Tips

Tips

• Hiding service administrator accounts from users

  How to hide service administrator accounts from authenticated users without changing the default settings of the self-correction mechanism.  Continue Reading

• Remapping keys in Windows 2000 and XP

  How to change the function of keyboard keys.  Continue Reading

• How to fix CD/DVD-ROM issues in Windows 2000 and XP

  A particular problem with CD/DVD-ROM devices in Windows 2000 and XP can be fixed with a registry hack.  Continue Reading

• Improving the default domain controller Group Policy Objects

  When Windows Server 2003 is used to establish an Active Directory-based network, there are two default GPOs: the default domain GPO and the default domain controller GPO. This article recommends several ways to improve upon the default settings in ...  Continue Reading

• Auditing changes to the registry

  How to set up auditing so that changes made to the registry are tracked.  Continue Reading

• Top 10 tasks for new Exchange administrators, part 1

  Are you a new Exchange administrator and feeling overwhelmed? Check out this tip for Microsoft's top tasks and our take on their advice. Part 1 of 2-part series.  Continue Reading

• Top 10 tasks for new Exchange administrators, part 2

  Are you a new Exchange administrator? Even if you aren't new, check out part 2 of this Tip that tells what Microsoft says are your top tasks and our take on their advice.  Continue Reading

• Further alternatives to using RUNAS

  A look at three helpful alternatives to the RUNAS utility.  Continue Reading

• The importance of physical security for domain controllers

  Your logical and technical security will be wasted if you do not physically secure your DC. This tip will put you on the right path.  Continue Reading

• Expire the License Logging Service

  Long-standing problems with the License Logging Service mean one thing: disable it.  Continue Reading

• Dos and don'ts: Scanning Exchange for viruses

  Is it possible to over-protect against viruses and cause your enterprise damage in the process? Yes, but here are some tips on how to avoid that undesirable outcome.  Continue Reading

• System Restore from command prompt

  System Restore from command prompt  Continue Reading

• The command-line DISKPART utility in Windows

  Some of the do's and don't of the DISKPART utiltiy and a list of the commands used by the utility.  Continue Reading

• Turn off the Internet by releasing the IP address

  Turn off the Internet by releasing the IP address  Continue Reading

• Establishing secure Active Directory boundaries - Part 1

  Part one on choosing the best boundaries for your Microsoft Active Directory implementation.  Continue Reading

• Build an affordable practice lab at home

  install a test network at home and practice everything you can on that network  Continue Reading

• How to use the size column in Outlook to help manage mailbox size

  When advising users how to keep their mailbox size under control, a good tip is to add the Size field to their current view in Outlook.  Continue Reading

• Troubleshooting 'Conflicting Credentials' errors between Windows systems

  How to solve the problem of 'Conflicting Credentials' errors between Windows systems.  Continue Reading

• Basic DNS records for Active Directory DCs

  Be careful with the Active Directory Wizard, it may generate incorrect entries. This tip tells you what to look for to make sure your DNS records are correct.  Continue Reading

• Microsoft Adsizer tool works out your Active Directory domain

  Learn about the Active Directory Sizer tool, a Microsoft utility design to determine the hardware requirements for your AD domain.  Continue Reading

• Share your remote desktop session

  Stumped by a remote user issue? Get a second opinion from one of your IT colleagues by sharing your remote desktop session.  Continue Reading

• How to use non-Microsoft DNS for AD

  You don't have to use Microsoft's DNS to deploy an Active Directory domain. Expert James Michael Stewart explains how.  Continue Reading

• Why can't I create new Active Directory objects?

  From time to time, AD administrators may have trouble creating new objects. Fortunately, this is usually quite easy to fix.  Continue Reading

• Active Directory replication failing? Check the topology

  Learn why automatic replication can sometimes fail in Active Directory and what admins can do to troubleshoot the problem.  Continue Reading

• Stop a deleted object's reappearance in Active Directory

  What you delete from Active Directory doesn't always stay that way. This tip explains why those AD objects reappear, and what admins can do to stop it.  Continue Reading

• View your Kerberos tickets with free Microsoft tool

  Learn about a useful utility designed for Windows admins to help with viewing Kerberos tickets in Active Directory.  Continue Reading

• Auto replies? Use a public folder

  Why you should, instead of running a copy of Outlook.  Continue Reading

• Easily manage multiple systems using MMC

  How to easily manage multiple systems using MMC.  Continue Reading

• System.ced is missing? Probably not

  If System.ced is missing, what probably is wrong, and how to fix it.  Continue Reading

• Round-robin DNS with different subnets

  Round-robin DNS with different subnets  Continue Reading

• Fixing mismatched Active Directory accounts

  Learn to solve issues with mismatched Active Directory accounts and mailboxes after ADC replication  Continue Reading

• Some help with RunAs

  Let users run programs with different parameters without making them admins.  Continue Reading

• Preventative maintenance checklist

  A helpful checklist of preventative maintenace instructions.  Continue Reading

• The domain account lockout mystery

  Disconnected terminal server sessions can cause problems with account lockouts.  Continue Reading

• Changing the IP address on a domain controller

  Step-by-step instructions for changing the IP address on an AD domain controller, as well as a method to make sure it is resolving properly after the change.  Continue Reading

• Quick Tips: Exporting AD account information to a spreadsheet

  Learn how to export Active Directory account information like email addresses, last name, etc., into a spreadsheet.  Continue Reading

• Lock down HOSTS files

  Placing name/address pairs in HOSTS allows the system to default to the IP address for that network name at all times -- saving DNS lookup time and traffic to the DNS server.  Continue Reading

• Missing domain controller policies? Help!

  How to replace without reinstalling Windows.  Continue Reading

• Force domain changes in Microsoft Active Directory

  you make a change to your domain, you don't have to wait for AD's replication schedule to occur before having that change replicate to all of your other DCs.  Continue Reading

• Automatically restart services

  Have a service that fails routinely? Do you need time to research without being bothered to restart the service each time it fails? Make the service restart itself.  Continue Reading

• Print to printers in another domain

  This tip explains how to let a customer with a computer and user account in another domain print to your domain's printers.  Continue Reading

• Set up split-brain DNS in Active Directory

  How and why you should deploy two sets of DNS servers in Microsoft Active Directory environments.  Continue Reading

• Check your BIOS version without rebooting

  Has tech support ever asked you which version of the BIOS you were on, then had you reboot when you don't know?Here are two places you can get that information without rebooting.  Continue Reading

• Manage your print servers

  Advantages to doing so  Continue Reading

• Placing global catalog servers in Active Directory

  The global catalog is the master index of objects within an Active Directory forest. This tip explains how to properly place them in your environment.  Continue Reading

• Change Windows ARP resolution

  How it can help you increase network performance.  Continue Reading

• Sam Spade: Your network's detective agency

  David Strom takes a closer look at Sam Spade 1.14 from Steve Atkins.  Continue Reading

• Expand the NTFS log file

  If an NTFS log fills up, all file operations are suspended, in some cases casuing a system to stop completely. Learn a cheap and efficient workaround to this issue.  Continue Reading

• Open-source vs. Microsoft: Who's switching to Linux?

  In part three of our Q&A series, two experts -- C. J. Rayhill and Peter Houston -- face off about why businesses are, should be, or may be switching from Windows to Linux.  Continue Reading

• Using the RUNAS command with UNC paths

  You technically cannot connect to a UNC path using RunAs under Windows 2000. But this workaround will let you.  Continue Reading

• Restart or shut down remotely with SHUTDOWN.EXE

  Shutdown.exe comes in handy when you need to troubleshoot a remote Windows 2000 computer.  Continue Reading

• Configure offline file synchronization policies

  If you need Windows 2000 to synchronize subfolders, you have to configure the group policy to make it happen. It doesn't do it by default.  Continue Reading

• Set processor affinity for a device driver

  Why you want to set the affinity for a device driver, and how to do it.  Continue Reading

• Pros and cons of Microsoft Active Directory

  An in-depth look at the upsides and the downsides of integrating Active Directory into your Windows environment.  Continue Reading

• Active Directory and IntelliMirror

  Learn the basics of IntelliMirror, a Windows feature designed to enhance the management of user environments and profiles.  Continue Reading

• How to install the FTP server on Windows XP

  How to install the FTP server on Windows XP.  Continue Reading

• Understanding Kerberos in Microsoft Active Directory

  This short article breaks down the properties of Kerberos, Microsoft's primary authentication protection mechanism, with details on how it works in Active Directory.  Continue Reading

• The principles of Active Directory infrastructure design

  Learn what forests, domains and organizational units are and how they differ from one another when considered for Active Directory infrastructure design.  Continue Reading

• Disable media sensing

  When to do it, and how.  Continue Reading

• Understanding multi-master replication in Windows 2000 Active Directory

  Multi-master replication is a great function of Microsoft Active Directory. In this short article, learn what it is and why admins are happy to have it.  Continue Reading

• Strange behavior? Check the MTU

  How it messes up Exchange server.  Continue Reading

• Let multiple users share the same mailbox

  How to let multiple users share the same mailbox.  Continue Reading

• Diffie-Hellman key exchange

  An explanation of this key exchange method.  Continue Reading

• Manage desktop themes through GPOs

  Depending on the work tasks of the users, strictly controlling desktop themes may be desirable. Here are some tips for doing so with Group Policy Objects.  Continue Reading

• Stop users mapping network drives

  How to keep users from mapping network drives.  Continue Reading

• Keep local profiles when joining an AD domain

  When you have a highly customized Win2k local profile there is indeed a way to preserve it after joining a domain.  Continue Reading

• Solve offline address-book woes

  How to fix things when Exch 2000 doesn't create these address books.  Continue Reading

• Manage distribution lists from Outlook

  How you can do this, and why you want to.  Continue Reading

• Stop recipients from modifying sent e-mails

  How to make sure users cannot change the contents of a sent message.  Continue Reading

• Remove persistent applications from the 'Add/Remove Programs' list

  Programs may remain on your 'Add/Remove Programs' list after they've been uninstalled. Learn how to remove them permanently.  Continue Reading

• Control remote assistance via Group Policy Objects

  Learn the basics of Microsoft's remote assistance feature and how it can be managed through Active Directory.  Continue Reading

• Control Active Desktop via Group Policy Objects

  Explanation of applicable controls, and how admins can use Group Policy to control the ability of desktops to display live information from the Internet.  Continue Reading

• Use GPOs to manage error reporting in Windows

  Using Group Policy Objects, Windows administrators can keep system errors in-house.  Continue Reading

• Manage disk quotas in Windows with Group Policy Objects

  Keeping an eye on the amount of disk space users can use is an important part of network management. Learn how to do so using Group Policy Objects with Windows 2000.  Continue Reading

• The emergency repair process

  Some procedures after you are forced to do an emergency repair.  Continue Reading

• Fix protected storage

  Why you may need to do this, and how.  Continue Reading

• Control shared folders via Group Policy Objects

  Learn how admins can manage a user's ability to share resources Microsoft Group Policy.  Continue Reading

• Delegating Authority in Active Directory

  IT pro Douglas Paddock shares pros and cons of delegating authority in AD in preparation for the webcast on the same topic.  Continue Reading

• Control Windows Messenger with Group Policy Objects

  Administrators can set certain controls to stop Windows Messenger from ever starting -- or only on startup.  Continue Reading

• Using Group Policy Objects to manage script execution

  Learn how Group Policy can be used to specify execution parameters for scripts running on your Windows system.  Continue Reading

• Use BIOS protection features

  More things to do to protect a Windows computer.  Continue Reading

• Where do you draw the line on employee monitoring?

  This article addresses employee monitoring and how to deal with the challenges of doing so.  Continue Reading

• Making sense of browser elections, part one

  The first installment of a two-part series on browser elections.  Continue Reading

• Setup a Performance Monitor log using a binary circular log file

  This tip allows you to configure Performance Monitor so that it will start at each boot and write to a circular log file.  Continue Reading

• Add a Notepad option to your right-click menu

  Following this tip will allow you to use Notepad to open a file simply by right-clicking on the icon.  Continue Reading

• IIS memory leak? Use IISRESET

  IISRESET is a command-line tool in Windows 2000 that stops, unloads, reloads, and restarts the IIS process.  Continue Reading

• Using Group Policy Objects to control user logon

  Learn how to use GPOs to control the login process for Windows XP and Windows 2000 clients in an Active Directory domain.  Continue Reading

• Use Group Policy Objects to manage disk quotas

  Learn to control the usage of disk space over your Windows network via Group Policy.  Continue Reading

• Command line options for Regedit.exe

  This user-submitted tip provides a collection of Regedit command line options gathered from a variety of sources.  Continue Reading

• Delete print jobs jamming print queue in Windows 2000 and NT

  Why certain print jobs can't be deleted in the conventional way and how to get rid of them.  Continue Reading

• Managing user profiles via Group Policy Objects

  There are three parameters in the GPO for an Active Directory container that make user profiles easier to handle.  Continue Reading

• Secure the All Staff distribution list

  How to stop spurious e-mail to everyone.  Continue Reading

• The advantages of multiple partitions

  This tip outlines the advantages of creating two partitions on your hard drive and using them for seperate purposes.  Continue Reading

• Administer AD users and computers in another forest or domain

  Administer AD Users and Computers in another Forest or Domain with this tip.  Continue Reading

• Using Active Directory security principles

  Details on what security principles are and what they do in Microsoft Active Directory.  Continue Reading

• Active Directory migration: Upgrade vs. restructure

  Learn the key considerations every administrator should make before migrating Microsoft Active Directory.  Continue Reading

• Dos & don'ts: How to convince management to approve your project

  Windows administrators can be dull as dirt when explaining their projects to management. Here's how to hone your pitch.  Continue Reading

• IIS authentication methods: What and when

  What the authentication methods are and when they are used.  Continue Reading

• Dealing with Event ID 1022

  How to react to, or maybe avoid, this error event.  Continue Reading

• Open a URL from a batch file

  Ways to do open URLs from a batch file.  Continue Reading