Tweaks and Repairs

Alpha

Numeric

Page Twelve ...back it up before you break it!

...select an «Item number» to view a topic, «Title number» to return.
«Item 276» Microsoft Management Console Overview
«Item 277» An Alternative To the Sleep Command
«Item 278» You Can Not Name Your Computer Entirely With Numbers
«Item 279» User Without Administrator Rights Cannot Install Software
«Item 280» Overview of the Windows Installer Technology
«Item 281» Command-Line Switches For the Microsoft Windows Installer Tool
«Item 282» Property Reference Command-Line Parameters with Msiexec.exe
«Item 283» Technical Resources
«Item 284» Diruse.exe: Directory Disk Usage
«Item 285» Disable Windows 2000 balloon Tips
«Item 286» What are Folder Shortcuts?
«Item 287» Alter the 'Details View' In Windows 2000
«Item 288» Sysprep Changes the Case Of the ComputerName Entry To Uppercase
«Item 289» Learn What SCSI Adapters and Devices Are Attached To Your Computer
«Item 290» Use the Event Logging Utility (Logevent.exe) to Create and Log Custom Events
«Item 291» Extra Initialization String For Modems Is Limited To 40 Characters
«Item 292» How To Bind and Unbind Network Protocols and Services
«Item 293» Description Of Safe Boot Mode In Windows 2000
«Item 294» Storage Section Of the Computer Management Console Is Blank
«Item 295» Move Event Viewer Log Files To Another Location
«Item 296» How To Change the Default Event Viewer Log File Location
«Item 297» FreeWare Utility «» Hard Link Magic
«Item 298» Purpose of the BOOT.INI File
«Item 299» Control NTFS Permissions Inheritance
«Item 300» How To Set Up and Configure An SMTP Virtual Server

«276» Microsoft Management Console Overview

A Microsoft WHITE PAPER Posted: October 7, 1999

Microsoft Management Console (MMC) is an extensible common presentation service for management applications. MMC is included in the Windows 2000 operating system. This paper introduces MMC, and provides an overview of the MMC user interface, and the MMC architecture. It also explains the concept of management snap-ins, and how they relate to the console.

Microsoft Management Console (MMC) is an ISV-extensible, common presentation service for management applications. MMC is included in the Windows 2000 operating system, and will also run on the Windows NT 4.0, Windows 95, and Windows 98 family of operating systems.

MMC provides a common host environment for snap-ins, provided by Microsoft and third party software vendors. Snap-ins provide the actual management behavior; MMC itself does not provide any management functionality. The MMC environment provides for seamless integration between snap-ins.

Administrators and other users can create custom management tools from snap-ins, created by various vendors. Administrators can then save the tools they have created for later use, or for sharing with other administrators and users. This model provides the administrator with efficient tool customization, and the ability to create multiple tools of varying levels of complexity for task delegation, among other benefits.

MMC is the result of the effort at Microsoft to create better tools to administer Windows-based systems. The Windows administration development team defined a common host for many of its own management tools. The MMC project's goal is to support simplified administration through integration, delegation, task orientation, and overall interface simplification-all key customer requirements.

As Microsoft addressed that goal, it increased the project's charter to include all Microsoft administration tools, and to offer this generalized framework for management to its many software vendors as well. MMC is an essential part of the Windows management services strategy, discussed later in this paper. Most Microsoft development groups will use MMC for future management applications.

[ Click on "WHITE PAPER" above, to see the entire document. ]

«277» An Alternative To the Sleep Command

If you do not have the Windows 2000 Resource Kit, you can use the following as an alternative to the Sleep command:

@ping -n 127.0.0.1>nul

where NumSec should be approximately the number of seconds you wish to delay, plus 1.
The valid range of NumSec is 1 to 4294967295.

For example: to Sleep for 15 minutes (900 seconds): @ping -n 901 127.0.0.1>nul

This process consumes very few resources.

«278» You Can Not Name Your Computer Entirely With Numbers

When you try to name your NT 5.0+ (Windows 2000, Windows XP) with a name that consists entirely of numbers, you can't.

NOTE: If you upgraded from a previous operating system with a numeric computer name, the old name is preserved.

The primary reason for this is that some utilities can't distinguish a single-label numeric name from an IP address. For example: If your computer was named 123, pinging the name 123 would be the same as: ping 0.0.0.123.

«279» User Without Administrator Rights Cannot Install Software

When you try to install a program, you may receive the following error message, where program is the name of the program you are trying to install:

Informational Display Message

In order to install program, you must be an Administrator or have program approved by an Administrator. Contact your Administrator for more information.

Note that the title of this dialog box ( Informational Display Message ) may vary, depending on the program that you are using.

This behavior occurs if the program installation modifies any System files or restricted Registry settings. To resolve this behavior, log on to Windows as an Administrator or as a user with Administrator privileges. You can also install the program by having someone with Administrator privileges install the program with the run as command.

For additional information about how to use the "run as" command, click the number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q305780 How To Use the RUN AS Command to Start a Program as an Administrator

«280» Overview of the Windows Installer Technology

The following paragraphs describe the Windows Installer software installation technology for Windows 2000. This technology consists of the Windows Installer server for 32-bit Windows operating systems and a new package file format used to hold information about configuration and installation.

The Windows Installer technology is being developed for Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows 98, and Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, as well.

Windows Installer is not just an installation program; it is an extensible software management system. Windows Installer manages the installation of software, manages the additions and deletions of software components, monitors file resiliency, and maintains basic disaster recovery by using rollbacks. In addition, Windows Installer supports installing and running software from multiple sources, and can be customized by developers who want to install custom programs.

The Windows Installer features include:

» Restores original computer state upon installation failure: Windows Installer keeps track of all changes made to the system during the program installation process. If the installation does not succeed, the installer can restore the system to its initial state. This is known as "rollback".

» Helps prevent certain forms of inter-program conflicts: It is not unusual for a program that is being installed or uninstalled to cause problems with another program already on the computer, or even to cause the computer to stop responding (hang). The installer enforces installation rules that help prevent conflicts caused when an installation operation makes updates to a dynamic-link library (DLL) file shared by an existing program, or when an uninstallation operation deletes a DLL file shared by another program.

» Diagnoses and repairs corrupted programs: A program can ask the installer to determine whether an installed program has any missing or corrupted files. It can then ask the service to repair that program as necessary by copying again only those files found to be missing or corrupted.

» Reliably uninstalls existing programs: The installer can reliably uninstall any program it previously installed, removing all the associated registry entries and program files, except for those shared by other installed software.

» Supports the on-demand installation of program features: The installer can be instructed to initially install a minimal subset of a program. Later, additional components can be automatically installed the first time you use a features that require additional components.

» Supports unattended program installation: The installer supports the ability to script a program installation according to administrator instructions.

The Windows Installer technology is divided into two parts that work in combination: A client-side installer service ( Msiexec.exe ) and a Microsoft Software Installation ( MSI ) package file. Windows Installer uses information contained in a package file to install the program.

The Msiexec.exe program is a component of Windows Installer. When it is called by Setup, Msiexec.exe uses Msi.dll to read the package (.msi) files, apply any transform (.mst) files, and incorporate command-line options supplied by Setup. The installer performs all installation-related tasks, including copying files onto the hard disk, making registry modifications, creating shortcuts on the desktop, and displaying dialog boxes to prompt for user installation preferences when necessary. When Windows Installer is installed on a computer, it changes the registered file type of .msi files so that double-clicking an .msi file runs Msiexec.exe with that file.

Each MSI package file contains a relational-type database that stores instructions and data required to install (and uninstall) the program across many installation scenarios.

For additional information on the Windows Installer package see:

Item 214 Msizap.exe: Windows Installer Zapper
Item 215 Msicuu.exe: Windows Installer Cleanup Utility
Item 281 Command-Line Switches For the Microsoft Windows Installer Tool
Item 282 Property Reference Command-Line Parameters with Msiexec.exe

«281» Command-Line Switches For the Microsoft Windows Installer Tool

The Windows Installer executable program that interprets packages and installs products is Msiexec.exe. The command-line switches for this program are documented in KB Article ID: Q227091.

«282» Property Reference Command-Line Parameters with Msiexec.exe

It is possible to perform all Microsoft Windows Installer functions at a command prompt by using Msiexec.exe. You can use many property command-line switches to perform different functions or set certain variables. Some examples include setting the Company Name variable and applying patches or transforms.

The properties defined by the Microsoft Windows Installer are defined in KB Article: Q230781. You can specify additional properties by authored data or custom actions. Properties whose names are entirely uppercase can be specified on the command line. For example:

msiexec /i mypackage.msi COMPANYNAME="ACME Corp."

«283» Technical Resources

This techinfo page provides links to sets of technical information sorted into the phases you'll pass through as you use Windows 2000. For example:

What's New in Technical Resources

This page shows all content added to the Technical Library since September 2000.

Planning and Deployment

Use this information to plan a migration or full-scale deployment of Windows 2000.

Administration

Use this information to administer, monitor, and maintain your Windows 2000-based network.

Windows 2000 Step-by-Step Guides

Walk through the steps of setting up and configuring Windows 2000 in these dozens of user-friendly technical guides, covering everything from Active Directory to security.

How It Works

Learn more about the architecture of the major system services included in Windows 2000.

Systems Migration & Interoperability

Learn about the Microsoft technologies you can use to integrate Windows 2000 with diverse third-party systems.

Product Documentation

Access the complete product documentation for Windows 2000 Professional, Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2000 Advanced Server, and Windows 2000 Datacenter Server.

Windows 2000 Resource Kits

Windows 2000 Resource Kits home page. View Windows 2000 Resource Kit books and references online, review extensive information about deploying Windows 2000, download free tools, and buy the Windows 2000 Resource Kits.

Windows 2000 Event & Error Messages

This search finds most of the error and event messages generated by Windows 2000. With each message comes a detailed explanation and a suggested user action.

Training & Events

Here you'll find information about opportunities to familiarize yourself with Windows 2000.

Books

Visit these online bookstores to find books and other resources that provide valuable information about planning, deploying, administering, and troubleshooting the Windows 2000 operating systems.

«284» Diruse.exe: Directory Disk Usage

Diruse.exe is another of those Windows 2000 Resource Kit tools that Microsoft chooses to allow users to freely download from their site. This command-line tool displays directory size information, including compression information for NTFS volumes. You can use Diruse to determine the actual usage of space for compressed files and directories. You can also specify a maximum folder size. Diruse then marks any folders that exceed the specified limit and, if you choose, alerts you to the problem.

The diruse_setup.exe file is a 123 KB Download, available here.

If you run Diruse while logged on as a member of the Administrators group, you can check the use of disk space in directories even if you do not have access rights to those directories. Diruse is similar to du used in UNIX.

The complete Diruse syntax is:

diruse {/s | /v} {/m | /k | /b} [/c] [/,] [/q:# [/l] [/a] [/d] [/o]] [/*] [DirList]

Parameters:

/s	Includes subdirectories of the specified directories in the output.
/v	Writes progress reports while scanning subdirectories. The /v is ignored if /s is specified.
/m	Displays disk usage in megabytes.
/k	Displays disk usage in kilobytes.
/b	Displays disk usage in bytes (default).
/c	Uses compressed file size instead of apparent file size.
/,	Displays the thousands separator (comma or period) in file sizes.
/q:#	Marks directories that exceed the specified size (#) with an exclamation point (!). If /m (megabytes) or /k (kilobytes) is not specified, the size is assumed to be in bytes. If /q is specified and any directory is found that exceeds the specified size, then the return code is ONE.one. Otherwise the return code is ZERO zero
/l	Writes overflows to the log file diruse.log in the current directory.
/a	Specifies that an alert is generated if sizes specified by /q:# are exceeded. The Alerter service must be running, and the alert appears only when you are using DirUse.
/d	Displays only directories that exceed specified sizes.
/o	Specifies that subdirectories are not checked to see if they exceed the specified size.
/*	Uses the top-level directories residing in the specified DirList. DirList Specifies a list of directories to check. DirList is required. Use semicolons, commas, or spaces to separate mutliple directories.

«285» Disable Windows 2000 balloon Tips

To disable the Windows 2000 balloon tips, open the Registry editor and navigate to:

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

and add or change the Data Name: "EnableBalloonTips", Data Type: REG_SZ, to Value: NO

«286» What are Folder Shortcuts?

Folder shortcuts are a new shell feature in Windows 2000, which allows you to make a folder integrate into the shell namespace, allowing you to present a hierarchy.

Drag and drop a folder or disk drive icon onto the Start button. You now have a cascading shortcut that exposes the contents of the folder or disk drive.

If you have a mapped network drive, dragging its icon onto the Start button allows you to have a centrally defined Start menu addition.

«287» Alter the 'Details View' In Windows 2000

When you use the Details View in Windows Explorer, the default display provides the following fields:

Name
Size
Type
Modified

If you wish to display additional information, right-click a column title to select:

Attributes
Comment
Created
Accessed
More

If you select More, you get a long list of attributes that you can add to the display, including Owner, Author, Title, Subject, and many others.

«288» Sysprep Changes the Case Of the ComputerName Entry To Uppercase

When you use the Sysprep tool to deploy computers, the ComputerName from the Sysprep.inf file is always converted to uppercase when mini-setup finishes.

To workaround this problem:

» Use the Registry editor to navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters

and change the Data Values in the "Hostname" and "NV Hostname" Data Names to lowercase.

» If "Hostname" is also present at:

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\DNSRegisteredAdapters

change it too.

«289» Learn What SCSI Adapters and Devices Are Attached To Your Computer

If you are running Windows 2000, Windows XP, or greater, you can determine what SCSI adapters and devices are attached to your computer:

1. Download Rescan1.exe from Microsoft.
2. Extract the Rescan.exe file and place it in your path.
3. Open a CMD Prompt and type Rescan.exe. You will a receive a display similar to this:

Properties for Device 1:
Device ID: PCI\VEN_9005&DEV_0010&SUBSYS_A1809005&REV_00
Device Description : Adaptec AHA-2940U2/U2W PCI SCSI Controller
UI (PCI Slot) Number: 5
Adapter Properties
------------------
Bus Type : SCSI
Max. Tr. Length: 0xffffffff
Max. Phy. Pages: 0x11
Alignment Mask : 0x0
Child Device Properties:
Initiator Path ID  Target ID  LUN  Claimed  Device
---------------------------------------------------------
    7        0         3       0     Yes     Tape
SCSI\SEQUENTIAL&VEN_HP&PROD_C1537A&REV_L105\4&2A7500A2&0&030
Properties for Device 2:
Device ID: PCI\VEN_9005&DEV_001F&SUBSYS_000F9005&REV_01

Device Description : Adaptec AHA-2940U2/U2W PCI
SCSI Controller
UI (PCI Slot) Number: 65
Adapter Properties
------------------
Bus Type: SCSI
Max. Tr. Length: 0xffffffff
Max. Phy. Pages: 0x11
Alignment Mask : 0x0
Child Device Properties:
Initiator Path ID  Target ID  LUN  Claimed  Device
---------------------------------------------------------
    7        0         0       0     Yes     Disk
    7        0         1       0     Yes     Disk
SCSI\DISK&VEN_QUANTUM&PROD_ATLAS_IV_9_WLS&REV_0808\4&164151BB&0&000
SCSI\DISK&VEN_QUANTUM&PROD_ATLAS_IV_9_WLS&REV_0808\4&164151BB&0&010
*** End of Device List ***

«290» Use the Event Logging Utility (Logevent.exe) to Create and Log Custom Events

The MS Knowledge Base Article Q315410 describes how to use the Event Logging utility ( Logevent.exe ) to create and to log custom events to the Application Log of Event Viewer. Logevent.exe is included in the Windows 2000 Resource Kit. You can start Logevent.exe by using either the command prompt or a batch file, and you can use the tool to create entries in the Application Log of either a local or a remote Windows 2000-based computer.

Logevent.exe is useful when you want to log error information or status information from batch programs that you run by using logon scripts or by using the AT command. You can call Logevent.exe from a batch file, and then use it to log the information to the Application Log. Logevent.exe can store entries in the logs of other computers; therefore, you can record data in a central location.

Information on the Windows 2000 Resource Kit can be obtained from Microsoft here.

«291» Extra Initialization String For Modems Is Limited To 40 Characters

When you try to configure an extra initialization string for a modem, you may be unable to add a string that is longer than 40 characters.

To work around this problem, you may use Registry Editor to add the required string:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\
{4D36E96D-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\modemnumber

Data Value: "UserInit" Data Type: REG_SZ

This workaround extends the modem extra initialization string limit to 57 characters. 57 characters is the maximum number of characters that most modems can accept.

«292» How To Bind and Unbind Network Protocols and Services

This Item describes how to add or remove network protocol bindings in Windows 2000. You can also use this procedures to add or remove network services such as Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol ( DHCP ). These procedures are intended for members of the Administrators group.

How to Bind or Unbind a Network Protocol or Service

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Network and Dial-up Connections.
3. Right-click Local Area Connection, and then click Properties.
4. In the Connect using box, click the network adapter for which you want to bind or unbind the protocol or service.
5. In the Components checked are used by this connection box, select the check box for the protocol or service that you want to bind, or clear the check box for the protocol or service that you want to unbind.
6. Click OK.
7. Restart the computer.

How to Add a Network Protocol to the Bind List

1. In the Local Area Connection Properties dialog box, click the network adapter to which you want to bind the new protocol in the Connect using box, and then click Install.
2. In the Click the type of network component you want to install box, click Protocol, and then click Add.
3. Click the protocol that you want to add, and then click OK.
4. To modify the properties of the protocol after you add it, click the protocol in the Components checked are used by this connection box, and then click Properties.
5. Make the changes that you want.
6. When you are finished making changes, restart the computer.

How to Add a Network Service to the Bind List

1. In the Local Area Connection Properties dialog box, click the network adapter to which you want to bind the new service in the Connect using box, and then click Install.
2. In the Click the type of network component you want to install box, click Service, and then click Add.
3. In the Network Service box, click the service that you want to add, and then click OK.
4. To modify the properties of the service after you add it, click the service in the Components checked are used by this connection box, and then click Properties.
5. Make the changes that you want.
6. When you are finished making changes, restart the computer.

How to Remove a Network Protocol or Service from the Bind List

1. In the Local Area Connection Properties dialog box, click the protocol or service that you want to remove in the Components checked are used by this connection box, and then click Uninstall.
2. Click Yes to confirm that you want to remove the component.
3. When you are finished making changes, restart the computer.

[ Article ID: Q314604 ]

«293» Description Of Safe Boot Mode In Windows 2000

Windows supports several Safe Boot options that load a minimal set of drivers. You can use these options to to start Windows so that you can modify the Registry or load or remove drivers.

To use a Safe Boot option, follow these steps:

1. Restart your computer, and when the Boot menu appears, press F8.
2. When the Windows Advanced Options menu appears, select an option, and then press ENTER.
3. When the Boot menu appears again, with the words "Safe Mode" displayed in red at the bottom, select the installation you want to start, and then press ENTER.

Description of Safe Boot Options

¤ Safe Mode (Safeboot_Option=Minimal): A minimal set of device drivers and services to start Windows.
¤ Safe Mode with Networking (Safeboot_Option=Network): A minimal set of device drivers and services to start Windows plus the drivers necessary to load networking.
¤ Safe Mode with Command Prompt (Safeboot_Option=Minimal): This is the same as Safe mode, with the exception that Cmd.exe is started rather than Windows Explorer.
¤ Enable VGA Mode: This starts Windows in 640 X 480 mode using the current video driver (not Vga.sys). This mode is useful for cases in which the display was configured at a setting the monitor cannot display.

NOTE: Safe mode and Safe mode with Networking load the Vga.sys driver instead.

¤ Last Known Good Configuration: This starts Windows using a previous good configuration.
¤ Directory Service Restore Mode: This mode is valid only for Windows domain controllers. It performs a directory service repair.
¤ Debug Mode: This option enables debug mode in Windows. Debugging information can be sent across a serial cable to another computer running a debugger. This mode is configured to use COM2.
¤ Enable Boot Logging: When the computer is started with any of the Safe Boot options except Last Known Good Configuration, logging is enabled. The Boot Logging text is recorded in the Ntbtlog.txt file in the %systemroot% folder.

An environment variable is set when you use one of the Safe Boot options. The environment variable name is "Safeboot_Option". This variable is set to either Network or Minimal.

The default Microsoft VGA driver is used for display (640 X 480 X 16 colors). You must log on in all modes (either by a domain or the local SAM, depending on which Safe Boot mode you choose).

«294» Storage Section Of the Computer Management Console Is Blank

When you try to expand the Storage section of the Computer Management snap-in, there are no sub-sections. This problem is indicative of missing Registry entries needed to initialize the Storage section.

You could restore to a working instance, but it is easier to Copy / Paste the following into a FixStorage.reg file and double-click the file to Merge it into the Registry:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MMC\NodeTypes\{476e644a-aaff-11d0-b944-00c04fd8d5b0}]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MMC\NodeTypes\{476e644a-aaff-11d0-b944-00c04fd8d5b0}\Extensions]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MMC\NodeTypes\{476e644a-aaff-11d0-b944-00c04fd8d5b0}\Extensions\ContextMenu]
"{43668E21-2636-11D1-A1CE-0080C88593A5}"="DfrgSnapin"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MMC\NodeTypes\{476e644a-aaff-11d0-b944-00c04fd8d5b0}\Extensions\NameSpace]
"{8EAD3A12-B2C1-11d0-83AA-00A0C92C9D5D}"="Disk Management Extension"
"{6E8E0081-19CD-11D1-AD91-00AA00B8E05A}"="Logical and Mapped Drives"
"{243E20B0-48ED-11D2-97DA-00A024D77700}"="Removable Storage Extension"
"{43668E21-2636-11D1-A1CE-0080C88593A5}"="DfrgSnapin"

«295» Move Event Viewer Log Files To Another Location

The following describes how to move Windows 2000 Event Viewer log files to another location on the hard disk.

Windows 2000 records events in the following logs:

ø Application log - The application log contains events that are logged by programs. Events that are written to the application log are determined by the developers of the software program.
ø Security log - The security log contains events such as valid and invalid logon attempts. It also contains events that are related to resource use, for example, when you create, open, or delete files. You must be logged on as an administrator or as a member of the Administrators group to turn on, to use, and to specify which events are recorded in the security log.
ø System log - The system log contains events that are logged by Windows 2000 system components. These events are predetermined by Windows 2000.
ø Directory Service log - The Directory Service log contains Active Directory-related events. This log is available only on domain controllers.
ø DNS Server log - The DNS Server log contains events that are related to the resolution of DNS names to or from Internet protocol (IP) addresses. This log is available only on DNS servers.
ø File Replication Service log - The File Replication Service log contains events that are logged during the replication process between domain controllers. This log is available only on domain controllers.

By default, Event Viewer log files use the .evt extension and are located in the following folder:

%SystemRoot% \System32\Config

Log file name and location information is stored in the Registry. You can edit this information to change the default location of the log files. You may want to move log files to another location if you require more disk space in which to log data.

How to Move Event Viewer Log Files to Another Location

To move Event Viewer log files to another location on the hard disk, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
3. Locate and click the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Eventlog

4. Click the subkey that represents the event log that you want to move, for example, click Application.
5. In the right pane, double-click File.
6. Type the complete path to the new location (including the log file name) in the Value data box, and then click OK

For example, if you want to move the application log (Appevent.evt) to the Eventlogs folder on the E: drive, type: e:\eventlogs\appevent.evt

7. Repeat steps 4 through 6 for each log file that you want to move.
8. Click Exit on the Registry menu.
9. Restart the computer.

How to View the Name and the Location of Event Viewer Log Files

To view the name and the location of Event Viewer log files, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Event Viewer.

Alternatively, open the snap-in that contains Event Viewer.

3. Click to expand Event Viewer (if it is not already expanded).
4. Right-click the log that you want to view, and then click Properties.
5. Click the General tab.

The name and the location of the log file is displayed under Log name.

REFERENCES

For additional information about how to change the default Event Viewer log file location, view the following Item:

Item 296 How to Change the Default Event Viewer Log File Location

For additional information about how to view and manage logs in Event Viewer, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q302542 HOW TO: Diagnose System Problems with Event Viewer in Microsoft Windows 2000
Q235427 How to View Saved Directory Service, DNS Server, and File Replication Service Event Logs from Another Windows 2000-Based Computer
Q172156 How to Delete Corrupt Event Viewer Log Files

For additional information about how to use Event Viewer, see Event Viewer Help. To do so, click the Action menu in Event Viewer, and then click Help.

«296» How To Change the Default Event Viewer Log File Location

The Event Viewer tool maintains three log files containing the System, Application, and Security event messages. However, the Event Viewer tool may not be able to write event messages to one of these log files if there is no disk space available. To increase the disk space that can be used for these log files, you can modify their default location.

To modify the location of the Event Viewer log files:

1. Click Start, click Run, type regedt32, and then click OK.
2. On the Windows menu, click HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE on Local Machine.

« For the System log:

a. Click the System\CurrentControlSet\Services\EventLog\System folder, and then double-click the FILE value.
b. Type the new drive and path in the String box, include the file name \SysEvent.Evt, and then click OK. The default path is: %SystemRoot%\System32\Config\SysEvent.Evt

« For the Application log:

a. Click the System\CurrentControlSet\Services\EventLog\Application folder, and then double-click the FILE value.
b. Type the new drive and path in the String box, include the file name \AppEvent.Evt, and then click OK. The default path is: %SystemRoot%\System32\Config\AppEvent.Evt

« For the Security log:

a. Click the System\CurrentControlSet\Services\EventLog\Security folder, and then double-click the FILE value.
b. Type the new drive and path in the String box, include the file name \SecEvent.Evt, and then click OK. The default path is: %SystemRoot%\System32\Config\SecEvent.Evt

3. Terminate the Registry Editor, and then restart the computer.

«297» FreeWare Utility «» Hard Link Magic

"Windows NT, 2000 and XP have some very useful hidden futures. One of them is possibility of creating hard links on NTFS volumes.

Do you know about shortcuts - those little .lnk files, mostly sprinkled around your desktop, that you use to reference something else? Well, no doubt shortcuts are a useful feature, but they also have a few drawbacks. First off, if you have multiple shortcuts pointing to the same target from different folders, actually you have multiple copies of the same-fortunately, rather small-file. More importantly, the target object of a shortcut may change over time. It might be moved, deleted, or simply renamed. What about your shortcuts? Are they capable of detecting those changes and tracking them down, (auto)updating properly? Unfortunately, they can't. The main reason for this is that shortcuts are an application-level feature. From the system's point of view, they are just user-defined files that simply require some extra work when you try to open them. A hard link is a file system-level shortcut for a given file. By creating a hard link to an existing file, you duplicate neither the file nor a file-based reference (that is, a shortcut) to it.

Instead, you add information to its directory entry at the NTFS level. The physical file remains intact in its original location. Simply put, it now has two or more names that you can use to access the same content! A hard link saves you from maintaining multiple (but needed) copies of the same file, making the system responsible for managing various path names to address a single physical content. This greatly simplifies your work and saves valuable disk space. Furthermore, hard links, as system-level shortcuts, always point to the right target file-no matter if you rename or move it. Because the link is stored at the file system level, all changes apply automatically and transparently. It's worth noting that hard links must be created within the same NTFS volume. You cannot have a hard link on, say, drive C:\ pointing to a file on drive D:\.

If it sounds more familiar, think of a hard link as an alias for a file. You could use any alias to access it and the file gets deleted only when you delete all of its aliases. (Aliases act like a reference count.) Because hard links are aliases, synchronizing the content is simply a non-issue. You can create hard links using Hard Link Magic."

You can find additional information online using a Google search with the keywords: "Hard Link Magic" download.

«298» Purpose of the BOOT.INI File

Windows (specifically Ntldr) uses the Boot.ini file to determine the operating system options to display during the startup (boot) process. Boot.ini is flagged as a read-only system file by default and should not require any manual modification. To change the contents of this file easily, use the System tool in Control Panel.

The following is a typical Boot.ini file:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\winnt
[operating systems]
scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\winnt = "Windows NT" /NODEBUG C:\ = "Previous Operating System on C:\"

The following list describes the data in the preceding Boot.ini file:

» "Timeout" specifies the amount of time Windows waits before choosing the default operating system.
» "Default" specifies the default operating system.

NOTE: When the operating system is Windows NT, the new storage path syntax is used. For more information on this syntax, query on the following words in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

NT GEOMETRY

Ø "Scsi(0)" means that the primary controller (usually the only one) is responsible for the device. If there were two SCSI cards and the disk was hanging off the second one, it would be named "scsi(1)".

NOTE: If the system uses IDE, EIDE, ESDI drives, or a SCSI adapter with no built in BIOS replace "SCSI" with "Multi".

« "disk(0)" refers to physical disk 1.
« The rdisk() parameter refers to which SCSI logical unit (LUN) to use, which could be a separate disk, but the vast majority of SCSI setups have only one LUN for each SCSI ID.
« "Partition(1)" in this example is the only partition on the first drive in the computer. If there were two partitions, C and D, C would be partition(1) and D would be partition(2).
« Multi-boot will look at the \Winnt folder to boot from one of the specified SCSI card's disk and partition.
« /NODEBUG specifies that there's no debugging information being monitored. Debugging information is only useful for developers and does slow down Windows NT.
« The /SOS switch can be added to display driver names while they are being loaded during the Windows boot. By default, the OS Loader screen only echos progress dots.
« The "Previous Operating System on C:\" parameter implies that it is MS-DOS, because "C:\" is an MS-DOS path.

«299» Control NTFS Permissions Inheritance

Drives and volumes that are formatted with the NTFS file system can use NTFS file-system permissions. NTFS file-system permissions provide the administrator with the highest level of access control that is available on Windows operating systems.

When you create a folder on an NTFS partition or volume, Full Control/Everyone are the default NTFS permissions on the folder and all objects that are created in the folder. All subfolders of the parent folder have the same permissions. The reason for this is that the parent folder's permissions are inherited by all subfolders of the parent.

You can configure the default permissions inheritance behavior to allow customized permissions for subfolders and files. The administrator can then create more specific access controls.

To control how NTFS permissions are applied:

1. Use Windows Explorer to create a folder that is named folder1 on an NTFS volume or partition.
2. Inside of folder1, create a second folder that is named folder2.
3. Inside of folder2, create a third folder that is named folder3.
4. Right-click folder1, and then click Properties.
5. In the folder1 Properties dialog box, click the Security tab. Note that the default permissions for the folder are Everyone/Full Control. These permissions are inherited from the root folder on the partition or volume. Click to clear the Allow inheritable permissions from parent to propagate to this object check box.
6. A Security dialog box appears. Click Copy to copy the inherited permissions to the folder and its contents. This leaves the current permissions that are applied to the object intact, but prevents permission changes from its parent folder from being inherited. Click Remove to remove all permissions from folder1. If you select this option, you must add custom permissions before you apply the changes, because no users or groups will have access to the folder until you add permissions. Click Cancel to cancel the operation. In this example, click the Copy button.
7. After you click Copy, the individual permissions for the Everyone group are now configurable. The reason for this is that the permissions have been copied to the folder rather than inherited from its parent folder. Click Apply, and then click OK.
8. Right-click folder2, and then click Properties. Click the Security tab. Note that the permission set is Everyone/Full Control. The Permissions boxes are unavailable because these permissions are inherited from folder1. Click Add. In the Select Users or Groups dialog box, click the local computer name in the Look in box. Double-click the Users entry, and then click OK. Click to clear the Allow inheritable permissions from parent to propagate to the object check box. Click Remove. The only permissions on folder2 are now for the local computer's Users group. Click Apply, and then click OK.
9. Right-click folder3, and then click Properties. Click the Security tab. Note that folder3 has inherited the permissions from its parent folder, folder2. Close the folder3 Properties dialog box.

«300» How To Set Up and Configure An SMTP Virtual Server

Microsoft Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) Service uses the Internet-standard SMTP to transport and deliver mail messages. Microsoft SMTP Service does not support the use of individual mailboxes; it places incoming messages in a Drop folder or it forwards them to other SMTP servers (if the message is addressed to a remote domain). This feature allows Microsoft SMTP Service to be used as a mail receiver for other programs.

The MS Knowledge Base Article Q308161 describes how to set up a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol virtual server on a Windows 2000-based computer.

| | |

~ Includes previous work and rights from Ted Quantrill's Tip Quarry ~

TOP