TreeWalk DNS
...select an «Item number» to view a topic, «Title number» to return.
«Item 371» How To Remove And Then Reinstall NetMeeting
«Item 372» How To Configure Java Security In Internet Explorer
«Item 373» Description Of the Local Logon Process for Windows 2000
«Item 374» Error Using IPCONFIG /renew
«Item 375» How to Enable User Environment Debug Logging
«Item 376» Change the Location of System and Special Folders
«Item 377» Launch the Task Manager Quickly
«Item 378» Search from the Address Bar in Internet Explorer
«Item 379» FreeWare Utility «» AutoDeFrag
«Item 380» Old Modems For New Broadband
«Item 381» How Old Is That Web Page?
«Item 382» Hiding Control Panel Applets
«Item 383» FreeWare Utility «» NeoTrace Express
«Item 384» Automatic Hidden Shares
«Item 385» Changing Active Partition Can Make Your System Unbootable
«Item 386» Cannot Resolve Host Name to IP Address After You Replace the Hosts File
«Item 387» Increasing HDD Performance By Changing Cluster Size
«Item 388» Paging File Functionality Requires System Account Permissions and Proper Size
«Item 389» Cannot Move or Rename the Documents and Settings Folder
«Item 390» Why You Should Not Run Your Computer As An Administrator
«371» How To Remove And Then Reinstall NetMeeting
The steps to remove and reinstall NetMeeting may be required when a user attempts to install other versions of NetMeeting on a Windows 2000 system. At this time, the only supported version of NetMeeting for Windows 2000 is the version that installs as part of the Operating System.
Newer versions of NetMeeting are aware of this issue and will not install on Windows 2000, for example, NetMeeting 3.0 SP2. But, older versions of NetMeeting, for example, NetMeeting 2.11 will attempt to install on a Windows 2000 system. Although the NetMeeting 2.11 installation will complete, the Windows 2000 Windows File Protection feature will attempt to rewrite the correct files. That process can cause a the following problems:
NetMeeting may not work correctly; you may have problems with the audio and video features.
NetMeeting is listed as "uninstalled" in the Remove Programs tool.
If you attempt to uninstall a NetMeeting 2.x installation, all of the files and registry entries for NetMeeting are removed. Although the Windows File Protection feature replaces the files, the registry entries are not overwritten unless you reinstall NetMeeting. NOTE: You can also use the following procedure to correct problems with an earlier version of NetMeeting.
Removing and then Reinstalling NetMeeting
1. Copy the Msnetmtg.inf file from the %SystemRoot%\Inf folder to your desktop.
2. Click Start, click Run, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
%SystemRoot%\System32\rundll32.exe setupapi,InstallHinfSection NetMtg.Remove 132 msnetmtg.inf
NOTE: This command is case-sensitive so you must type it exactly as it appears.
3. Right-click the Msnetmtg.inf file that you copied to your desktop, and then click Install. If you are prompted, insert your Windows 2000 CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive.
4. After the installation procedure is finished, restart your computer.
Windows 2000 does not allow you to install NetMeeting 3.x, however you can install NetMeeting 2.x. Although files are overwritten in versions of NetMeeting 2.x with the correct files that are protected by the Windows File Protection feature, this can cause one of the following problems:
» NetMeeting may not work correctly; you may have problems with the audio and video features.
» NetMeeting is listed as "uninstalled" in the Add/Remove Programs tool.
If you start the uninstallation procedure, all of the files and Registry entries for NetMeeting are removed. Although the Windows File Protection feature replaces the files, the Registry entries are not overwritten unless you reinstall NetMeeting.
«372» How To Configure Java Security In Internet Explorer
To configure custom Java security, the Microsoft Virtual Machine must be installed. Internet Explorer 4.0 and greater allows you to configure default or custom Java security settings.
To configure Java security:
1. On the Internet Explorer Tools menu, press Internet Options.
2. Select the Security tab.
3. Select Internet, Local intranet, Trusted Sites, or Restricted Sites and press Custom Level.
4. Under Microsoft VM|Java permissions, if you select Custom, a Java Custom Settings button becomes available. Press the Java Custom Settings button.
5. Two tabs are available, View Permissions and Edit Permissions. Three groupings of Java permissions are displayed: Permissions Given to Unsigned Content, Permissions That Signed Content Are Allowed, and Permissions That Signed Content Are Denied. Both unsigned and signed Java applets that request allowed permissions will run without prompting the user.
6. To change permissions, use the Edit Permissions tab. If you want to discard the changes you are making, use the Reset button to reset permissions to Saved permissions, High Security, Medium Security, or Low Security and press OK and OK.
«373» Description Of the Local Logon Process for Windows 2000
This Item describes how Windows 2000 authenticates users on your local computer.
When you log on to a computer running Windows 2000 Professional or Server, Windows 2000 uses two authentication procedures to log you on locally. Windows attempts to use Kerberos as the primary source of user authentication. If the Key Distribution Center (KDC) service is not found for Kerberos authentication, then Windows uses Windows NT LanManager (NTLM) security to authenticate users in the local Security Accounts Manager (SAM) database.
KDC is a service that runs on all domain controllers and works with Active Directory and Kerberos security authentication services. If the KDC service is not available when you log on to your computer, Kerberos cannot authenticate the user. Windows 2000 uses the NTLM security system for compatibility with earlier versions of Windows NT.
Local logon authentication uses the following steps:
1. You type your user name and password. The Graphical Identification and Authentication (GINA) component collects your user name and password.
2. GINA passes the secure information to the Local Security Authority (LSA) for authentication.
3. The LSA passes the information to the Security Support Provider Interface (SSPI). SSPI is an interface that communicates to both Kerberos and NTLM services and allows developers to write security aware applications without knowing Kerberos or NTLM specifics.
4. SSPI passes the user name and password to Kerberos SSP. Kerberos SSP checks to see if the target computer name is the local computer or the domain name. Kerberos passes an error message to SSPI if it is the local computer name. The computer generates an internal error not visible to the user. The following error message is passed back if the network was checked and no KDC could be found:
No logon server available.
5. The internal error message triggers SSPI to start the process over again with GINA. GINA passes the information to LSA again, and then LSA passes the information to SSPI again.
6. This time, SSPI passes the user name and password to the NTLM driver MSV1-0 SSP. The NTLM driver uses the Netlogon service to validate the user against the local SAM database.
7. You receive the following error message only if both Kerberos and NTLM fail to authenticate your user account:
Logon Message.
The system could not log you on. Make sure your User name and domain are correct, then type you password again. Letters in passwords must be typed using the correct case. Make sure that Caps Lock is not accidentally on.
NOTE: This error message is the same whether the password is typed incorrectly or the user name is not in the local SAM database. This is done to increase security.
«374» Error Using IPCONFIG /renew
When you type ipconfig /renew, because your new modem won't connect to the Internet, you may receive this error message:
An operation was attempted on something that is not a socket.
This could be caused by your TCP/IP stack or Winsock library being corrupt.
To correct that problem:
1. Use Regedit to navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Winsock
2. Export the Winsock key to a Winsock.reg file, to save it.
3. Delete the Winsock key.
4. Navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Winsock2
5. Export the Winsock2 key to a Winsock2.reg file, to save it.
6. Delete the Winsock2 key.
7. Exit Regedit.
8. Click on: Control Panel|Network and Dial-up Connections.
9. Right-click Local Area Connection and press Properties.
10. Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and press Uninstall.
11. After uninstalling TCP/IP, shutdown and restart your computer.
12. If TCP/IP is NOT automatically re-installed, use Control Panel|Network and Dial-up Connections.
13. Right-click Local Area Connection and press Properties.
14. Press Install.
15. Press Protocol|Add.
16. Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) under Network Protocol, possibly under Microsoft, and press OK.
17. After the TCP/IP install, power off and power on your external modem, or shutdown and restart your computer.
«375» How to Enable User Environment Debug Logging
Debug logging of user profile and system policy processes in Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 requires a checked (debug) build of the Userenv.dll file. This functionality is included with Windows 2000 and can be enabled by modifying the Registry on the computer on which the logging is to occur.
The output of this logging can be helpful in troubleshooting problems with user profiles and group policy processing, and should be enabled only for this purpose.
Use Registry Editor to navigate to:
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Modify or add the Data Name: "UserEnvDebugLevel", Data Type: REG_DWORD, Data Value: 10002 (Hex)
The log file is written to the %SystemRoot%\Debug\UserMode\Userenv.log file.
«376» Change the Location of System and Special Folders
Windows keeps a number of special folders such as "My Documents", "Desktop", "Favorites" and the "Start Menu". These folders can be moved anywhere on you system and the new location updated in the System Registry.
Open Regedit and navigate to:
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders
In the right-pane you will see listed all of the Windows special folders.
Note the current location of the folder you want to move, and then using Explorer move the folder to the new location.
Edit the Data Value in the corresponding Data Name for the folder you moved to reflect the new directory location.
Log off the computer or restart Windows for the changes to take effect.
Click here for a SCREEN SHOT of an example. (Use your Backspace key or the browser's Back function to return here).
«377» Launch the Task Manager Quickly
Launching the Task Manager can sometimes be difficult depending on the situation. Some people didn't know that the Task Manager can actually be launched in at least three different ways to make it easier to use when you need it the most.
First Method:
Press CTRL + ALT + DELETE and click on the "Task Manager..." button on the Windows Security dialog.
Second Method:
Right-click on the Windows Taskbar and chose "Task Manager..."
Third Method:
Press CTRL + SHIFT + ESC and the Task Manager will be launched instantly.
«378» Search from the Address Bar in Internet Explorer
Save time with this Registry tweak that allows you to specify the search engine to query by typing a request directly into the Internet Explorer address bar.
Once you have defined the search engines you can then search by typing the shortcut name followed by the keywords. For example: you could search Google for "regedit" with the command "google regedit".
Open your Registry and find the key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchUrl
For each search engine you wish to add follow these steps:
1. Create a new sub key and name it after the shortcut you'd like to type in the address bar to access the engine. For example; "google" to access Google or "yahoo" to access Yahoo!
2. Open the new sub key and set the value of (Default) to equal the search engine query URL, inserting "%s" in place of the keywords. For example:
» Google = http://www.google.com/search?q=%s
» Yahoo = http://search.yahoo.com/bin/search?p=%s
» AltaVista = http://www.altavista.com/q?q=%s
Restart Internet Explorer for the changes to take effect.
Click here for a SCREEN SHOT of this topic. (Use your Backspace key or the browser's Back function to return here).
NOTE: This tweak only applies to Internet Explorer 6.0 and above.
«379» FreeWare Utility «» AutoDeFrag
by MorphaSys (Currently Unavailable). AutoDeFrag is a launcher for the standard defragmenter built into Windows 2000. The standard defragmenter does not support the ability to be scheduled, and therefore must be manually launched when required, once for each fixed disk in your system.
AutoDeFrag works around this limitation and allows the Windows 2000 Task Scheduler to be used to schedule the defragmenter.
What platforms does it run on?
"AutoDeFrag runs only on Windows 2000 platforms. It has been tested on Windows 2000 RC2, RC3, and the final release. For the moment I believe that only English language versions of Win2k are supported. I will try to work-around this limitation in the near-future."
Windows XP no longer needs AutoDeFrag.
Known Problems
None (for the moment...)
Installation of AutoDeFrag
AutoDeFrag is a tiny (~50k) Win32 console application that does not require any user input. It may be installed anywhere, but in order guarantee that it is in the system path it is recommended to place it in the WINNT system directory (typically c:\winnt). Once installed (copied), the application may be scheduled. The easiest way to do this is via the command prompt 'AT' command:
AT 21:00 /interactive /every:M,T,W,Th,F,S,Su "autodefrag"
This particular example will cause the defragmenter to run every day at 9:00pm.
In order to verify that the task was correctly scheduled, and maybe to test the installation, use the 'Scheduled Tasks' icon in the Control Panel.
Command-line options
When executed without any command-line arguments it defragments each disk in turn. This allows the use of a very simple 'at' command to schedule it.
If a drive-letter is provided on the command-line then that drive, and that drive only, will be defragmented.
Upgrading to Diskeeper 5.0®
The standard defragmenter built into Windows 2000 was developed by Executive Software®. They provide a more advanced product 'Diskeeper', which provides many more features, including the ability to schedule defragmentation.
For more information, follow this link: Diskeeper Corporation.
Feedback/Support
This tool is provided as Freeware and is therefore not supported.
Any 'anomalies' should however be reported to autodefrag@morphasys.com, every attempt will be made to roll fixes for reported problems into future releases.
Donations
"This application is FreeWare, I ask no payment for it. If you find the tool useful and would like to help me to fund this web site and future development then donations via the safe and secure PayPal service will be very gratefully accepted."
«380» Old Modems For New Broadband
If you've switched to a cable-modem, DSL, or other broadband service, your old dial-up modem still has a good use.
Leave your modem connected to the phone line and attached to the phone. When you want to call a phone number you see on a Web site or in your contact manager, have your modem dial the number with only a few mouse clicks. Windows' Phone Dialer applet makes this possible.
To open Phone Dialer click on: Start|Programs|Accessories|Communications|Phone Dialer. If it's not there, open Control Panel, click on Add/Remove Programs, and then on Add/Remove Windows Components. Select Communications, click Details, and check Phone Dialer (you may need your Windows CD-ROM to install it).
To place a shortcut to Phone Dialer on Internet Explorer's Links toolbar, first open IE. (If the Links toolbar isn't visible, click View|Toolbars and check Links.) Then select Start|Programs|Accessories|Communications, hold down <Ctrl>, and drag the Phone Dialer icon to the Links toolbar.
Now when you want to dial a phone number listed on a Web site, copy the number, select the Phone Dialer shortcut on the Links toolbar, paste the number into Phone Dialers' Number to dial field, and then click Dial. Pick up your phone and click Hang up once the dialing is complete.
«381» How Old Is That Web Page?
Here's a tweak I've been using since Windows 95 and IE 4.0. It doesn't work on all Web pages, but it doesn't do any harm either.
In Internet Explorer's Address field, simply type: javascript:alert(document.lastModified) and press <Enter> to see the most recent update's time and date in a pop-up window.
For ease-of-use you may want to put that line in the URL box of a shortcut and place the shortcut on your Links Toolbar. That way its always available with one click of the mouse.
«382» Hiding Control Panel Applets
This tweak allows you to show or hide any of the applets found in the Windows Control Panel.
Open Regedit and navigate to this key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\don't load
For each applet you want to hide, create a new string value (Data Type: REG_SZ) and assign it the filename of the applet to be hidden (for example 'fax.cpl'). Set the Data Value to equal "No" to hide the applet or "Yes" to display it. For example:
Exit from Regedit and either logout or restart Windows.
Click here for a SCREEN SHOT of this. (Use your Backspace key or the browser's Back function to return here).
«383» FreeWare Utility «» NeoTrace Express
It's Here! A freeware version of our popular NeoTrace tool...
NeoTrace is the world's most popular graphical Internet trace route utility. It's used by law enforcement, ISPs, and network professionals all over the world.
NeoTrace Express is a freeware version of the popular NeoTrace tool. This version offers the mapping features of the Professional version and the essential features you need to trace web sites. It's multithreaded, so it's very fast and can simultaneously check multiple hops on the route. It shows the route on a world map with detail on the path taken by your Internet traffic. NeoTrace Express can integrate with Internet Explorer to offer one-click tracing to web sites and URLs.
Features include:
» tracing websites and IP addresses
» viewing a world map with the results of the trace
» viewing the network information associated with the trace destination
... All for Free!
Please note that registration of this application is required for its continued use. The process is fast and simple. We will generate you one free registration code with a customer password and email it to you. When you receive the email with the registration code, simply cut and paste it into the registration dialog on the program.
NeoWorx is committed to honoring our subscribers' requests regarding the privacy of their e-mail addresses and information. We will not sell, make available or compromise the information of any customer associated with the NeoWorx website.
«384» Automatic Hidden Shares
When networking has been installed on a Windows machine, it will automatically create hidden shares to the local disk drives. It is possible to disable the sharing at run-time, but this tweak will stop the automatic sharing altogether.
Open Regedit and navigate to:
HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters
Create a new Data Name of either "AutoShareWks" for a Workstation or "AutoShareServer" for a Server, with a Data Type of REG_DWORD. Then set the Data Value to 0 to disable automatic sharing. If the Data Name(s) already exist then modify them to change the value. (A value of 1 will enable sharing.)
Restart Windows and the automatic shares should not be created.
Note: The shares are normally accessed via \\server\c$ and \\server\d$ depending on the drive letter.
«385» Changing Active Partition Can Make Your System Unbootable
When you use the Windows Disk Management snap-in tool to mark your primary partition as active, the computer may not start up if the partition marked as active does not contain the Windows boot files (or boot files for another operating system).
When this happens, you may receive this error message when you try to start the computer:
NTLDR is missing
This problem occurs because on Intel-based computers, the system partition must be a primary partition that has been marked as active for startup purposes. This partition must be located on the disk that the computer gains access to when starting up the computer. There can be only one active system partition at a time. If you want to use another operating system, you must first mark its system partition as active before restarting the computer.
To resolve this problem, perform one of the following:
» It may be possible to change the active partition by booting to a floppy disk and using disk utilities to manually change the active partition.
~ or ~
» If enough free disk space is available, you can install Windows to a parallel directory. After the parallel installation is complete, you can use the Disk Management snap-in to change the active partition.
The names commonly used for partitions containing the startup and operating system files are system and boot partitions, respectively.
~ or ~
» If the partition that has been incorrectly marked as active is a FAT, FAT32, or NTFS partition, you may be able to correct the problem by using the Windows Recovery Console.
NOTE: Windows always considers the active partition to be drive C, so the drive letters on the hard disk partitions may have changed from their original orientation.
Using the Recovery Console, you need to copy the following files from the root directory of the original system partition to the root directory of the current active partition (which is now drive C):
NTLDR
NTDETECT.COM
BOOT.INI
If the partition was not formatted using Windows, you may also need to use the Recovery Console's FIXBOOT command to make the active partition bootable.
After you are able to boot into Windows, it is recommended that you use the Windows Disk Management snap-in tool to reset the original system partition as the active partition, and reboot the computer. This will restore the correct system partition as the C: drive.
«386» Cannot Resolve Host Name to IP Address After You Replace the Hosts File
When you try to resolve a new host name entry in the Windows 2000 Hosts file to the corresponding IP address, you may be unsuccessful.
When you use the Ping.exe utility to try to confirm connectivity to the host, you may receive the following message, where hostname is the name of the host with which you try to connect:
Unknown host hostname.
When you "ping" the IP address of the host, you are successful and you receive the echo response that you expect.
This behavior may occur when the following conditions are true:
» You create a host entry in a copy of the Hosts file or in a new Hosts file.
~ and ~
» You copy that Hosts file to the original folder, overwriting the original Hosts file.
NOTE: By default, the Windows 2000 Hosts file is stored in the following location:
% Systemroot %\system32\drivers\etc
To work around this issue, use one of the following methods.
Method 1: Flush the DNS Resolver Cache
After you replace the Hosts file, or copy a new Hosts file into the %Systemroot%\system32\drivers\etc folder, flush the DNS Resolver cache. To do so, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. At the command prompt, type ipconfig /flushdns, and then press ENTER. You receive the following message:
Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache.
3. Type exit, and then press ENTER to close the command prompt.
Method 2: Restart the Computer
After you replace the Hosts file or copy a new Hosts file into the %Systemroot%\system32\drivers\etc folder, restart the computer.
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the following Microsoft products: Windows 2000 Server, Advanced Server, and Professional.
«387» Increasing HDD Performance By Changing Cluster Size
Formating a HDD-partition causes it to be divided into clusters, each having a certain cluster-size. A cluster can only contain one file; e.g., using a 10 KByte file and a 4 KByte cluster-size, the file would occupy 2 full clusters and 2 KByte space of a 3rd cluster. This would create a so called "slack" (or wasted space) of 2 KByte in the 3rd clucter.
The total HDD size divided by cluster-size will yield the number of clusters. Different file systems (FAT, FAT32, NTFS) vary as to the maximum number of clusters they can support. This also determines the lower limit of your cluster size, compared to the number of clusters needed to format the entire partition. This is because cluster-count multiplied by cluster-size must equal partition size.
Supported cluster sizes are:
» FAT16: 512, 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192, 16K, 32K
» FAT32: 512, 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192, 16K, 32K
» NTFS: 512, 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192, 16K, 32K, 64K.
Supported cluster numbers:
» FAT16: supports a maximum of 65,526 clusters (Max Format size of 2 GB with 32 KByte cluster Size).
» FAT32: supports a maximum of 268,435,445 clusters (Max Format size of 8 TB with 32 KByte cluster size).
» NTFS: has no upper limit on the number of clusters
How to format partition with cluster size:
» In Win95 OSR2 and beyond it is possible select your own cluster-size when formatting (previously the choice was made for you). In the following command, "n" is the multiplier for a 512-byte cluster size; e.g., if n = 2 it would yield a cluster size of 1024 bytes.
FORMAT <drive>: /Z:n
» In WinNT and beyond it is possible to specify what file-system to use and the cluster-size parameter has changed to name (A)llocation-size. The cluster-size value to use must be one of the supported values given above.
FORMAT <drive>: /FS:<NTFS/FAT/FAT32> /A:<cluster-size>
Here is one method to find optimal cluster-size for a particular partition:
» Backup the partition
» Format the partition with the new cluster size
» Restore the backup
» Benchmark the partition
» Repeat until optimal cluster-size is found
NOTES:
1) If many small files will be contained in the partition, a lower cluster size may provide better performance. Especially when when considering usage of space, as that will minimize "slack".
2) When using a small cluster-size on a large partition the performance may drop because there are many clusters to look up. For example: using a large FAT32 partition with many clusters will make the FAT (File Allocation Table) large, which in turn will require more time to locate a file.
3) When using NTFS-compression, the maximum cluster-size is 4096 Bytes.
4) If you expect to work with files larger than 4 GB you should not use FAT32, since that is the maximum filesize.
«388» Paging File Functionality Requires System Account Permissions and Proper Size
You may receive the following error message when Windows starts:
The system has no paging file, or the paging file is too small.
However, when you look at the configuration settings for the paging file, the settings may seem to be correct. This error message will occur if the System account does not have the correct NTFS permissions on the volume on which the paging file is configured.
To resolve this issue:
1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Windows Explorer.
2. In the left pane, expand My Computer, and then click the drive that contains the paging file. Typically, this is the system drive unless you specified otherwise during Windows Setup.
NOTE: The paging file ( Pagefile.sys ) is a hidden operating system file. To view these files:
a. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options
b. Click the View tab.
c. Click to clear the Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) check box. (Note that you may want to select this check box again when you finish this procedure to help protect the system files.)
d. Click Yes when you are prompted to verify the change, and then click OK.
3. On the File menu, click Properties. Click the Security tab to view the current permissions.
4. Click Add, click System, and then click Add.
5. Click Administrators, click Add, and then click OK. Note that you must click Administrators, not Administrator.
6. Click System, and then click to select the Full Control check box. This automatically selects the other check boxes.
7. Click Administrators, and then click to select the Full Control check box. This automatically selects the other check boxes.
8. Click OK.
9. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click System.
10. On the Advanced tab, click Performance Options.
11. In the Virtual Memory section, note the Total paging file size for all drives value, and then click Change.
12. Click the drive that contains the paging file. The System and Administrator accounts now have Full Control permissions on this drive so that you can make changes.
13. In the Initial Size and Maximum Size boxes, type the size for the paging file, and then click Set.
For additional information about the proper size for paging files, click the link below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
197379 Configuring Page Files for Optimization and Recovery
14. Make sure that the Maximum Registry Size value is at least two times the size of the current Registry size.
15. Click OK.
16. Quit any running programs, and then restart the computer.
Additional Information
Utilities that work with the paging file may not work if the System account does not have proper permissions on the volume that the paging file is configured to use. For example, if the NTFS permissions are set incorrectly, the paging file does not appear in System Monitor or Windows Diagnostics, but it does appear in the System tool in Control Panel.
If you modify the NTFS permissions on a volume in Windows, the System account may be inadvertently removed from the partition. If this occurs, the System account cannot manage some system resources such as the paging file.
By default, the Everyone group has Full Control permissions on an NTFS volume. This permission might have been removed to provide additional security. Individual accounts, such as the Administrator account, may have been added. However, the Everyone group includes the System account. Removing the Everyone group without adding the System account as an individual account renders the paging file unusable.
For additional information about paging file setting, click the link below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
242447 Changes to Paging File Settings Are Not Retained
«389» Cannot Move or Rename the Documents and Settings Folder
If you try to move or rename the "Documents and Settings" folder in Windows, you receive the following error message:
"Documents and Settings is a Windows system folder and is required for Windows to run properly. It cannot be moved or renamed."
This behavior is by design. To specify a different folder for the "Documents and Settings" folder during installation, follow these steps:
1. Use the /UNATTEND switch with Winnt.exe or Winnt32.exe and insert the following entry into the Unattend.txt file, where z:\foldername is the path and folder name you want:
[GuiUNattended]
ProfilesDir = z:\foldername
2. Install Windows. The path you included in the Unattend.txt file is used instead of the default "Documents and Settings" folder.
For additional information about unattended setup of Windows 2000, click the link below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
183245 Windows 2000 Unattended Setup Parameters
Additional Information
The following section provides information about a configuration that Microsoft does not support. This information is provided for informational purposes only; Microsoft makes no guarantee that the resulting configuration will function properly.
WARNING: Microsoft strongly recommends against renaming any system folder. Catastrophic system failure or an unstable computer could result if you rename system folders. If implemented, a backup should be made of the system before attempting this procedure.
To rename or move the "Documents and Settings" folder, use the appropriate method.
User-specific:
This method does not relocate key Windows components. Use this method if you require only user-specific data to be moved. To specify a different folder for the "Documents and Settings" folder after you install Windows for a particular user, follow these steps:
1. Identify the user's profile path. There are two methods to identify the profile path. Either by user path settings or user SID. The user SID method is preferred.
» User SID method
a. Use the GETSID tool from the Windows Server Resource Kit to obtain the SID. Use syntax similar to the following example:
GETSID \\SERVER1 UserName \\SERVER1 UserName
b. Once you obtain the SID, use Regedit.exe or Regedt32.exe to select the user's SID under the following registry key:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
» User path setting
a. Log on to the computer as the user, and then type SET at a command prompt. Note the setting for USERPROFILE, and then close the command prompt window.
b. Log on as an Administrator of the computer.
c. Use Registry Editor to add the USERPROFILE setting to the following registry key:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
d. Click the registry key, and then click Find on the Edit menu.
e. In the Find box, type the value of the USERPROFILE setting, and then click Find Next.
2. Change the ProfileImagePath value to use the new path you want in this Registry key:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
3. Close Registry Editor, and then log on as the user. Type SET at the command prompt to verify the path has changed.
Entire Folder:
This method does relocate key Windows components. Use this method only if you require the "Documents and Settings" folder to be moved or renamed and you cannot use the Unattend.txt file to change the name during installation. To specify a different folder for the entire "Documents and Settings" folder, including key system components, follow these steps:
1. Log on to the computer as an Administrator.
2. Create a new folder.
3. Open the current "Documents and Settings" folder.
4. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options, and then click the View tab.
5. Under Advanced settings click Show hidden files and folders, and then click to clear the Hide file extensions for known file types and Hide protected operating system files check boxes.
6. Click OK.
7. Click and drag to copy all the folders to the new folder, except for the currently logged on users folder.
8. In Control Panel, double-click System, and then click the User Profiles tab.
9. Copy the current user's profile to the new folder.
10. Click OK, close Control Panel, and then log off and log on to the computer as an Administrator again.
11. In Registry Editor, click Find on the Edit menu.
12. Type documents and settings, and then click Find.
13. Replace the value data or rename the value or Registry key to the new path for each and every Registry key and value that contains the original path.
NOTE: You must complete this change for every instance in the Registry or your computer may not start. It is imperative that you update all Registry keys and values with the new path.
14. Restart the computer.
15. You can now safely remove the original "Documents and Settings" folder.
«390» Why You Should Not Run Your Computer As An Administrator
In a nutshell, this is the reason: "The risk of vunerability increases in direct proportion to the level of power provided the user. E.g., if, as an Administrator, you inadvertantly download or introduce a trojan into the system, that trojan will enjoy the same empowerment as the Administrator. On the other hand, if the trojan is introduced at the level of the heaviest controlled user, the trojan can't go any farther than the empowerment of that user".
You should not add yourself to the Administrators group and you should avoid running your computer while logged on as an Administrator. For most computer activity, log on as a member of the Users or Power Users group. If you need to perform an Administrator-only task, log on as an Administrator, perform the task, and then log off.
Running Windows 2000 as an Administrator makes the system vulnerable to Trojan horses and other security risks. The simple act of visiting an Internet site can be extremely damaging to the system. An unfamiliar Internet site may have Trojan horse code that can be downloaded to the system and executed. If you are logged on with Administrator privileges, a Trojan horse could do things like reformat your hard drive, delete all your files, create a new user account with Administrative access, and so on.
You should add yourself to the Users or Power Users group. When you log on as a member of the Users group, you can perform routine tasks, including running programs and visiting Internet sites, without exposing your computer to unnecessary risk. As a member of the Power Users group, you can perform routine tasks and you can also install programs, add printers, and use most Control Panel items. If you must perform Administrative tasks, such as upgrading the operating system or configuring system parameters, then log off and log back on as an Administrator.
| ~ Includes previous work and rights from Ted Quantrill's Tip Quarry ~ |
