ZERO IN ON SERVICE PACK HOTFIXES
DON'T APPLY A 40-BIT SERVICE PACK OVER A 128-BIT SYSTEM
VIEWING WHO'S LOGGED ON TO YOUR NT SERVER
WHAT SERVICE PACK AM I RUNNING?
APPLICATION SHARING BETWEEN WIN9X AND WINDOWS NT
SYNCHRONIZING DOMAIN CONTROLLERS
DISABLING THE DOS 8.3 NAME CREATING IN NTFS
CHANGING ACCESS PERMISSIONS WITH NTFS
SCSI INSTALLATION BEFORE AUTODETECT
VULNERABILITIES IN UNATTENDED INSTALLATIONS
TROUBLESHOOTING TCP/IP PROBLEMS
COPY AND PASTE IN A COMMAND WINDOW
RESTRICTING ACCESS TO FLOPPY DRIVES
INSTALL EXTRA WINDOWS NT LICENSES
PREVENT A WIN95 BOX FROM BEING A MASTER BROWSER
WINDOWS NT AND WINDOWS 9X CAN'T SHARE ROAMING PROFILES
ADDING USER ACCOUNTS FROM A WINDOWS NT COMMAND LINE
STOPPING AND STARTING THE PROXY SERVICES
ADMINISTERING A DOMAIN FROM AN NT WORKSTATION
HOW TO COMPRESS THE WINS DATABASE
HOW CAN I UNDELETE A FILE IN WINDOWS NT?
MAXIMUM ENTRY LIMIT IN A FAT ROOT DIRECTORY
USING CONTROL PANEL TO MAKE OPERATING SYSTEM SELECTIONS
OPTIMIZING WINDOWS NT SERVER AND WINDOWS NT WORKSTATION
INSTALLING TCP/IP WITHOUT AN NIC
RECREATING A STRIPE SET AFTER DISK FAILURE
APPLICATION, APPLICATION, GO AWAY!
DO YOU HAVE A RESERVATION FOR THAT MAC?
ZERO IN ON SERVICE PACK HOTFIXES
If you're having a problem with a Windows NT server that doesn't seem to be addressed in the latest service pack, you just may need a hotfix. Microsoft only sends out service packs about once a year. To address problems that appear between service pack releases, Microsoft develops hotfixes. Hotfixes usually address a specific problem or condition on an NT server and some require that you have a specific service pack as a prerequisite. You can pick up hotfixes for Windows 4.0, 3.51, and International NT versions at the Windows NT Hotfixes page. You should only use a hotfix if you have an NT machine that's experiencing a specific problem. Microsoft doesn't test hotfixes with the same thoroughness as service packs--often because they're quickly put together to address security or other problems. As a result, a hotfix might cause some instability on individual NT systems. In addition, you'll need to keep careful track of the hotfixes you use, especially if you have multiple NT machines. http://support.microsoft.com/support/ntserver/hotfixes.asp
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
When you sit down to troubleshoot an NT workstation or server, the first thing you need is information about that particular system. Windows NT 4.0 provides a Windows NT Diagnostics tool that can deliver loads of information about a system in moments. To access the Windows NT Diagnostics tool, go to the Start Menu and select Programs | Administrative Tools | Windows NT Diagnostics. NT will display a Windows NT Diagnostics dialog box with individual tabs for Memory, Drives, Display, System, Version, Services, Resources, Environment, and Network configurations. This diagnostics tool makes troubleshooting much easier because you don't have to depend on the user, your records, or your memory for information about the system.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
DON'T APPLY A 40-BIT SERVICE PACK OVER A 128-BIT SYSTEM
When you apply a service pack to your Windows NT server, you can choose between a 40-bit and a 128-bit version. If you're in Canada or the U.S., you probably have a 128-bit server. When you download and apply the service pack, it will check your version before installing. If it warns you that you're about to apply a 40-bit service pack to a 128-bit system, don't do it. You'll decrease the level of protection in your NT server. Obtain and install a 128-bit service pack.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
1. Start the Disk Administrator (Start | Programs | Administrative Tools | Disk Administrator).
2. Make sure that you have an area of unpartitioned space that is at least the size of the primary partition.
3. Click on the part of the mirror that is working.
4. While holding down [Ctrl], select the area of unpartitioned space.
5. Select Establish from the Fault Tolerance menu.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
VIEWING WHO'S LOGGED ON TO YOUR NT SERVER
If you want to know who's currently logged on to your NT server, you can find out quickly by using Server Manager. Go to Start | Programs | Administrative Tools (Common) | Server Manager. When Server Manager starts, double-click the server you want to check. When the Properties window appears for the server, click the Users button. You'll then see who's logged on to your server and what files they're using.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
WHAT SERVICE PACK AM I RUNNING?
Windows NT tells you what service pack version you're running when you boot your server. But if you don't want to reboot to find out, you can use Windows NT Diagnostics instead. Select Start | Programs | Administrative Tools (Common) | Windows NT Diagnostics. You'll see your current Windows NT version number and service pack level in the Version window.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
APPLICATION SHARING BETWEEN WIN9X AND WINDOWS NT
It's possible to have a computer that dual boots between Windows 95/98 and Windows NT, but since they don't share the same registry, applications must be installed twice--once for each operating system. The best way to go about this is to install the application twice to the same directory--once while booted to Windows 95/98 and once while booted to Windows NT. This will duplicate the .dll files and update the registry in both operating systems while just having one set of .exe files. However, you can't install the applications in a partition that has been formatted with NTFS or FAT32.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
If you want to restrict certain users from editing the registry, do the following:
1. Launch the Registry Editor (Start | Run | type regedt32.exe).
2. Highlight the HKEY_USERS and Load Hive from the registry menu.
3. Go to the Users Profile directory of the user you want to restrict and select NTUser.dat.
4. Input the user's UserID when prompted for Key Name.
5. Go to \Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies and add the System subkey if it doesn't already exist.
6. Then add Value Of DisableRegistryTools under the System key, using type REG-WORD and set the value to 1.
7. Unload the Hive from the registry menu. NOTE: Please remember that editing your registry can be risky, so always have a verified backup before you begin.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
SYNCHRONIZING DOMAIN CONTROLLERS
If you want to force synchronization of your domain controllers instead of waiting for an automatic replication event, type net accounts / sync from the command line of your primary domain controller. You can also use Server Manager to force synchronization. Start Server Manager, choose the primary domain controller, and select Synchronize Entire Domain from the File menu. You will see a message informing you that the process may take awhile; click OK.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
To enable the WINS Proxy Agent on a Windows NT 4.0 computer, you must edit the registry. To do so, start the Registry Editor (Start | Run | Regedt32) and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Netbt\Parameters and change the value for EnableProxy to 0x1. In Windows NT 3.51, you were able to select a check box under TCP/IP settings so that a non- WINS client could use WINS for NetBIOS name resolution, but that check box isn't available in NT 4.0. NOTE: Please remember that editing your registry can be risky; always have a verified backup before you begin.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
You can share a single SCSI device between two or more Windows NT computers. Simply boot each computer with the SCSI device attached. After the first computer boots, connect it to the next computer and boot it. Continue this process for as many computers as necessary. When you need the SCSI device on one of the computers, shut off the device, switch it over to the system you want, and turn it back on. Switching is not advisable for a device that's in the middle of an SCSI change.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
The maximum size of the registry is 102 MB, which is 80 percent of the paged pool. The paged pool is an area of physical memory used for system data that can be written to disk when not in use. The paged pool has a maximum capacity of 128 MB--thus, 80 percent of that is 102 MB. You can create a registry entry for the maximum size by going to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control and selecting New - Dword Value from the Edit menu and providing the name RegistrySizeLimit. By default, this entry is not created. Double- click the new entry, enter a value in bytes, and choose Decimal as the type. If no entry is entered, the maximum size is 25 percent of the paged pool. Keep in mind that since the RegistrySizeLimit is not an allocation of space, setting a high value will not ensure that the space will be reserved or available. NOTE: Remember that editing your registry can be risky; always have a verified backup before you begin.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
DISABLING THE DOS 8.3 NAME CREATING IN NTFS
To disable the DOS 8.3 name creation convention on an NTFS partition, you must change the NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation from 0 to 1. This value is found in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\ Control\FileSystem in the registry. By doing this, you may experience problems while installing certain software packages, such as Office 97. You can always re-enable it for installations to get around that problem. NOTE: Please remember that editing your registry can be risky, so always have a verified backup before you begin.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
CHANGING ACCESS PERMISSIONS WITH NTFS
When a volume has been formatted as NTFS, you have an extra tab called Permissions in the Properties window. To change the permissions on an NTFS volume, start Windows Explorer, right-click a directory, and select Properties. Click the Security tab to access the Permissions button. At this point, you can change the existing permissions for the directory. You must already have rights to the directory before you can make changes to it.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
SCSI INSTALLATION BEFORE AUTODETECT
You can manually install SCSI drivers before the Autodetect of installation. After you insert the first boot disk to install Windows NT, there's a brief moment when the screen displays the message, "Setup is inspecting your Hardware..." When you see this message, press [F6]. Once the NT kernel is loaded, you'll be prompted to select the drivers to be installed after reading disk two but before selecting the installation type.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
VULNERABILITIES IN UNATTENDED INSTALLATIONS
When an unattended installation of Windows NT 4.0 is performed, the installation parameters are included in the Unattend.txt file. A vulnerability exists because the installation process copies the parameter file to a file in %windir%\system32 ($winnt$.inf for a normal unattended installation, or $nt4pre$.inf if Sysprep was used), but doesn't delete it when the installation completes. By default, any user who can perform an interactive logon can read this file. If sensitive information such as account passwords were provided in the installation parameters file, the information could be compromised.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
TROUBLESHOOTING TCP/IP PROBLEMS
Ping is the first command you should use when testing TCP/IP connections. From a command line, you can ping the loopback address of 127.0.0.1 to see if TCP/IP has been properly installed on your computer. Type ping 127.0.0.1 at the command prompt, and it should return a result that looks similar to the following: Pinging 127.0.0.1 with 32 bytes of data: Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=128 Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=128 Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=128 Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=128 If you get a "Request Timed Out" message, that's an indication that TCP/IP isn't set up correctly on your computer. You can also ping an IP address of another computer on the near side and far side of your router to see if the packets are getting passed to and through the router. There are also command line options that can be used with ping. They are: -t: Ping the specified host until interrupted -a: Resolve addresses to hostnames -n: Count number of echo requests to send -l size: Send buffer size -f set: Don't fragment flag in packet -i TTL: Time To Live -v TOS: Type Of Service -r count: Record route for count hops -s count: Timestamp for count hops -j host-list: Loose source route along host-list -k host-list: Strict source route along host-list -w timeout: Timeout in milliseconds to wait for each reply
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
COPY AND PASTE IN A COMMAND WINDOW
There are three ways to copy and paste the contents of a command window:
1. Maximize the command window by pressing [Alt]+[Enter] and then press [Print Screen] to copy the screen to memory. You can paste that screen into a Windows application by opening the application and pressing [Ctrl]V.
2. Right-click the command window title bar, select Mark from the Edit menu, select the area to be copied, press [Enter] to copy the selection to memory or right-click the title bar again, and select Copy from the Edit Menu.
3. You can enable Quick Mode by right-clicking the title bar and selecting Properties | Options and enabling the QuickEdit Mode check box. Now you can select text with your left mouse button and simply press [Enter] to copy the selection into memory. You can paste the selection into a Windows application by pressing [Ctrl]V.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
Use the Shutdown.exe utility that's shipped with the Windows NT Resource Kit to reboot the local machine. An example of the usage is Shutdown /l/r/c/y. The command line arguments add flexibility to the utility. Use /l to shut down the local machine, /r to reboot, /c to close all programs, and /y to avoid having to answer Yes to prompts. You can also use this utility in conjunction with the AT command to schedule a shutdown at specific times. An example of this is: AT 23:59 /every:M,T,W,Th,F shutdown /l /r /c /y
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
RESTRICTING ACCESS TO FLOPPY DRIVES
Floplock is a service that can be used to limit floppy disk drive access to Administrator Group accounts for Windows NT Server or Administrator and Power User Group accounts for Windows NT Workstation. When the Floplock service is installed and started, only those users in the groups mentioned above have access to the computer's floppy disk drives.
To install the Floplock service, you must use the Service Installer tool (Instsrv.exe) that comes with the Windows NT Resource Kit.
1. Install Instsrv.exe and Floplock.exe from the Windows NT Resource Kit.
2. At the command prompt, type the following commands: cd\<folder name> instsrv <service name> <drive>:\<folder name>\floplock.exe. (where <service name> is the name you specify for the Floplock service, <drive> is the drive letter in which the Windows NT Resource Kit is installed, and <folder name> is the folder in which the Windows NT Resource Kit is installed).
If you want the Floplock service to start automatically when you log on to Windows NT, change the service to start "Automatically" in the Service applet of the Control Panel. You can remove the Floplock service by typing the command Instsrv <service name> remove (where <service name> is the name you specify for the Floplock service) from the command prompt.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
INSTALL EXTRA WINDOWS NT LICENSES
To install extra licenses for a Windows NT Server that's based on Per Server, do the following:
1. Log on to the Windows NT Server.
2. Start the License Manager (Start | Programs | Administrative Tools | License Manager).
3. Click the Products View tab.
4. Click Windows NT Server.
5. Select Properties from the License menu.
6. Click the Server Browser tab, select the Windows NT Server, and click Edit.
7. Select Windows NT Server and click Edit.
8. Click Add Licenses--make sure the product selected is Windows NT Server, enter the number of licenses, and click OK.
9. Click the I Agree command button and then click OK.
10. Click OK to finish.
To install extra licenses for a Windows NT Server that's based on Per Seat, do the following:
1. Log on to the Windows NT Server.
2. Start the License Manager (Start | Programs | Administrative Tools | License Manager).
3. Select New License from the License menu.
4. Select Windows NT as the product.
5. Increase the number of licenses.
6. Enter a comment.
7. Click OK.
8. Click the I Agree command button and then click OK.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
PREVENT A WIN95 BOX FROM BEING A MASTER BROWSER
To prevent a Windows 95 machine from acting as a master browser, do the following:
1. Open the Control Panel and start the Network applet.
2. Click the Configuration tab.
3. Select File And Printer Sharing For Microsoft Networks and click Properties.
4. In the Properties dialog box, click Browse Master and select Disabled in the Value box.
5. Click OK to exit File And Print Sharing For Microsoft Networks.
6. Click OK to exit the Network applet.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
WINDOWS NT AND WINDOWS 9X CAN'T SHARE ROAMING PROFILES
Windows NT and Windows 9x cannot share a roaming profile. Windows 9x clients store the profile in the root of the home directory, while Windows NT clients store the profile in the profile path location. Differences also exist in the registry structure of Windows 9x and Windows NT that prevent you from simply copying the profile information into the respective directory for Windows NT or Windows 9x. Windows NT stores the user portion of the registry in the file Ntuser.dat, while Windows 9x stores it in User.dat.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
ADDING USER ACCOUNTS FROM A WINDOWS NT COMMAND LINE
You can add or delete computer accounts from the command line. This type of functionality is essential if you use script or bat files to automate tasks. From the command prompt, use the Net command: Net computer \\computername /Add /Del. You must have the appropriate permissions to add or delete an account in order for this to work.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
If you're still using Exchange Server 5.0, you can recover some lost hard disk space. During the installation process, the Exchange Setup program copies a file called Exg32l.dll to your hard disk. You can safely remove this 33-MB file with no adverse effects to your system. You can do so because the file isn't actually a .dll. If you rename the file from Exg32l.dll to Exg32l.avi, you'll have a two-minute movie that you can play on your PC. The movie displays the names of the Exchange 5.0 development team along with some funny pictures.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
This is installed by using the Network applet in Control Panel. Since WINS is a server service, go into the Services tab to install it. If you have any non-WINS clients, you should add them as static names to IP mappings. If you plan to use WINS in conjunction with Proxy server or DHCP, you'll have to install and configure those as well. In order for a Windows NT client to use WINS, you must add the IP address of the WINS server in the WINS tab of the TCP/IP Properties sheet.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
STOPPING AND STARTING THE PROXY SERVICES
There are several ways to stop and start the Proxy services. You can use the Internet Service Manager (ISM) and simply select the service and click the Start/Stop button. You can alternatively use the Services applet in Control Panel to first select the service and then choose Start or Stop. Services can also be stopped from a command line. For Web Proxy Service, type Net Start/Stop W3SVC. For Winsock Proxy Service, type Net Start/Stop W3PSVC. For Socks Proxy Service, type Net Start/Stop SPSVC.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
ADMINISTERING A DOMAIN FROM AN NT WORKSTATION
To administer your domain from a Windows NT workstation, follow these steps.
First, install the NT Server client-based administration tools.
Next, insert the NT Server CD into your NT Workstation and run the <CD-ROM drive>:: *\clients\srvtools\winnt\setup.bat file. Doing so will detect your processor and install the correct files in the %SystemRoot%\System32 folder.
You'll probably now want to create shortcuts, on either the desktop or the Start menu, for the following applications:
* Dhcpadmn.exe--DHCP Manager
* Poledit.exe--System Policy Editor
* Rasadmin.exe--Remote Access Administrator
* Rplmgr.exe--Remote Boot Manager
* Srvmgr.exe--Server Manager
* Usrmgr.exe--User Manager for Domains
* Winsadmn.exe--WINS Manager
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
HOW TO COMPRESS THE WINS DATABASE
You can use the Jetpack.exe utility shipped with Windows NT Server to compress the WINS database.
1. Go to the %systemroot%\system32\wins directory.
2. Type Net Stop WINS and press [Enter] to stop the WINS service.
3. Type Jetpack WINS.MDB TMP.MDB and press [Enter] to compress the database.
4. When the compression process is finished, type Net Start WINS and press [Enter] to restart the WINS service. The Jetpack utility actually compacts the WINS.MDB into the TMP.MDB and then deletes the WINS.MDB and copies the TMP.MDB to the WINS.MDB.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
HOW CAN I UNDELETE A FILE IN WINDOWS NT?
If you've permanently deleted a file--which is to say that it's not in the Recycle Bin--and realize that you still need it, there may be a way to recover it. It's important to stop all activity on the computer as soon as possible once you realize you need a deleted file, thereby reducing the risk of another file overwriting the data to be recovered. The DOS utility Undelete.exe, which comes with the NT Resource Kit, will allow you to retrieve a file that was on a FAT partition. If the file deleted was on an NTFS partition, the Undelete utility will not work. NTFS does not perform destructive deletes, so the actual data is left intact on the disk until another file is written in its place. There are some third-party vendors that have written programs that allow for the retrieval of deleted files on NTFS partitions.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
In some situations, you may want to add a security warning to Windows NT that users will see before they log on. Doing so is easy but requires you to edit the registry. To create a security warning, open the registry editor and navigate to \HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion \WinLogon. Next, double-click the LegalNoticeCaption value and enter the text Unauthorized Access Warning into the data field. Double-click the LegalNoticeText value and enter your security warning in the data field. Now, log off. Your security warning will now be displayed before you're given the chance to log back on. NOTE: As always, you should exercise extreme caution when editing the registry and be sure you have a verified backup before you begin, as making a mistake in the registry can destroy Windows.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
Although you've probably already put a considerable amount of time and effort into creating your ERD, you may still need to make occasional changes as you discover new needs. For example, after using your newly created ERD a few times, you may find that you need to add a utility to the disk. To make room, you may have to remove a less-used utility. Your ERD may eventually become your most valuable--if not your most frequently used--tool. Because of this, you should make a couple of spares and store them in a safe place. It would be a shame for a disk error to destroy a tool that you use so often, along with all your hard work. It's also extremely important to write-protect your disk because you'll be using the disk on more than one computer. As you go from one machine to another, it's always possible for your disk to become infected with a virus. Even if a virus doesn't damage the ERD itself, you could quickly (although inadvertently) spread the virus. Write-protecting your disk will make infection impossible.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
While exploring the registry (in read-only mode, of course), we've often wondered what all those data types really mean. We figured you were wondering the same thing.
Here's an explanation to make your registry exploration a bit more meaningful. Remember, these are only supported by Regedt32.
* REG_BINARY--Raw binary data.
* REG_DWORD--A double word (4 bytes). It can be displayed in binary, hexadecimal, or decimal format.
* REG_EXPAND_SZ--An expandable text string that contains a variable (e.g., %systemroot%).
* REG_MULTI_SZ--A multiple line string; each "line" is separated by a null.
* REG_SZ--A text string. If you prefer to use Regedit, you still can edit all data types except for REG_EXPAND_SZ and REG_MULTI_SZ.
Those two are reserved for Regedt32 only. NOTE: As always, we'll remind you that Microsoft does not support registry editing and that we all do it at our own risk. Always be sure you have a verified backup before making registry changes.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
Windows NT comes with a utility called Winmsd.exe. This utility makes it easy to view resource usage by devices. You can execute the Winmsd.exe utility via Start | Run | WINMSD. The Resources tab provides information on IRQ settings, I/O Port, DMA, and so forth. The Memory tab provides information regarding Pagefile Space, Physical Memory, and Kernel Memory. Winsmdp, a utility supplied with the Windows NT Resource Kit, can be used to output information to a file.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
As network administrators, we often don't sweat the small stuff and get irritated with those that do. However, change is good for all, so if you'd like to change the Windows NT logo that usually appears as the default screen when you first log on, here's how. All you have to do is replace either Winnt.bmp or Winnt256.bmp with your own .bmp file. You'll find both files in the \Winnt folder. We suggest that you rename the current file rather than write over it (but as a smart network admin, you knew that). Open Windows NT Explorer and locate \Winnt. Now find Winnt256.bmp and rename it to LogoFile.bmp. Rename your replacement file Winnt256.bmp. The next time you start the computer, the new logo will appear. Winnt256.bmp is the 256-color version of the logo. This is the one most people will use. However, if you don't use a 256-color (or greater) video system, rename the file currently named Winnt.bmp and then name your replacement Winnt.bmp. Voila! Your environment is now your own, just by changing one file.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
You can compress a directory that has been formatted as NTFS by following these instructions:
1. Using Explorer or My Computer, select a drive.
2. Right-click a directory, and choose Properties.
3. Select the Compress check box, and click Apply.
4. You'll be asked if you want to compress subdirectories; click OK.
5. Click OK to exit.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
MAXIMUM ENTRY LIMIT IN A FAT ROOT DIRECTORY
If you're trying to create files on the root directory of a FAT drive and get an error, you may have exceeded the maximum entry limit of 512.
There are a couple of things to remember about the 512-entry limit:
* Long filenames take up more than one entry.
* Hidden files, which don't show up in the file count at a command line, also count toward the total number of entries.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
USING CONTROL PANEL TO MAKE OPERATING SYSTEM SELECTIONS
When Windows NT boots, you're greeted with a menu that allows you to choose between Windows NT, Windows NT VGA Mode, and any other operating systems that you have loaded. If you want to change the default choice or the length of time on the counter, you don't have to edit the Boot.ini file. Instead, you can open Control Panel and select System. When you see the System Properties window, select the Startup/Shutdown tab. A user-friendly interface will enable you to customize your boot configuration.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
OPTIMIZING WINDOWS NT SERVER AND WINDOWS NT WORKSTATION
Windows NT Server and Windows NT Workstation are optimized differently. Windows NT Workstation is designed to make the user interface more responsive, while Windows NT Server is designed to dedicate more power to file sharing. If you want Windows NT Server to perform more like Windows NT Workstation or vice versa, you can change the way your computer is optimized. To do so, open Control Panel and double-click the Network icon. When you see the Network Properties sheet, select the Services tab. Now, select Server and click Properties. You'll see a dialog box that enables you to control the way Windows NT is optimized.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
When an unattended installation of Windows NT 4.0 is performed, the installation parameters are included in a file named Unattend.txt. A vulnerability exists because the installation process copies the parameter file to a file in %windir%\system32 ($winnt$.inf for a normal unattended installation, or $nt4pre$.inf if Sysprep was used) but does not delete it when the installation completes. By default, this file can be read by any user who can perform an interactive logon. If sensitive information such as account passwords were provided in the installation parameters file, the information could be compromised.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
INSTALLING TCP/IP WITHOUT AN NIC
Microsoft has included a loopback adapter that allows you to test TCP/IP without having a network card installed.
To install the loopback adapter, do the following:
1. Start the Control Panel (Start | Settings | Control Panel).
2. Double-click on the Network icon.
3. Click on the Adapters tab, click Add Select MS Loopback Adapter, and then click OK.
4. Configure the TCP/IP parameters.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
To create a stripe set with parity, follow these instructions:
1. Go to Start | Programs | Administrative Tools (Common).
2. Click Disk Administrator.
3. Select three or more areas of free space on different physical disks.
4. From the Fault Tolerance menu, select Create Stripe Set With Parity.
5. Fill in the desired stripe size of the drive and click OK.
Keep in mind that a stripe set will only use the lowest common disk space on each physical drive. If you were to create a stripe set with three disks of 200 MB, 100 MB, and 50 MB free, each part of the stripe set would only be 50 MB, with a maximum of a 150-MB partition in total. In addition, you would lose one-third of your drive to parity information, leaving you with only 100 MB for data storage.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
RECREATING A STRIPE SET AFTER DISK FAILURE
To recreate a stripe set with parity after a member of the set fails, follow these steps:
1. Replace the faulty disk and start NT.
2. From the Start menu, choose Programs | Administrative Tools and click Disk Administrator.
3. Select the stripe set to be repaired and an area of unpartitioned space on the new physical disk.
4. Select Regenerate from the Fault Tolerance menu. It's important to note that when a member fails in a set, you won't receive a warning. You must check the Event Log or run Disk Administrator.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
To remove a stripe set, follow these steps:
1. From the Start menu, choose Programs | Administrative Tools and click Disk Administrator.
2. Select the stripe set you want to delete.
3. From the Partition drop-down menu, select Delete.
4. Confirm to delete the partition.
It is important to note that when you remove a stripe set, you'll lose all the data on the set.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
Sometimes the old way is the best way, and using the command line is certainly an old but good trick. But what do you do, while working at the prompt of yesteryear, when you need to print a text file? How do you print the file without leaving the command prompt? There are actually several ways to print a text file while working at the command prompt. Assuming the file you want to print (for this example, let's call it TextFile.txt) is in your current folder, you can type print TextFile.txt and press [Enter]. Be sure to include the extension. Now for another trick: If you'd like to edit the file before you print it, type edit TextFile.txt and press [Enter]. This opens MS-DOS Edit. Edit the file and then press [Alt]F, P to print it. If you'd prefer to use Notepad, you can do this from the command prompt as well. Just type Notepad TextFile.txt, press [Enter], and Notepad will open with TextFile.txt loaded! Who says old DOS dogs don't know some cool tricks?
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
APPLICATION, APPLICATION, GO AWAY!
Where, oh where did that application go, and how do I make it go away? So you've installed an application to test in your production environment and opted to have it load upon boot. If, now that you're done testing, you can't find what's starting it up, here are some places to look.
* The Startup folder for the current user and all user groups
* The %systemroot%\win.ini file
* The registry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServicesOnce HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ Winlogon\Userinit HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServices HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunServicesOnce HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows (the run and load keys) Your best bet is to run the Registry Editor (after ensuring that you have a verified backup, of course) and search for the application executable or filename. Delete the key and you're in business--but that troublesome application no longer is!
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
We're talking about the WINS database here, and Microsoft recommends that it be compacted whenever it reaches 25 to 30 MB or larger. Fortunately, NT comes with a utility called Jetpack.exe that will compact both WINS and DHCP databases to improve performance and avoid corruption errors. To compact the WINS database, follow these steps. At a command prompt, enter the following commands: cd Winnt\SYSTEM32\WINS (e.g., cd d:\winnt\system32\wins) net stop WINS jetpack WINS.MDB TMP.MDB net start WINS Jetpack actually compacts WINS.MDB into TMP.MDB, and then deletes WINS.MDB and copies TMP.MDB to WINS.MDB. Remember, while you stop the WINS service, clients using WINS to resolve addresses will fail unless another name resolution solution is available. It's probably not a good idea to do this first thing in the morning or at 5:00 P.M., when most logging on and logging off takes place. We've found that although this does take some time, the performance improvement is well worth the time expended.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
DO YOU HAVE A RESERVATION FOR THAT MAC?
We are the first to admit that DHCP has been the answer to many a beleaguered NT administrator. No more coffee-stained pages falling from the rubber band-bound clipboard. But how do you deal with those situations when certain machines must have certain IP addresses? Simply configure a reservation in your DHCP scope! Here's how.
1. At a command prompt, type ipconfig /all and look for the line like this: Physical Address. . . . . . : 00-60-97-A4-20-86. This is your network card hardware address, often referred to as a MAC address.
2. Now, at the DHCP server, log on as an Administrator.
3. Start the DHCP Server management software via Start | Programs | Administrative Tools (Common) | DHCP Manager.
4. Double-click the DHCP server.
5. Select the light bulb icon and, from the Scope menu, select Add Reservations.
6. In the Add Reserved Clients dialog box, enter the IP address you wish to reserve, and in the Unique Identifier field enter the hardware address of the client machine (from ipconfig /all). Do NOT enter the hyphens (e.g., 006097A42086). Also enter a name for the machine (and a comment if you wish) and click Add.
7. Click close when you have added all reservations. You're now set to let DHCP handle it all!
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
Every smart system admin has a tool kit, ready to handle those crises that inevitably strike. But one thing often overlooked is the very real need for a boot disk. It's easy to create one (although it's best, of course, if you already have a few safely stashed away).
At any NT machine (Server or Workstation) format the floppy, then copy the following files found in the root:
* Ntldr
* Ntdetect.com
* Boot.ini
* Ntbootdd.sys (if you have a non-SCSI enabled bios and are using SCSI drives)
Now that you know you've got a boot disk, what are you going to do with it? Well, if you're a staunch believer in fault tolerance, you've implemented mirroring to protect your system partition. But, if one of the disks in your mirror fails, you can use your boot disk and edit your Boot.ini file to point to the partition to boot from.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
Advanced RISC Computing (ARC) names are the names seen when viewing Boot.ini and are used to locate the NT boot partition. There are two main types of ARC names, depending on whether the disks are IDE or SCSI. For IDE, the ARC names will follow this convention: multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Windows NT Workstation Version 4.00" The numbers that follow "multi" and "disk" should always be 0, as these are not applicable for IDE. The number following "rdisk" represents the physical disk, and the number after "partition" represents the partition on that disk where the boot files are located. So, in the above example, the boot files are located on the first physical disk, in the first partition (most likely drive C). Remember to always start with 0 when counting hard drives and CPUs. SCSI of course has to be different. With SCSI drives that have the SCSI bios disabled, you'll usually see something like this: scsi(0)disk(1)rdisk(x)partition(1)\ WINNT="Windows NT Workstation Version 4.00" The number after "scsi" represents the SCSI controller. The number after "disk" is the SCSI ID of the physical disk. The "rdisk" value is always 0 and the partition number is just the same as IDE, starting with 1. So, now you're prepared to handle that bad mirror by editing your Boot.ini file on your boot disk to point to the partition needed for booting.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000