Member Avatar for dasche

Hi all

I need any tool which can write protect all externl storage devices in corporate network of more than 200 computers.

thanks in advance

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by erice242

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— two practical, network-manageable routes that scale to ~200 machines:

  1. Use a Windows Group Policy for the Windows 7 fleet (fast, free). Create a computer GPO targeted to the OU(s) you want, then enable the Removable Storage Access policy (Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → System → Removable Storage Access → “Removable Disks: Deny write access”). Test on a pilot OU, then roll out. This is the cleanest built‑in way for Win7 clients but it’s OS‑level (applies at machine scope) and some device classes (MTP/PTP phones, special vendor drivers) may not be blocked by these policies. (learn.microsoft.com)

  2. Use an endpoint device-control / DLP product when you need a mixed XP/Win7 environment, per‑device rules, logging, whitelist/temporary access and central reporting. Commercial suites (DeviceLock/Acronis DeviceLock, ManageEngine Device Control Plus, CoSoSys Endpoint Protector and similar) let you centrally set “read‑only” for USB/storage, apply by user/computer/group, and keep audit/shadow copies — a much better fit if XP machines must be supported or you need per‑user exceptions. Expect agent installs and a short pilot. (manageengine.com)

Practical notes and quick remedies:

  • For large XP populations you can push the registry write‑protect value (HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies\WriteProtect = 1) via GPP or a startup script, but test first — it’s global and can break legitimate workflows. (learn.microsoft.com)
  • Disk-level manual option (local only): use DiskPart to set a selected disk read‑only. Example (local, admin): 
    diskpart
list disk
select disk X
attributes disk set readonly

    This is useful for one-off machines but not for centralized management. (learn.microsoft.com)

Deployment checklist: pilot on a small OU, whitelist admin devices, enable logging/file‑shadowing, confirm handling of phones/MTP devices, arrange rollback steps. If you want, mention which OS mix and whether full audit and tamper protection are needed and the community can point to specific vendor comparisons.

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Member Avatar for clericcodered

Please tell us what your operating system is, what network software you're running, what version, etc, and we'll be glad to help.

Member Avatar for dasche

we use windows xp and 7(32bit/64bit). there are some laptops and desktops that needs to have read only access to USB storage devices. we prefer to have a network based solution with central management. Purpose is to prevent company's data from going outside. thanks and regards

Member Avatar for jingda

YOu can use remote mangement software to control all computers under your network and choose what to do but you have to manual set the storage disk read only permission. Not sure whether this is the correct software you are looking for but you can try the trial version first.

http://www.monitorusb.com/

Member Avatar for erice242


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