Even with the delivery of the first taste of Windows 7 with the bits for the pre-Beta Build 6801 Milestone 3, Microsoft has not brought all aspects of the operating system into the limelight. One illustrative example in this context is the PC Safeguard feature related to the management of User Accounts. Although this is a feature specific to Windows 7, similar functionality is already available for Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows XP Service Pack 3. However, the difference is that Windows SteadyState 2.5 is available as a standalone download and not built into Vista or XP.

Unearthed by JCXP (via LongZheng), Windows 7 PC Safeguard is designed for machines that are shared by multiple users. “PC Safeguard lets you safely share your computer with other users by preventing them from making permanent or unwanted changes. After the users log off, PC Safeguard removes changes and files saved to the computer,” reads the feature's description.

In Windows 7, PC Safeguard will also enable admins to Lock hard drives and prevent standard users from writing any file in certain locations. At the same time, sandboxed users will be presented with the option to save their files to an external storage device so that they will not be deleted on shut down/log off.

Essentially, PC Safeguard will permit the Windows 7 administrator to sandbox standard user accounts on that machine. With the next iteration of the Windows client, users will no longer have to resort to downloadable additions in order to safeguard the integrity of their computers in scenarios involving shared access.

Still, the integration of the PC Safeguard feature as a default component of Windows 7 indicates that Microsoft is responding to an increasing user need to protect their Windows operating systems from unwanted modifications. In this regard, PC Safeguard in Windows 7 can be seen as the natural evolution not only of Windows SteadyState but also of its precursor, Shared Computer Toolkit for Windows XP.

Windows SteadyState 2.5 is available for download here.