Drives Tab
| After editing the settings in the Installer Settings Tab, save the Policy and select the Enable Deep Freeze checkbox to install the Deep Freeze Cloud Service. The Deep Freeze Cloud Service will be installed from the computers based on the heartbeat specified in Cloud Agent Settings. |
Configure the following settings:
Drives
By default, all drives are Frozen. To put a drive in a Thawed state, clear the checkbox of the preferred drive.
While only local drives (partitions or physical drives) can be Frozen, all drive letters are shown because the pre-configured installation file may be installed on many computers with various hardware and software setups.
ThawSpace
ThawSpace is a virtual partition that can be used to store programs, save files, or make permanent changes. All files stored in the ThawSpace are retained after a restart, even if the computer is Frozen. A ThawSpace can be created on a drive that is configured to be Frozen or Thawed.
To create a single ThawSpace or multiple ThawSpaces, complete the following steps:
1. Select the Drive Letter. The default letter is T:. However, it can be changed to any available letter. The next available letter is automatically used if the selected drive letter already exists on a computer when Deep Freeze is installed.
> When a Drive Letter is selected from the drop-down and used to create a ThawSpace, it is removed from the drop-down.
> When a ThawSpace is removed, the corresponding Drive Letter is added back to the drop-down.
> The Drive Letter cannot be same as the Host Drive.
2. Enter the Size. This is the size of the ThawSpace. The maximum size is 1024 GB and the minimum size is 16 MB.
> If the computer does not have enough free space to accommodate the selected ThawSpace size, the size of the ThawSpace is adjusted downward to ensure proper operation of the computer.
> If you select the Size less than 16 MB, the ThawSpace is set to 16MB.
> If you select the Size more than 1024 GB (1 TB), the ThawSpace is set to 1024 GB (1 TB).
3. Select the ThawSpace storage unit in MB or GB.
4. Select the Host Drive.
> The Host Drive is the drive where the ThawSpace is created.
> The storage required for the ThawSpace is used from the total storage available on the Host Drive.
5. Select Visible or Hidden from the Visibility drop-down.
> If you select Visible, the drive will be visible in Windows Explorer.
> If you select Hidden, the drive will not be visible in Windows Explorer.
> However, the hidden drive can be accessed by typing the drive letter in Start > Run.
6. Click Add to add the ThawSpace.
| It is recommended to assign Drive Letters towards the end of the alphabet (X, Y, Z) in order to avoid automatic reassignment when a removable drive is unplugged. |
Removing a ThawSpace
To remove a ThawSpace, locate it in the list of ThawSpaces and click the associated delete button. The ThawSpace is removed and the drive letter is now added back to the Drive Letter drop-down.
| Before removing a ThawSpace, remove any profile redirections or Symbolic Links. Removing a ThawSpace will also remove the data stored in it. A ThawSpace is not protected by Deep Freeze. Deploy standard data protection options such as, Anti-Virus and backup procedures. |
Configuring Existing ThawSpaces
The Retain existing ThawSpace checkbox is selected by default to prevent ThawSpaces created during previous installations from being deleted.
A dialog is always displayed asking if the ThawSpace should be retained or deleted during an Attended Uninstall, regardless of whether Retain existing ThawSpace has been selected. This option is not displayed if the uninstall is performed through the Console.
Select Delete during policy update to delete and re-create all existing ThawSpaces on the computer while applying the new configuration. All data in the existing ThawSpaces will be deleted as part of this process.
The Honor Group Policy settings for Hidden Drives ensures that the Group Policy settings for hidden drives do not conflict with the Deep Freeze settings for hidden drives.
Hidden drive settings for Group Policies are user-specific. Hidden drive settings for Deep Freeze are global if the Honor Group Policy settings for Hidden Drives option is disabled.
| If there are no Group Policies for hidden drives, it is recommended to disable this option. |
| If the Retain Existing ThawSpace option is selected, the updated policy can be applied to the computers. |
| If the Delete during policy update option is selected, all data in existing ThawSpaces will be deleted when you apply the policy! |