Allow Users to Install USB Jump Drives

Novell Cool Solutions: Cool Tool

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In Brief

Grant Users and Power Users the ability to install USB mass storage devices.

Vitals

Posted:	28 Oct 2005
File Size:	113KB
License:	Free
Download:	/coolsolutions/tools/downloads/allow_usb_jump_drives.zip
Publisher:	Jeremy Mlazovsky

Disclaimer

Please read the note from our friends in legal before using this file.

Details

Normally, local users who do not have Administrator-level privileges cannot install new hardware in Windows, including USB storage devices like USB flash drives. The exception being that if someone with admin-level access already installed a specific model of USB flash drive on a computer, someone without admin-level access could plug in the same model USB flash drive into that computer without a problem.

I came across some info that helped me figure out what needs to be fixed so you can allow other local users to install USB storage devices.

This would be useful for labs, the library, etc where machines are locked down but you still want to give users the ability to use USB flash drives so they can access their files, etc.

All you need to do is login once on a computer with an admin account and run my script. After the script is run, Users and Power Users will be able to install USB flash drives.

This simple script was written in the AutoIt v3 scripting language (http://www.hiddensoft.com). Source code is included.

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Reader Comments

• Alter permissions on %*WINSYS%\inf\usbstor.inf with r,w,c for the group that you want to have permission to "install" usb devices.
• Thanks for supplying the source code - helped me fiz another problem as well. Thanks!
• Great stuff!
• Does not seem to work on XP-SP2