I'm working on setting up an esports program at my school, and I've got 22 new computers that need local profiles for the students. I want to allow games like Armoury Crate and Marvel Rivals to run without requiring a password. I've tried using a software restriction policy and an AppLocker policy, but after trying to set it up with AppLocker, I somehow ended up bricking one of the PCs. I followed this path: secpol.msc → AppLocker → Executable Rules → Create New Rule → Allow → Path: C:Program FilesASUS, but when I booted into safe mode to delete the policy, the PC still won't start up properly. I really need these games to run under student accounts while blocking installs and with UAC set at maximum.
5 Answers
You might need to clarify what you mean by 'bricked the PC'. A black screen with just a mouse cursor is usually a sign that critical files are being blocked by your policies. What you experienced is a sign of incorrect AppLocker setup.
Esports programs in schools can be valuable for keeping students engaged, just like traditional sports. As long as they maintain good grades to participate, it’s all worth it! Just keep everything monitored and safe.
Right? It’s great that students can find a sense of teamwork and skills through gaming!
Totally agree, it's just like any other school sport!
Honestly, I’d recommend removing Armoury Crate altogether—it tends to slow down systems significantly. For programs that need admin access, creating a scheduled task that runs with the highest privileges could be a workaround. You might also consider giving full admin rights to students on a VLAN, isolating them from the network and resetting everything each day except the game install directories.
I think you're right about Armoury Crate, I didn’t realize it was such a resource hog. I'll just uninstall it.
You can set the PCs to not connect to district resources, so it sounds like a plan to keep them safe.
If you’re dealing with a situation where you bricked the Windows installation, it’s best to just reinstall Windows. Ensure your AppLocker is configured properly to avoid blocking critical files going forward. Also, consider putting the machines on a separate VLAN to keep them isolated.
Thanks for the tip! I’ll definitely look into the VLAN setup, that sounds like a solid solution.
You’re spot on. It seems the AppLocker policy caused issues rather than just blocking a program.
AppLocker is actually a whitelist policy. If you deleted the default rules and only allowed the ASUS rule, everything else got blocked. Since you're in a school environment, consider giving local admin access to the esports coach so they can elevate permissions as needed. Keep in mind that games often require admin privileges to run properly, which can be a hassle with standard accounts.
I hear you! I’m the esports coach too, and I don’t mind giving my students admin access under supervision. I just want to keep them safe from malware while using these PCs for other classes.
Exactly, we've been using Chromebooks for years, and handling profiles is new for me too!
Yeah, that sounds just like what happened to me before—frustrating!