How to change computer settings with deep freeze enabled (date/time)

How to change settings in a deep freeze enabled computer (date/time)

        Deep Freeze is a software, mostly used in cyber cafes to freeze or make hard drives unable to accept installations, changes and generally any settings made to the computer in which it is installed on. In most public computers, for example: Cyber cafe computers are public computers and most have Deep Freeze installed on them to clear private data of every user, every time the computer powers off.

However, using a Deep Freeze to prevent access to unauthorized persons is important and should be taken to consideration. 

How Deep Freeze works?

The function of Deep Freeze software on a computer is to make sure everything about the previews user is cleared before others can access the same computer. For example Emails, Passwords, Browser history, System settings, Saved websites, Bookmarked websites etc.  If you saved a good number of websites on a Deep Freeze enabled computer, there is high possibility that you will not find them after the computer restarts, no matter if you saved or not. That applies same with other settings and browser histories in the computer. If you most have noticed that every public or cyber café computer hardly suggests names of web sites as you start typing them, with reason being that the previews session has been cleared by the software and you can’t gain access to files of the previews session.

Remember that these settings are only cleared if the computer powers down/restarted before it is being used again. If I may advice or remind cyber café owners that there are a good number of software that allows you to configure either if a computer should be restarted in every session timeout (when users time runs out) or not. Assigning a restart in every session timeout is best and should increase a high level security in your business place.

 What if I want to install a program?

Even the most complicated machines has their own way of getting through and making changes, best suiting your want. Same with Deep Freeze, there is also a means of installing programs even with the Deep Freeze installed on the same computer. There are many types of software that plays such rolls, but I will be talking meanly on Deep Freeze, (Faronics software). There are also others like Returnil 2008 and maybe the latest versions are available, but so far Faronics sotware (Deep Freeze) is most common and does work well.

Before you even start anything, you have to disable the software to liberate the computer from its frozen mode. When the computer is unfrozen, you are allowed to make changes to the computer as much as you want, with no fear of losing them in case the computer powers down, unless you did not save.  To disable Deep freeze for program installation, press and hold ctrl + alt + shift + F6 and the login windows pups up. Login with the password you provided during or after installation. Select Boot Steward, then click apply and reboot button, confirming a warning message will reboot the computer and make it free for possible changes to be made. You are free to install, but make sure there is an X on the Deep freeze icon in the system tray. Remember to go through the same process and choose “Boot frozen “to enable it again.

Do I need that process to change system date and time too?

Changing date and time in a frozen computer could be very difficult at windows level, since the frozen computer will not be allowed to accept any changes till its set free. Well, there is a difference between changing something that won’t stay after a restart, and trying to change what cannot be changed or trying to change what you are not given access to even for a restart or not. What am I saying? The Deep Freeze will not stop you from accessing the date and time settings area, but the difference is what will happen after the computer goes off and on. Changing system date and time every times the computer boots could be tiring and you may sometimes forget. However running a computer with wrong date and time could course several problems to your computer, running in the box and either with or without your knowledge. including the ones you see physically, for example. If you have hard your computer scheduled to scan or update the whole system every 4PM, knowing fully well that the computer freezes during this process and allow you less privileges to work, even playing music could be difficult. You have the computer set to perform these tasks at that time because you know you’re always free and might not be working on the computer, meaning you understand the stress the computer goes through while it scans or update and at the same time you use. But now, what if the system time is wrong, and starts performing these tasks right before you are done, maybe still at 12 noon in the correct time zone? It’s annoying as compared to my own case when my computer freezes, I just fell like heating till it gains stability, and of course that’s not the right step to take, but simple (CORRECT DATE AND TIME) Some problems encountered as a result of wrong date and time could be “Un-trusted connections”. When you are working online, the internet and computer time work in hand, to make sure the same day on computer should be the same with the internets. Each and every web site is certified and made easy and trusted for you to browse through your computer, with the help of date and time.  If your computer date and time displayed 4/10/2012 instead of the current date, each web site you visit compares the current sever date and time with yours, and if it’s different from each other, the browser things the certificate of the site your viewing has expired and will try to prevent you from using web sites with outdated certificates due to wrong date and time. We will know more about site certification in the upcoming articles.

I know I almost went off the whole deal, but I hope it did help explain the outcomes of wrong system date and time. Diving back to our main target (Do I need that process to change date and time?), I will show you a very easy and simple way of changing date and time without even the interest to know if there is any deep freeze installed or not.

One good thing

Deep freeze only functions at windows level and cannot affect any changes made in BIOS setup or before the system boots.

Change date and time in system BIOS setup

With the system BIOS setup, you can make several changes to your computer without any fear or awareness of whether there is a deep freeze installed in the computer or not. In the system BIOS, you can change or correct date and time, right before the system boots. Settings made at this level are never cleared by the Deep freeze, with reason being that the Deep freeze only functions at windows level immediately the computer boots. But because system setup is accessed before the computer boots, the Deep freeze is denied access and cannot be in charge of anything at this level.  

Take for instance; if the Deep freeze had powers over the whole system even in BIOS then formatting a computer with Deep freeze installed would be a big problem. If you noticed, then you most have found out that each time you save changes in the system setup, (bios) the computer restarts and starts booting afresh, following instructions as assigned in the previews setup, and if Deep freeze where to work through the whole system then those settings will be lost after the computer restarts, but because it’s not that way you are able to format a computer by assigning the first boot device to be the CD ROM without any fear of losing when changes applied restarts the computer, so go on and change your date and time.

Good luck. 

How to change date/time in computer?