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Windows 2000 Tips!
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Latest Windows 2000 News & Tips!
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Windows
2000 News & Tip of the week!
Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 Network Install:
Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 (SP3) provides the latest
updates to the Windows 2000 family of operating systems.
These updates are a collection of fixes in the following
areas: application compatibility, operating system reliability,
security, and setup. Windows 2000 SP2 includes the updates
contained in Windows 2000 Service Pack 1 (SP1) and Windows
2000 SP2 (SP2).
Windows 2000 SP3 is not considered a required
upgrade. To determine whether to install Windows 2000
SP3, Microsoft recommends that customers review the Windows
2000 SP3 documentation. www.microsoft.com
Or Download it here!
Morgan Pugh has put a new tutorial on how
to slipstream Windows 2000 SP3 to make a bootable CD.
You can download it in ZIP format from here: mrp.freeshell.org/tutorials/
Encrypting File System: Even if your
computer is lost or stolen, your files can remain safe
from an intruder’s eyes. Using the Encrypting Files
System (EFS), you can encrypt any NTFS file or folder.
EFS automatically decrypts files when you use them, and
re-encrypts them when you are finished.
EFS provides the core file encryption technology used
to store encrypted files on NTFS file system volumes.
Once you encrypt a file or folder, you work with the encrypted
file or folder just as you do with any other files and
folders. Encryption is transparent to the user that encrypted
the file. This means that you do not have to decrypt the
encrypted file before you can use it. You can open and
change the file as you normally do. However, an intruder
who tries to open, copy, move, or rename your encrypted
file or folder will receive an Access Denied message.
Use EFS to keep your documents safe from intruders who
might gain unauthorized physical access to your sensitive
stored data (by stealing your laptop or Zip disk, for
example).
When you work with encrypted files and folders, keep
in mind the following information:
* Only the user who encrypted the file can open it.
* You cannot encrypt files or folders that are compressed.
you must uncompress the file or folder, then you can encrypt
it.
* On a compressed volume, uncompress folders you want
to encrypt.
* Only files and folders on NTFS volumes can be encrypted.
* You cannot share encrypted files. EFS is not for distributing
private data.
* Encrypted files can become decrypted if you copy or
move the file to a volume that is not an NTFS volume.
* Use cutting and pasting to move files into an encrypted
folder. If you use a drag-and-drop operation to move the
files, they will not be encrypted in the new folder automatically.
* System files cannot be encrypted.
Recommendations:
* Encrypt your Temp folder so that any temporary files
created by programs are automatically encrypted.
Encrypt folders instead of individual files so that if
a program creates temporary files during editing, these
will be encrypted as well.
* Encrypt the My Documents folder if this is the place
where you save most of your documents.
* Using the Export command from Certificates in Microsoft
Management Console (MMC), make backup copies on floppy
disk of your file encryption certificate and associated
private key. Keep the floppy disk in a secure location.
Then, if you should ever lose your file encryption certificate
(through disk failure, for example), you can restore the
certificate and associated private key from the floppy
disk using the Import command from Certificates in MMC
and be able to open your encrypted files.
Here's how to encrypt a file or folder: Encrypt
or decrypt a folder or file by setting the encryption
property for folders and files just as you set any other
attribute, such as read-only, compressed, or hidden. If
you encrypt a folder, all files and subfolders created
in the encrypted folder are automatically encrypted. It
is recommended that you encrypt at the folder level.
* In Windows Explorer, right-click the file or folder
that you want to encrypt, and then click Properties.
* On the General tab, click Advanced.
* Select the Encrypt contents to secure data check box.
You may also encrypt or decrypt a file or folder using
the command-line function cipher. For more information
about the cipher command, type cipher /? at a command
prompt.
Selecting Multiple Files: You can selecting multiple
files in Large Icon View has a different behavior than
in List View. To extend your selection, click on the first
icon in your selection and hold down the Shift key
while you click on the last icon in your selection. To
toggle a selection, hold down the Ctrl key while you select
the files you want to toggle (between selected and not
selected). Works with Windows 2000/98/Me.
How to Customizing Toolbars:
You can tailor your desktop environment with customized
toolbars by:
Adding new toolbars to the taskbar.
Adding new buttons to toolbars.
Changing the order in which the buttons appear.
Removing buttons that you don't need.
To add toolbars to the taskbar
Right-click an empty area on the taskbar.
Point to Toolbars, and then click the toolbar you want
to add:
The Quick Launch bar makes it easy to open an Internet
Explorer window, read your e-mail, or access frequently
used programs.
The Address bar lets you quickly go to any Web page you
specify.
The Desktop bar places items from your desktop, such as
the Recycle Bin and My Computer, on the taskbar.
The Links bar automatically connects you to frequently
used Web sites.
To add or remove buttons from a toolbar
Open Windows Explorer.
Click the View menu, click Toolbars, and then click Customize.
To add a button, select a button from the list of Available
toolbar buttons, and then click Add.
To remove a button, select a button from the list of Current
toolbar buttons, and then click Remove.
You can change the position of buttons in the toolbar
by clicking Move Up or Move Down.
To resize or move the toolbar on the taskbar
Point to the vertical bar on the left side of the toolbar
and drag it to the left or right.
To create a "floating" toolbar
Drag the toolbar from the taskbar to the desktop.
To remove the toolbar
Right-click an empty area on the taskbar, point to Toolbars,
and then click the checked toolbar you would like to remove.
To change or personalize Start Menu
settings:
Click the Advanced tab.
Click Add to add programs to the Start menu.
Click Remove to remove programs from the Start menu.
Under Start Menu Settings, you can select other options
by checking the option boxes listed below:
Option Function:
Display Administrative Tools - Adds the Administrative
Tools menu to the Programs menu.
Display Favorites - Adds the Favorites menu to the Start
menu.
Display Logoff - Adds a Logoff command to the Start menu.
Expand Printers - Displays the Printers menu contents
in a list instead of a window.
Expand Control Panel - Displays the Control Panel menu
contents in a list instead of a window.
Expand My Documents - Displays the My Documents menu contents
in a list instead of a window.
Scroll the Programs menu - Displays the contents of the
Programs menu in a scrolling list instead of columns.
Expand Network and Dial-up Connections - Displays the
Network Dial-up Connections menu contents in a list instead
of a windows.
EventTracker Manager: EventTracker
is the leading real-time software for Windows NT, Windows
2000 and Windows XP administrators. it monitors event
logs, security, processes and services, SNMP, Windows
clusters. A java based GUI can be started from anywhere
on the network such that you quickly become aware of problems
Description: EventTracker tracks all events
of Windows NT/2000, Win XP systems of your network at
central location. It displays all the events in real time
and logs events into a database. Compatibility: NT/2000,
Version: 1.1, Size: 7.58 MB, License: shareware. Fully
functional trial versions of the EventTracker for Windows
(NT/2000) Get it here!
Enabling Windows 2000 Hibernation:
You can enable Windows~2000 Hibernation! If you select
it from the Shutdown Menu! all your Win~2000 applications
as well as their location on your desktop will come up
the next time you start up your Windows~2000 computer.
How To enable it:
Go to the Control Panel / Power Options icon and chick
on the Hibernate tab, and check Enable hibernation support.
Because hibernation takes what is in memory and writes
it to disk, the amount of hard drive space needed is the
same as the amount of memory you have.
Select the Hibernate option next time you logoff !
Freeing Up Disk Space: If you'r
running low on disk space, you can delete the following
files and empty the following folders:
1. Empty all Windows 2000 Recycle Bins.
2. In Microsoft Internet Explorer, delete all temporary
internet files and clear the history files.
3.Delete the Pagefile.sys and the Hyberfil.sys files.
How to manage the logon screen
saver: If you do not press CTRL+ALT+DEL at the logon
prompt, the Windows NT/2000 logon screen saver activates
in 15 minutes.
You can manage:
1. What screen saver is used.
2. The screen saver timeout.
3. Whether the screen saver ever becomes active.
To change the screen saver: Change the path and file
name data string in the SCRNSAVE.EXE value name at HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control
Panel\Desktop. If you enter an invalid path / file name,
you will have to restart the computer in order to logon
and correct your mistake.
To change the timeout: Change the number of seconds data
string in the ScreenSaveTimeOut value name at HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control
Panel\Desktop.
To disable the logon screen saver: Set the data string
to 0 in the ScreenSaveActive value name at HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control
Panel\Desktop.
Secure Folders: By Raymond, Webtechgeek.com. You
can secure your folders. To secure a folder you don't
make it read only or hidden. Those might slow down the
normal user but not the power user. If you really want
the folder to be secure just set an extended character
in the name. To do this, go to the command prompt and
change to the directory where you want a new subdirectory.
Type"<Alt>2<ALT>1<ALT>1211".
The directory created should look like this in DOS mode
"+211" or maybe something different. But now
go out to windows and try to access this through explorer
and you get an error that the folder _211 does not exist,
but you still can see it. The reason why I name my folder
"211" is so that I can remember the extended
character used in the folder. Remember to come back to
Webtechgeek.com for more tips.
Activate Network Monitor Icon:
By Raymond, Webtechgeek.com. Be sure to check out the
Network Monitor icon. This nifty feature is not always
activated by default.
To activate the icon and its "lights":
On the desktop, right-click My Network Places, then choose
Properties. The Network and Dial-up Connections window
will open. Double-click Local Area Connection.
Click Properties. Select the check box at the bottom that
says, "Show icon in taskbar when connected."
After setting this, you will have an icon in your taskbar
with a great set of lights that show network activity!
It's a great way to tell if your network is transferring
any data.
This tip works for Windows 2000 Professional and Windows
2000 Server.
Cool Tip!
1: Place the cursor over the Network Monitor icon to
display a pop-up window that gives you data on the current
status of your connection, including speed and packets
sent and received. Right-click the icon to display a full
Status window or to disconnect the network connection.
2: You may also navigate to the Network and Dial-up Connection
Properties window from the Start menu:
Point to Settings, then point to Network and Dial-up Connections
Click Local Area Connection or Wide Area Connection. Click
the Properties button
Microsoft posts Windows 2000 update:
Microsoft has quietly posted a second collection of Windows
2000 bug fixes, indicating the official release of an
update could come this week. One of the biggest changes
introduced by the service pack affects security. Until
now, Windows 2000 offered 56-bit encryption by default,
forcing users who wanted tighter security to either install
higher encryption from a separate CD or download via Windows
Update. This meant some companies could be unaware their
Windows 2000 installations included relatively poor security.
Service Pack 2 offers 128-bit encryption by default, and
it updates 56-bit version Windows 2000 versions as necessary.
But unlike Windows XP, Windows 2000 with Service Pack
2--the most recent update posted this weekend--only delivers
compatibility modes for Windows 95 and NT 4. That means
programs written for other versions of Windows might not
function under Windows 2000. Windows XP, in contrast,
offers support for other versions of Windows, such as
Windows Me. Those wishing to download the 101MB update
may do so via FileForum.
Displaying Hardware Conflicts:
Make sure you display the Administrative tools Go to Start
/ Programs / Administrative Tools / Computer Management
Scroll down to System Tools / System Information / Hardware
Resources / Conflicts/Sharing
This will display and IRQ or other conflicts.
Setup Logs: Windows 2000 generates
a number of log files during Setup. These logs contain
information about the installation process, which can
help you resolve any problems that occur after Setup completes.
Two of the logs are especially useful for troubleshooting:
the action log and the error log.
Action Log
The action log provides a description of the actions that
Setup performs. These actions are recorded in chronological
order, and include such actions as copying files and creating
registry entries. The action log also includes any entries
that are written to the Setup error log. The action log
is stored in the file setupact.log.
Error Log
The error log contains a description of any errors that
occur during Setup, along with an indication of the severity
of each error. If errors occur, the error log is shown
to the user by the log viewer at the end of Setup. The
error log is stored in setuperr.log.
Expand Control Panel, My Documents,
Network and Dial-Up Connections or Printers:
A. Right-click on the Task Bar,
B. Select Properties.
C. Click on the Advanced tab.
D. Check the ones you want to expand.
Windows 2000 Tip!: If you want to
install more then two operating system. Check out the
program called BootMagic from PowerQuest.
PartitionMagic version 6, you can Purchased it separately.
PartitionMagic 6.0 Adds Native Windows 2000 Professional,
Windows Me Support, Ability to Split, Undelete Partitions.
PartitionMagic allows you to set up multiple booting systems,
that includes Windows 2000, windows NT, Windows 9X Windows
3X, MS-DOS 5, PC-DOS 6, OS/2 3.0, BeOS, Linux. More info
on dual boot setup click here!
Another program called System Commander
from Vcomsystems is like BootMagic. It can boot many different
OS.
Tip! If your need Computer help,
or how to diagnose & repair system conflicts click
here!
Windows 2000: Originally conceived
to be "NT 5.0, adds a lot of new features that until now
haven't appeared anywhere in the Windows family. On both
the server side and on the desktop side. Most are designed
to make dally use and manageability of servers far easier.
Also using comparable hardware, Win2000 is faster than
Windows 98 and about as fast as NT 4.0. It is far more
stable than Windows 98 for equivalent workloads, and allows
a broader range of applications than NT 4.0. By WebTechGeek.
Changing the Logon Background Color:
If you want to change the green logon color:
A. Start Regedit
B. Go to HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Colors\Background
C. Change the three numbers from the default of 58 110
165 to the RGB values you want
D. For example 110 110 255 is a fairly light blue, 0 0
0 would be black
E. Log off and log back on again to see the change.
Windows 2000 is an evolutionary upgrade
of NT 4.0. But in the process it adds important functionality
Win95 and Win98 users have used for years, such as direct
plug and play support for all kinds of devices, as well
as support for 1394/FireWire and USB. Even so, not all
the latest peripheral you can from the local computer
superstore will run perfectly under the new operating
system. Microsoft first focused on drivers for business
hardware, as opposed to consumer-oriented hardware. By
WebTechGeek.
UPGRADING
TO WINDOWS 2000 ?
If
you're in to gaming, upgrading to Windows 2000 is something
of a toss-up. Windows 2000 offers better stability than
Win98, and with support for DirectX 7.0 you can run many
of the same games as Win98, but those who play DOS-based
games may have problems, and computer users with only
a Pentium 300MHz processor or less and only 64MB of RAM
won't see much benefit.. Don't assume that installing
Win2000 to your mega-game machine is going to fix everything.
However, if you're looking to do some serious work and
some gaming, Upgrading to Windows 2000 might be a good
alternative to setting up a dual-boot system. Business
users, That have 128MB of memory or more on a computers,
will gain from Windows 2000. It is more stable than Windows
98 for equal workloads, and allows a broader range of
applications than NT 4.0. Also, it's can handle new types
of hardware. The casual home computer users who do a little
word processed and web surfing are not likely to get much
out of Windows 2000. It demands far more resources than
most casual home users may have to spare, and can make
your system perform worse, not better,. for home uses.
By WebTechGeek.
The Differences
Between Windows 98 and Windows 2000 ?
The Differences Between Win98 and Win2K:
By WebTechGeek. Wondering how Windows 2000 differs from
Windows 98.? The Windows 2000 desktop does look a lot
like Windows 98, at least after you get past the logon.
Just like win~NT the first thing you do in Win~2000 is
log on. Only those user with Administrator privileges
can add software or change sophisticated settings. Nobody
can log in without a user name and password, unlike Win98
which lets you make one up on the fly. The Windows 2000
desktop looks a lot like Windows 98's. My Networking,
gathers all your networked resources, in one place. Windows
2000 has a new driver architecture that doesn't work with
either Windows 98 or Windows NT. That means your older
drivers won't work. Go to the Windows 2000 webpage to
find out if all your hardware is covered. Windows 2000
has better support for Advanced Configuration and Power
Interface (ACPI), the hot power management on the latest
notebooks. Better file synchronization and the ability
to encrypt your entire hard drive. Better reliability
is the biggest difference between Windows 98 and Windows
2000.
MSCONFIG in Windows 2000? By Raymond,
WebTechGeek.com - If you like using "MSCONFIG"
in Windows 98. And you want to use it in Windows 2000,
There's no "MSCONFIG" in win2000, But you can
control what services start up automatically in Windows
2000. You need to find a small program called Services;
there's usually a link to it in the Administrative Tools
folder. To disable a service, all you have to do is right-click
on it. It'll take a minute, but it shouldn't be too hard
to set up services to start automatically, manually, or
not at all. Easy!
Tip! by M Matthew: HI There! I was
reading your info on the differences between win98 and
2K.
You said that there is no Msconfig in win 2K. True but
you can download the .exe file and copy it to your folder
C:winnt\system32 there by giving you the same wonderful
utility in win2K. Thanks for the tip M Matthew.
Hardware Compatibility List: By
Raymond, WebTechGeek.com - Before you install Windows
2000, verify that your hardware is on the Windows 2000
Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). Microsoft provides
tested drivers for only those devices that are included
on this list. Using hardware that is not listed on the
HCL could cause problems during and after installation.
For a copy of the HCL, see the Hcl.txt file in the Support
folder on the Windows 2000 CD-ROM. You will also find
the most recent versions of the HCL for released operating
systems on the Internet at the Microsoft Web site (http://www.microsoft.com).
Microsoft provides the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL)
for Windows 2000 products because Windows 2000 requires
greater control of the hardware, compared to other operating
systems such as MS-DOS and Windows, for security, stability,
and efficiency reasons. This in turn implies a deeper
knowledge and utilization on the part of the operating
system of the computer hardware. Small incompatibilities
and differences from industry standards of that hardware
can have an adverse effect on the stability of the Windows
2000 operating system.
Disk Partitions: By Raymond, WebTechGeek.com
- The Windows 2000 Setup program examines the hard disk
to determine its existing configuration. Setup then allows
you to install Windows 2000 on an existing partition or
create a new partition on which to install Windows 2000.
New Partition or Existing Partition
Depending on the state of the hard disk, you can choose
one of the following options during the installation:
!. If the hard disk is unpartitioned, you must create
and size the Windows 2000 partition.
2. If the hard disk has partitions and has enough unpartitioned
disk space, you can create the Windows 2000 partition
by using the unpartitioned space.
3. If the hard disk has an existing partition that is
large enough, you can install Windows 2000 on that partition.
Installing on an existing partition will overwrite any
existing data.
4. If the hard disk has an existing partition, you can
delete it to create more unpartitioned disk space to use
to create the Windows 2000 partition.
Although you can use Setup to create other partitions,
you should create and size only the partition on which
you will install Windows 2000. After you install Windows
2000, use the Computer Management administrative tool
to partition any remaining unpartitioned space on the
hard disk.
1GB or larger: Microsoft recommends that you install
Windows 2000 on a 1 GB or larger partition. Although Windows
2000 requires a minimum of about 685 MB of disk space
for installation, using a larger installation partition
provides flexibility in the future. Then, if required,
you can install updates to Windows 2000, operating system
tools, or other files that are required by Windows 2000.
File Systems: After you have create
the installation partition, Setup will prompts you to
select the file system with which to format the partition.
As with Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000 supports NT file
system (NTFS) and file allocation table (FAT). New to
Windows 2000 is support for FAT32. Figure 2.2 summarizes
some of the features of these files systems.
You can use NTFS when the partition on which
Windows 2000 will reside requires any of the following
features:
File- and folder-level security. NTFS allows you to control
access to files and folders.
Disk compression. NTFS compresses files to store more
data on the partition.
Disk quotas. NTFS allows you to control disk usage on
a per-user basis. For additional information, see Chapter
8, "Managing File Resources."
Encryption. NTFS allows you to encrypt file data on the
physical hard disk.
Remember the new version of NTFS in Windows 2000 supports
remote storage, dynamic volumes, and the mounting of volumes
to folders. Windows 2000 and Windows NT are the only operating
systems that can access data on a local hard disk that
is formatted with NTFS. Remember, If you do not format
the installation partition as NTFS during installation,
the Convert command allows you to convert the FAT or FAT32
partition to an NTFS partition with no loss of data. For
example, if you want to convert the C: drive to NTFS,
use the following command: convert c: /fs:ntfs /v at the
command prompt. For more information on the Convert command,
start a command prompt and type convert /? on the command
line.
FAT and FAT32: By Raymond, WebTechgeek.com -
FAT and FAT32 allow access by, and compatibility with,
other operating systems. To dual boot Windows 2000 and
another operating system, format the system partition
with either FAT or FAT32. Setup determines whether to
format the hard disk with FAT or FAT32 based on the size
of the installation partition. FAT and FAT32 do not offer
many of the features that are supported by NTFS (for example,
file-level security). Therefore, in most situations, you
should format the hard disk with NTFS. The only reason
to use FAT or FAT32 is for dual booting. If you are setting
up a computer for dual booting, you would only have to
format the system partition as FAT or FAT32. For example,
if drive C is the system partition, you could format drive
C as FAT or FAT32 and format drive D as NTFS. However,
Microsoft does not recommend dual booting a server. See
Dual
Boot Windows Tips.
