Overview:

Deep Freeze is a software installed on lab computers to ensure the computers maintain the correct configuration. When computers are “frozen" a backup is created which saves the current state of the computer and resets to that saved state when the computer is restarted. For example, if Deep Freeze is used to “freeze” a computer with the standard SmartLab applications, but a student installs unapproved software, you can restart the computer and the software will no longer be installed. This keeps the computers clean of any unnecessary applications/files and also prevents computer viruses.

It is important to remember that if students save files on the computer for their lab projects, the files will be removed when the computer is restarted. Because of this, it is necessary for students to either save their files on the the shared “Learner” drive or on their school Google Drives. The upside to this is that the computers' hard drives will not be filled up over time with saved work. Additionally, if a student saves their work in a network location, they can access it from any computer in the lab, so they do not have to use the same computer on which they originally saved their work.

Thaw/Freeze Computers from Deep Freeze Console:

It is recommended to keep the facilitator computer thawed at all times, since it is not a shared computer. For the student computers, they should be frozen anytime the lab is in use. However, if you need to make any changes to the computers, such as installing a new software or adding a web shortcut to the desktop, you will need to thaw the computers first. Follow this method any time you need to make changes to student computers:

Step 1 - Open Deep Freeze Console. This application is available as a desktop shortcut. If your lab has a server, Deep Freeze Console is installed on your server computer. If your lab does not have a server, it is installed on your facilitator computer. 

Step 2 - Click the dropdown arrow next to “Port 7725” in the left pane, then select “Entire Network.” You should now see the list of computers in the right pane. 

Step 3 - Right click on a computer in the list and select “Reboot Thawed.”  You can thaw multiple computers simultaneously by left clicking on a computer, then holding shift while left clicking on another computer. All computers between the two you have clicked will be selected. You can now right click on any of the selected computers, and the command you choose (such as Reboot Thawed) will be applied to them all. 

Step 4 - After the computers have restarted, you will notice a red x on the thawed computers in the list. This means that Deep Freeze is currently inactive on these computers.

Step 5 - Make any desired changes on the thawed computers. When the changes are complete, ensure everything on these computers is set up as it should be.

Step 6 - Once the computers are set up properly, you can freeze them again, and the current setup will be saved. The computer will then revert to the new “save-state” each time it restarts. To freeze the computers, follow the same method used to thaw them, but instead select “Reboot Frozen.”

Thaw/Freeze Computers individually:

Computers can also be thawed/frozen individually in cases where Deep Freeze Console will not work (such as network issues). Follow the steps below to do this.

Step 1 - Open Deep Freeze on the student computer with the keyboard shortcut ctrl/shift/alt+F6. If this does not work, instead use: ctrl/shift/alt/FN+F6

Step 2 - Type the password: @lab!

Step 3 - Select “Reboot Thawed” and click “Apply and Restart.”

Step 4 - Make any desired changes and ensure everything is set up properly.

Step 5 - Open Deep Freeze on the student computer with the keyboard shortcut ctrl/shift/alt+F6. If this does not work, instead use: ctrl/shift/alt/FN+F6

Step 6 - Type the password: @lab!

Step 7 - Select “Reboot Frozen” and click “Apply and Restart.”

FAQ:

The computers are not showing in the Deep Freeze Console list. How do I fix this?

Follow the instructions in this guide to resolve this issue: Computers not showing in Deep Freeze Console

The student Macs in my lab are not showing in the list. What do I do?

Mac computers do not use Deep Freeze Console. These computers must be thawed/frozen individually. Deep Freeze Mac User Guide