Disabling Predesktop Alternate Startup Area

[jjdesch]

Hi all,

I have a few questions. First, why does the "Access IBM" Predesktop alternate startup area completely bypass the BIOS restrictions that enable/disable alternate boot devices? I have the BIOS set to restrict bootup to the HD only, yet can boot from floppy or cdrom anyway via the predesktop "Startup" section. Can this be disabled? My employer (a public library) purchased four G40 laptops to be used by our patrons. But this "Access IBM" feature is turning out to be a real PITA. I downloaded the utility that allows you to hide most of the Predesktop Area utilities (such as rapid restore, etc), but cannot find a way to disable the alternate startup section. As it stands now, I can put in a copy of Knoppix CD and wreak all sorts of havoc on the hard disk. I need to lock these things down, and would like to avoid having to completely wipe the drive. Surely other support personnel have come across this? IBM support has not been helpful.


Thanks for your help

-j