great power, came great responsibility. So I made sure to install Unreal Tournament, Quake 3 and C&C: Red Alert 2 on most of the PCs in the back. 🤣

[@septum_funk]

to this day kids are still doing the same thing in my IT class with Halo CE

[@BOplaid]

We have that in our class!

[@aaronlopez5163]

@@septum_funksome people learn better when they have chaos and anarchy on the mind. Sure they may cause unprecedented damage but if it works effectively, it works.

[@grishka212]

I had no idea Microsoft offered their own solution for internet cafes. The only kind of internet cafe software I've seen irl was something clearly third-party. It definitely replaced the desktop with its own menu system, iirc it also removed the taskbar, and allowed remote management over the network. So when you paid at the counter, the admin would remotely activate a machine for you, and it would automatically deactivate and reset once your time is up. It would also display warnings when your time was about to run out.

[@sihamhamda47]

In my country (Indonesia), the most popular internet cafe management software back then was one that has a dolphin image in the login screen, I still remember it after many years, it's called "Billing Explorer"

[@maciejstachowski183]

I think it's really more for public access computers than internet cafes - unless your internet cafe only allowed for one-hour sessions, you'd need to log in as administrator on each machine and manually set the session time.

[@DMack6464]

I remember hacking these things a lot just before they were all removed, specifically the ones in open public

[@estellebright2579]

@@maciejstachowski183 or they can build the system on one test computer, then deploy os images to all other identically configured computers users would use. Symantec Ghost as a prime example of tools in Windows XP era used to deploy system images using their own GHO format.

[@forksarefree]

I remember going to a netcafé in the early '00s. Managed to minimize whatever management software they had running and score some free game time off the clock

[@rossmckechnie4491]

theif...

[@farmervillager1376]

wait till he hears about piracy hes gonna be livid

[@offspringfan89]

Hackerman!

[@ElectricoGamez]

I remember the days of using Windows 7 Educational Edition...

[@Richard-dq6if]

My local library also used this. Funniest part, they forget disable the boot menu, so I had an opportunity to login to admin account and extend my usage time, lol.

[@Tigrou7777]

In the late 2000's I used to go to brussels net cafés. Most computers were using a pirated version of Windows XP, some clearly filled with malware. All computer would be different (they mostly used spare parts). You definitely wouldn't want to do anything serious on there (eg: plug a USB key or login to some website). On the bright side, it was extremely cheap (eg: you would pay 1 EUR / hour or something like that)

[@LumiSnowie]

more like 20-30 cents per hours in poorer countries

[@eugiblisscast]

This is extremely intriguing! I wonder if there's anything similar for Windows 11

[@allensmithphotography]

Deep freeze is a paid software that does the same thing in newer windows versions

[@Annielogue_YT]

@@allensmithphotographyThere’s a Windows 10/11 version that I saw that has been designed for devices like these but I don’t think it got canceled

[@radio_obscura]

I work in a place with public PCs and we use a version for Windows 10. It's no longer maintained, but it still works. I'm not sure if it works for Win 11.

[@airwolf1337]

Yes there is! Under Win10 + Win11 you can use "assigned-access". Its basicly the same, but without a fancy GUI. You have to use Powershell scripts.

[@ZakHooiTM]

Look for the UWF feature, it will protect the drive aswell

[@baikkuma]

Really want to watch SteadyState running on a Vista after watching this. This video is lit 🔥🔥

[@SproutyPottedPlant]

It is indeed lit, KZbinrs know how important lighting is for their videos 😊

[@yatapaws]

@@SproutyPottedPlant stop it funny person u made me laugh x.x

[@ElectricoGamez]

Windows 7 didn't need steadystate because Windows 7 Educational Edition existed

[@TheAnthoy101]

I use to work in a Computer repair shop. We had an internet cafe with 6 PCs - the PCs ran windows XP for years and used windows Steady - it worked so well. However it didn’t work with windows 10, so I used Reboot Restore Rx, which worked just as well.

[@MarcBaggett1]

Another great video MJD! I love learning about these old software's Microsoft released. Very informative!

[@SirSilverHair]

That SoundMax pop-up was a real pain in the butt back in the day, everyone you connected something it came up, thankfully he put it on the block list so that it doesn't... Oh, wait... 😂

[@Iggykoop]

Damn, That Time remaining countdown box is giving me Elementary School Flash Backs from using the public Library computers.

[@Canleaf08]

Mississauga Central public library and Toronto City hall library vibes for me…

[@JARVIS1187]

Lol we bought an expensive license for „iProtector“ way back in the days 2004 which we used for a looooong time then. „Configuration“ of it was way simpler tho. It just also reset all the changes on the hard drive while restarting the pc. Since users didn’t even see the system tray they didn’t even notice that. Also most of the other settings were done through the inetcafe software we used, for example hiding drives and a loooot of system policies. I we just knew about this software.

[@TheRedCap]

dude I remember my local library having XP machines with SteadyState set up, I played so many flash games on those...

[@MatthiasHerrmann-df1nw]

Man i can Watch MJDs videos everyday, after work i turn on my TV, turn on KZbin and run MJDs videos all day in the background

[@YondanDrill]

Way better than installing the Deep Freeze app, good video!

[@pineappleroad]

A college i went to back in 2016-18 had a system on the library computers that limited your session to 60 minutes, but you could extend the session for up to an additional 60 minutes (giving 120 minutes total), the extend session option wasn’t always available though, as the system they used allowed computers to be booked in advance (the computers had a notice on the login screen saying if the computer was available and how long you could use it for) Group bookings reserved the computers that were booked for the entire length of the booking, and after signing in it required a password to authorise the session, while individual bookings required the user to sign in within 10 minutes of the start of the booking or the booking would be cancelled If someone else attempted to use a booked computer, they would be automatically signed out straight away (for group booking the sign out happens if you put in the wrong password, and perhaps also if you take too long to enter the password)

[@zzco]

You couldn't delete the cache file because NTOSKRNL was using it- SteadyState (like the rest of its kind) installs a driver to do it's work, that way you can't remove mission-critical files (to the software package) while Windows is booted. This also explains how it knows about half of the things you're doing, and can force you out of the user profile.

[@bhasitl]

It was literally what I needed to relax! Love those videos on retro rare software by Microsoft and other third-parties!

[@stephanieiwaniuk6088]

Let me guess... Password is mjd. Or is it MJD? Probably mjd.

[@MichaelMJD]

Hmm 🤔

[@fedepoops]

😂

[@Wzeyisbacklmao]

Strong and secure password

[@ImmaWalmartBag]

@@MichaelMJDmjd isn’t it

[@zakaryan2004]

I was thinking 123 but mjd sounds probable

[@Kirbysuperstar]

Back when I worked for a college we used a bit of software called Deepfreeze to do something similar for all the lab computers, had no idea that MS did their own tool for it. Fun!

[@TheProBrainCellGamerYT]

i've been watching your content for years, keep up the good work

[@TheJonathanc82]

I used SteadyState back in the day to setup kiosk PCs in financial institutions. Worked pretty well once you got the hang of it.

[@ItsJustJer]

NetCafè, bruh that kinda sounds like a Coffee brand named "Nescafè"

[@DccToon]

nescafe reminds me of the NES by nintendo

[@rotatingcat1957]

@@DccToon NES-cafe. Would sound good

[@v-14415]

sounds intentional

[@DccToon]

@@rotatingcat1957 true

[@ItsJustJer]

@woogy110 Not really, Back then i thought these just run Ordinary Windows XP with softwares installed for the admin to control how much time does the user can have or to shut it down remotely. Nowadays the cafes runs them with Windows Server 2016 with a use of Network Boot.

[@The_critic_official]

majestic video!

[@undefinedCat]

MJDstic video

[@plaziew]

I remember setting this software up at the library I still work at. That was a long time ago.

[@webluke]

I remember that in school in the 2000s, I had a registry file that disabled all the settings the IT admin had put on the computers. I had my own for a while, but because I became friends with him, he gave me his. He said, "You know how to do everything this does, so here's mine." Sometime later, when my friend told the school district to shove it, I had my computer with me to play games while I worked in the tech center, and using FTP to a game server, the school router would crash, and that time I couldn't power cycle it so I lost my job in the tech center despite finding a major problem.

[@kamildouglas]

yup i was that dude back in the day at school also

[@apollolux]

Hey, at least you lost your tech desk job for a _good_ reason. I lost my college tech desk job because on my late-night shift (the tech desk was also located in the library) when there was an internet outage at one of the dorms and they called in for help I loudly asked the library patrons using the computers if their internet was still working rather than walking up to them and quietly asking them.

[@offspringfan89]

​@@apolloluxPettiest reason ever for firing someone.

[@Nine-Signs]

I was the kid too smart for his own good who went around all the safeties using command prompt so he could download tits. Slowly. -.- Now that was an interesting conversation with the principle...

[@rchltmedia]

we as a indonesian called them "warnet". in indonesia, warnets doesn't use Windows SteadyState, but BillingExplorer.

[@sihamhamda47]

The dolphin image in that software was very iconic tho

[@Canleaf08]

There was a German ethernet card (?) which provided a steadymode for Windows 9x in the early 2000s called the “PC Waechter” card, which was installed in the computers of our high school back then. You could make a new file and restart the computer to see than the file was gone.

Had those as well, even administrated them. I somewhere had a proprietary tool to reset them as well.

[@Makinri]

I remember 8 year old me managing to get out of full screen in Firefox on the library computer and thinking I was the smartest person in there.

[@xandermckay9806]

Same with me as an 8 year old, but it was a library print terminal.

[@ckingpro]

That is really neat. Never knew this was a thing!

[@CasualGamer4K]

I ran an internet cafe from 2006 - 2013 and I remember using this software both on XP and Vista (32-bit). I don't believe it was compatible with any 64-bit edition of Windows. It did not work with Windows 7 however so it only lasted a few years but was an awesome piece of software as it was free.

[@k6kaysix675]

My first IT job (in education) used Deep Freeze and XP, the amount of times I spent a long time doing software installs on a computer only to find I had forgot to disable it...when I was in education myself the 9x computers ran Fortres 101 and Clean Slate which I remember played a satisfying little tune during the boot process!

[@nlaumeyer]

Absolutely amazing this is always cool to find out about stuff i missed as a kid!

[@Xcile92-PX]

i really miss windows xp..... spent my entire childhood using xp even when vista existed.

[@user-grey2005]

Windows XP лучшая ОС!

[@georgeh6856]

The cache file is sort of like snapshots, although snapshots do not use a single file to save the changed versions. ZFS on Linux and *BSD lets you create snapshots of the filesystem and then revert back to them later. It is typically a manual process to revert back, but the snapshots can be created either manually or automatically through a cron job. I think MacOS has something similar now. I do not know whether modern Windows has a similar feature.

[@kabirhans4237]

Nice video Please make a video on development history of Windows Vista

[@hadiamrane]

He did that 8 years ago called "windows longhorn/vista history" ;-)

[@blakegriplingph]

I remember a number of net cafes here in the Philippines use a (presumably cracked) copy of Deep Freeze to achieve a similar result.

[@wallyhackenslacker]

Going to a netcafé to play Tibia or Mu online was a rite of passage around my parts when I was in high school. Good times!

[@soundguydon]

Super interesting video, and just made me miss WinXP even more! Loved that OS for many reasons -- but mainly the look :)

[@CubeAtlantic]

i have only been to an internet cafe 2 times & this was probably relaxin' in those.

[@iPhone3GS_68]

You should take a look at the HP touchpad a device running WebOS that was discontinued 49 days after launch and sold horribly because the iPad 2 launched shortly after

[@SongNguXYZ]

Make me feels nostaligic about those net cafes around me at the time Vietnam got it's first internet provider, which they uses Yahoo Messenger to chat, and at that time, most of those place uses an software known as "G-Cafe" to do the same as this software does... It's been a while now...

[@Chasnah]

College I work IT for uses a modern implementation of this technology called Faronics Deepfreeze for all the student facing workstations and laptops. It’s a real pita when a cart of laptops wasn’t properly set in bios to turn on one night a week to check in and run SCCM so we have 24 laptops that end up unfreezing their hard drive and falling behind in updates.

[@whattodo3116]

I remember installing a cracked version of Deepfreeze which came with some kind of malware that did not allow you to disable the system restoration feature after each reset so it ruined my windows install and I had to setup everything again.

[@davidinark]

This was used in schools and colleges back then a lot!

[@AileyMusic]

1:07 guessing this was made near the end of windows xp (thats the vista wallpaper in the background of the installer..)

[@ObtainEmployment]

The fonts coming back was our good pal Windows File Protection restoring them from dllcache.

[@Kitsudote]

I always loved messing around with restricted systems as a kid and trying to tickle out the weaknesses. My fav thing to do, was to log in to the hidden admin account and using net user, to change the password of the default account 😂 I was a rascal 😁

[@MadafakinRio]

If anyone can help me with it that would be amazing. This video reminded me that I can't remember the name of some software used in PC cafes in my country back during the XP days. All I remember is that the client interface was a solid blue background (I think) and in the middle was two panels sliding each to its side (like a double-sided supermarket sensor door) to reveal a list of games in the middle. I just remember it being very XP styled. It was in EVERY PC cafe in our town, and probably even the country back in the 2000s.

[@yatapaws]

Gosh this video just makes me miss xp more ;w; Cool look into what i assume my local library was using when i was in middle - high school and all of my harebrained attempts to break it lol :p Great video !!

[@offspringfan89]

I think this is the first MJD video I watched where everything goes "wrong" because Michael failed to screw up something that actually worked fine 😂. This tool is pretty neat, Microsoft did a good job making it near completely foolproof, besides being fairly easy to configure. I wonder if there's a modern equivalent utility for Windows 10/11?

[@ZipplyZane]

You should try one of those file unlockers and see if it can unlock that cache file to allow it to be deleted. See if they're using something stronger than that to lock it out.

[@CraftTheKnight]

The best way to surf the information superhighway!

[@campampates]

MJD, where can i find another power supply brick. I just bought a pair of the exact same desktop Speakers you have but can't find a supply that will fit the weirdly deep slot.

[@alainportant6412]

Such a glorious business model that was

[@Sypaka]

Ah yes, SteadyState. I had so much fun bypassing it.

[@PhobosTK]

Oh man, we had this in junior high (and something similar for WinME back in elementary) in our computer lab. It would wipe the contents of the desktop and partially of the registry, but for some reason we were able to install programs and use them afterwards just fine.

[@TheTigerBeast]

probably deepfreeze

[@benftw1]

Hey! Just subscribed, just wanted to say that I love your channel and that getting these demo videos are great. Thanks for being you!

[@benftw1]

forgot to mention not subscribed, joined. Forgot this wasn't tiktok lol!

[@MichaelMJD]

I really appreciate it, thank you!

[@benftw1]

@@MichaelMJD also I had a tiny idea, since Nintendo has its various homebrews, is there any way you could put a Linux distro or a windows simulator on it? Ofcourse mid edition lol

[@fighttheskull]

This guy should make an archive of everything he does.

[@nolanmales]

Also what would banter cool thing to see if we could break net cafe is if you put it on the max restricted settings but allow command prompt,clog into your personal, and delete the Netcafe application while logged into it, as I would want to see what would happen

[@AidenShogun2020]

P.s I love your videos as always And I always loved the Windows bootleg installers so one day I might be making my own You can install it on a VM or whatever you like

[@NguyenHoang-pv2xd]

I remember use Windows SteadyState software internet cafe, school & libraries in 2000s worldwide to setup

[@philtkaswahl2124]

Takes me back to when me and my friends were challenging each other to Red Alert 2 and Counter-Strike 1.6.

[@Guilherme36594]

Windows XP is pure nostalgia...

[@voltare2amstereo]

I've had ssd's do this for me when they developed short term memory loss (would fill up the cache but not write to flash

[@KabelkowyJoe]

20:00 This service basic form is also included in HP ThinClients 5720. I believe way it works is simple just as Antivirus uses FileHook, WindowHook and KeyboardHook included in WinAPI available for any app. SteadyState is hooked in between application and OS, and it's caching modifications and caching deletions. It's checking name of window you are clicking. Technically it might spy on you i know because many years ago wrote spy using these. Every click, every key every menu clicked. Such app is able to hijack. WindowBlinds in era of WIndows 95 also used such hook to modify way how window looked. It does not modify contents of HDD, it only stores you actions and everytime app is asking for specific file it's checking cache. So cache do not store original files. It does store almost exactly as Virtual PC saves modifications of VHD.

[@SlaviankaTrump]

I love your windows xp videos

[@Evan-bjc4w]

Library computer nostalgia. *windows xp obee music plays*

[@samdavidh]

'This operation has been cancelled... administrator'. Boy do I remember that from my high school days.

[@whtiequillBj]

Why didn't Microsoft put the cache file on a hidden RAM disk that is only mounted upon login to the SteadyState user account? Any thoughts? 🤔

[@ItsOrnil]

Can't wait for the MJD NetCafe

[@apatsa_basiteni]

Yay! Another Windows XP video? Clicks immediately.

[@Jake1702]

Was there anything like this for older systems like ME/2000 or 98? Or were those too early for the concept of internet cafes to really be a widespread thing?

[@Madman-8287]

Maybe you could try doing a video on WinFS Beta 1 for Windows XP? There's a lot of WinFS development programs and documentation in that not included in Longhorn.

[@gaeshows1938]

Can you install wanna cry and other malware on it

Back in school we had PCI cards that messed with how partitions where accessed to protect a PC from any changes. They where remotely manageable and had to be disabled and rebooted to make any changes. The product was "PC Wächter" from Dr. Kaiser, now IST.

I never really looked into how they worked back then...would be an interesting thing to check out.

[@riccamutt]

In argentina we use Control de Ciber, a great program

[@iO-Sci]

This Windows X.P. was probably very tranquil and explore in internet cafes.

[@Pc_User_Pro]

9:01 Modifying this text would have been definitely useful, another use case would be using this in another country where you might change it to another language.

[@MK-of7qw]

This reminds me a lot of the program we used at a college I worked at. I. The labs we had something installed called deep freeze and it would not allow users to write changes to the disk.

[@TheBriefersZone]

i did not knew microsoft actually made software for that, on my country NetCafes are still something really common and they use a program called CyberControl or something like that.

[@johnathanstevens8436]

So did anything come back after you restarted the PC? That's when it applies the saved cache back to C:

[@dom1310df]

I remember a system for Linux (maybe Windows too) that came before the operating system and would boot the OS from a read-only disk image. Open source and promoted for libraries but I can't remember the name.

[@nanashi1307]

The disk image file is used by the NT kernel

[@jperih]

I used this for public access computers in 2006 or 2007, for a major homeless shelter in Winnipeg, MB Canada. Was better than paying for extra Server 2003 seats; but, definitely an older version. Vista wasn’t even a thing then.

[@GYTCommnts]

Windows should come with the possibility to enable a immutable account, isolated from the rest of the system and the disk, that just resets every time you log off. I know you can achieve this with 3rd party software or VMs, but it could be straightforward from the System. So, if you need to test something, you log into that account, do the stuff and when you log off, boom, everything resets, no matter what.

[@KevinVeroneau]

SteadyState has a similar feature to another program you have already went through I'm sure called DeepFreeze. Another neat program to check out for XP is I think is called iCoreAccounts or something that sounds similar at the very least. Great video on SteadyState though.

[@joshallen128]

How did you do the floppy wall? 99 floppy disks on the way .... Take one down pass it around all of them fell because a house of floppies aren't stable enough

[@DeanVRS20VT]

Could this be used to stop any ransom attacks? Letting my mind run free if they cache cannot be deleted. Or will cyber software always managed to attach and delete files on a PC?

[@yellowgenesis-retrolook]

MJ i love your vids!

[@killkill7156]

same

[@adrianstiles]

Is there a Net Cafe version for current Windows? I would like to know it.

[@charliesretrocomputing]

SO... what's used now, 3rd party software or group policy editor?

[@fiveinfive]

I miss the Windows XP days, both personally and the OS itself. Like Windows my life had some Service Pack upgrades.

[@tonyb586]

Hmm, what if the cache file is storing the temporary changes, not the steady state. So, deleting it would just delete your changes and revert the system (or most likely crash it, leaving it fine on reboot). This would also explain why the message at boot about copying changes happened when you committed changes - it copied them out of the cache file into the real FS.

[@Omn1Slash]

15:45 I laughed out loud for some reason when I saw your "TalkingTucanSam" and other cereal folders still on the C:/ from your last video. Love your videos.

[@tigersusyt]

Imagine setting up 70 of these

[@luky92121]

You should try subst in a batch file that should bypass the restriction for the c drive and technically CMD