Read about common administration tasks in Windows XP. Among other things you will learn about user and group management, hardware management, network settings configuration, file system management, security including NTFS permissions, printer configuration, optimization tools, recovery options, and a few things considering the process of installation.

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3. CONTENTS
BASICS ......................................................................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION TO WINDOWS XP ............................................................................................................................... 1
USER INTERFACE IN XP ............................................................................................................................................. 3
MICROSOFT MANAGEMENT CONSOLE (MMC) IN WINDOWS XP ..................................................................................... 8
GROUP POLICY IN WINDOWS XP .............................................................................................................................. 12
REGIONAL AND LANGUAGE OPTIONS IN XP................................................................................................................. 16
USERS AND GROUPS ..............................................................................................................................................18
MANAGE USERS IN XP............................................................................................................................................ 18
GROUP MANAGEMENT IN XP .................................................................................................................................. 26
MANAGE USER PROFILES IN XP ................................................................................................................................ 34
USER RIGHTS AND GROUP POLICY IN XP .................................................................................................................... 41
HARDWARE ............................................................................................................................................................44
DEVICES IN XP ...................................................................................................................................................... 44
QUALITY OF DRIVERS IN XP ..................................................................................................................................... 48
POWER OPTIONS IN XP .......................................................................................................................................... 52
HARDWARE PROFILES IN XP..................................................................................................................................... 57
NETWORKING ........................................................................................................................................................62
MANAGE NETWORK COMPONENTS IN XP .................................................................................................................. 62
TCP/IP SETTINGS IN XP ......................................................................................................................................... 67
CONFIGURE DNS IN XP .......................................................................................................................................... 76
CONFIGURE DIAL-UP AND DIRECT CONNECTION IN XP .................................................................................................. 82
CONFIGURE VPN IN XP .......................................................................................................................................... 90
CONFIGURE ICS IN XP ............................................................................................................................................ 94
REMOTE ASSISTANCE IN XP ................................................................................................................................... 106
REMOTE DESKTOP IN XP ....................................................................................................................................... 117
FILES AND FOLDERS .............................................................................................................................................133
FILE COMPRESSION IN XP ...................................................................................................................................... 133
ENCRYPTION IN XP............................................................................................................................................... 138
DISK QUOTAS IN XP ............................................................................................................................................. 143
CONFIGURE NTFS PERMISSIONS IN XP .................................................................................................................... 151
SHARE FOLDERS IN XP .......................................................................................................................................... 180
OFFLINE FILES IN XP ............................................................................................................................................. 204
IIS IN XP ............................................................................................................................................................ 213
FILES SYSTEM .......................................................................................................................................................225
CONVERT FILE SYSTEM IN XP ................................................................................................................................. 225
MANAGE HARD DISKS IN XP .................................................................................................................................. 230
MOUNT A VOLUME IN XP ..................................................................................................................................... 245
MULTIPLE OPERATING SYSTEMS AND XP .................................................................................................................. 250
PRINTERS ..............................................................................................................................................................252
INSTALL PRINTER IN XP ......................................................................................................................................... 252
PRINT MANAGEMENT IN XP .................................................................................................................................. 263
ADVANCED PRINTER CONFIGURATION IN XP ............................................................................................................. 281
REPLACE PRINT DEVICE IN XP ................................................................................................................................ 290

4. ENABLE FAX SERVICES IN XP .................................................................................................................................. 293
SEND A FAX IN XP ................................................................................................................................................ 298
OPTIMIZATION .....................................................................................................................................................303
TASK MANAGER IN XP .......................................................................................................................................... 303
OPTIMIZE DISKS IN XP .......................................................................................................................................... 309
PAGING FILE IN XP ............................................................................................................................................... 314
BACKUP TOOL IN XP ............................................................................................................................................ 316
RECOVER WINDOWS XP ....................................................................................................................................... 324
SECURITY ..............................................................................................................................................................328
CONFIGURE AUDITING IN XP.................................................................................................................................. 328
SECURITY TEMPLATES IN XP................................................................................................................................... 336
INTERNET EXPLORER SECURITY IN XP ....................................................................................................................... 341
INSTALLATION ......................................................................................................................................................348
PREPARATION FOR WINDOWS XP INSTALLATION ....................................................................................................... 348
HOW TO UPGRADE FROM OLDER SYSTEM TO WINDOWS XP ....................................................................................... 350
PREREQUISITES FOR NETWORK INSTALLATION OF WINDOWS XP ................................................................................... 354
CREATE AN ANSWER FILE IN SETUP MANAGER .......................................................................................................... 356
TYPICAL WINDOWS XP INSTALLATION PROBLEMS ...................................................................................................... 360

5. Utilize Windows XP
Basics
Basics
Introduction to Windows XP
Parent Category: XP
Category: Basics
XP is quite different from any OS that has come before. To understand why XP works so
differently we need to understand the state from which it emerged.
Before you start
Objectives: introduction to Windows operating systems. Learn about Windows versions
and technologies they were built on. Learn about new XP features, editions and system
requirements.
Prerequisites: no prerequisites.
Key terms: history of Windows, DOS and NT, XP editions, new features in XP, minimum system requirements.
History of Windows
Microsoft sold the first PC operating system to IBM in 1981. It was called DOS and it had no user interface
(working in command line). First version of Windows shipped in 1985, and it was called Windows 1.0. It was very
slow and unstable. Breathtaking Windows 2.0 shipped in late 1987. It let you overlap windows (place one
windows on top of another). Windows 2.1 (also known as Windows 286) shipped in 1988. It came on a single
diskette. Windows 3.0 arrived in 1990, and the computer industry changed forever. Windows 3.1 arrived in 1992,
and it rapidly became the most widely used operating system.
Windows 3.x was built on MS-DOS, and that caused all sorts of headaches. DOS simply wasn't stable enough to
make Windows solid operating system. They knew all that in Microsoft, so in 1988 they decided to build a new
version of Windows from scratch. In 1993 Windows NT (New Technology) 3.1 was shipped, but it was also
unstable. Because of bad reactions to NT edition Microsoft decided to further develop Windows based on
DOS/Windows 3.1, and on the other side to work on NT versions of Windows.
Versions of Windows based on DOS are:
 95, shipped in 1995
 98, shipped in 1998
 ME, shipped in 2000
NT editions:
 NT 3.5, shipped in 1994
 NT 4.0, shipped in 1996
 2000, shipped in 2000
Microsoft patiently waited while sales on the NT side gradually picked up. When that happened, Microsoft shipped
XP (XP stands for eXPerience). XP is 100% based on NT. Microsoft took a lot of effort to make XP look like
Windows ME, but beneath the facade, XP is based on Windows NT/2000.
About Windows XP
XP is an operating system developed by Microsoft and it was released in 2001. It is build on NT kernel, which is
known for its improved stability and efficiency over the 9x versions of Microsoft Windows.
Windows XP comes in 6 editions:
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 Home (for home users)
 Professional (for power and business users)
 Media Center (additional multimedia features)
 Tablet PC (designed to run stylus applications)
 64-Bit (designed to run on Intel Itanium processors)
 Professional x64 (supports the x86-64 extensions of Intel IA-32 architecture)
XP has a significantly redesigned graphical user interface which is now more user friendly. It is the first version of
Windows which uses product activation to fight illegal copying. XP is available in many languages, and in addition
to that, Language Interface Packs translating the user interface are also available in certain languages.
New Features
Among other things, Windows XP introduced:
 Faster start-up and hibernation sequences, fast user switching
 Enhanced device driver verification (driver signing), ability to discard newer device driver in favor of the previous
one (driver rollback)
 Code enhancements (better protection for code, less likely-hood that somebody can come in and tamper with key
system files), and Windows File Protection which, together with file signings, discovers modified system files
 Encrypted File System (EFS) which enables us to encrypt files on our hard drive
 IP Security (IPSec) enables us to encrypt data sent over computer networks
 Clear type font rendering mechanism (improved readability on LCD monitors)
 Built in support for CD-RW
 Hot docking support (great for Laptop users who use Docking stations)
 Remote Desktop support which enables us to control other computer over network using RDP protocol
 Remote Assistance support
 Enhanced Wireless network communication software (in tune with wireless standards)
 Windows Messaging services
 Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) which enables us to share one Internet connection with multiple computers
 Embedded firewall (Internet Connection Firewall - ICF) which enables us to protect our Local Area Network
 Improved deployment tools for Windows XP itself, and also for software packages.
Sounds great, doesn't it? But the truth is that XP has been strongly criticized for its vulnerability to malware,
viruses, trojan horses, and worms. Windows, with its large market share, has always been a tempting target for
virus creators. Security holes are often invisible until they are exploited, making preemptive action difficult.
Microsoft recommends that all systems have automatic updates turned on to prevent a system from being
attacked by an unpatched bug.
System Requirements
Recommended system requirements for running Windows XP:
o Processor: 300MHz or higher
o Memory: 128MB RAM or higher
o Hard drive disk free space: 1.5 GB or higher (additional 1.8 GB for Service Pack 2 and additional 900MB for
Service Pack 3)
Remember
XP is based on NT. Two most important XP editions are Home and Professional. System requirements are: CPU
300MHz or higher, RAM 128MB RAM or higher.
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Basics
User Interface in XP
Parent Category: XP
Category: Basics
Before we can manage and administer our operating system we should be familiar with
some basic Windows terms. For example, you all probably know how to create a new
user in Windows. But, what is a user account? Is it just a user name?
Before you start
Objectives: learn about user interface, common terms and expressions, appearance and functionality of certain
interface elements.
Prerequisites: installed Windows XP
Key terms: Welcome screen, Desktop, Taskbar, Notification Tray, Start button, Start menu and Control Panel.
Instruction on how to add Administrative Tools to the Start menu.
Common Terms
XP can store preferences for each person who uses a PC. Logging on to Windows is the process of telling
Windows who you are, so Windows knows which preferences to load. Having different users on one PC also
enables us to secure sensitive or personal data. When we turn on our computer, Windows XP will start up, and
the Welcome screen will appear, asking us to log on.
Welcome Screen
Default Welcome screen looks like this:
Image 70.1 - Welcome Screen
When the Welcome Screen appears we must select our user name. If we have a password protected account, we
must provide our password (to have a password is highly recommended). If everything is OK, our user
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preferences will load, and our personal Windows Desktop will appear. We can also set up automatic Log On with
any user name and password.
Desktop
The screen that Windows shows us every time we start our computer is called the desktop. It is the main
workspace in Windows XP, and everything we do in Windows starts from Desktop. With fresh Windows XP
Professional installation, Desktop looks like this:
Image 70.2 - Desktop
Taskbar
Windows taskbar shows us opened windows and computer programs which are currently running.
Image 70.3 - Taskbar
Notification Area (Tray)
Notification area (or tray) can show us status of some operation, or notify us about an event. For example, when
we are printing something we see a small icon which shows us that print job is under way. Small window may pop
up telling us that an update is available for Windows XP or some other installed application. Current time, volume
control and anti-virus programs also appear in this area. While working with laptops, we can see power options,
battery and wireless status icon in notification area.
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Image 70.4 - Notification Area
Start Button
Start button gives us access to everything our computer can do.
Image 70.5 - Start Button
Start Menu
When we click the Start button, Start menu, which contains all links to our folders and applications, shows up.
Image 70.6 - Start Menu
Control Panel
On the Start menu there is a shortcut to Control Panel. When we click it, this window shows up (switched to
Classic View):
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Image 70.7 - Control Panel
In Control Panel there are bunch of tools that we can use to manage our operating system.
Display Settings
To check display settings in XP, we can right-click on the desktop and select Properties. This will open the
Display Properties applet. We can also open Display Settings from the Control Panel.
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Image 70.8 - Themes Tab
In the Themes tab we can choose a theme that Windows will use. In the Desktop tab we can change the
background on the Desktop. Appearance tab enables us to change the style and color scheme and font size of
Windows. In the Settings tab we can configure settings related to our monitor.
Image 70.9 - Settings Tab
Notice that in our case we have single monitor attached. Here we can change the screen resolution and the color
quality.
Adding Administrative Tools to the Start Menu
Because we are administrators of Windows XP, we might want to add a shortcut for Administrative Tools to the
Start Menu or to the All Programs menu to make them more accessible. To do that simply right-click the Start
button and select Properties to open the Start Menu and Taskbar Properties window. Here click Customize to
open the Customize Start Menu window. Go to the Advanced tab, in the "Start menu items" scroll box, navigate to
the System Administrative Tools section. Choose the "Display on All Programs menu and Start menu" option and
click OK to exit the window.
Remember
Logging on to Windows is the process of telling Windows who you are. We log on to Windows using the Welcome
screen. The main workspace in Windows is called the Desktop. Taskbar shows us opened windows and
computer programs. Notification area (or tray) will show us status of some operation, or notify us about an event.
Start button gives us access to everything our computer can do. Start menu contains all links to our folders and
applications. Control Panel contains bunch of tools that we can use to manage our operating system.
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Microsoft Management Console (MMC) in
Windows XP
Parent Category: XP
Category: Basics
Microsoft Management Console is available in Windows XP. First, let's take a look at
available pre-configured MMCs that ship with our Windows XP. Later we will configure
our custom Console.
Before you start
Objectives: learn about available pre-configured consoles, how to open and use pre-configured and also how to
create custom Microsoft Management Consoles.
Prerequisites: you have to know what is Microsoft Management Console.
Key terms: microsoft management console, mmc, pre-configured console, computer management console,
custom console
Pre-configured Console
Computer Management Console
Let's take a look at pre-configured MMC that ships with our Windows XP. Go to Administrative tools(in Control
Panel, or your Start Menu or All Programs menu if you have created shortcut), and click on the Computer
Management. The following window opens:
Image 118.1 - Computer Management MMC
Icons on the left group individual tasks. Each icon is a Snap-in that lets us work with related configuration values.
For example, Event Viewer is a snap-in that we can use to view system messages. Disk Management is
another snap-in that we can use to manage disks and volumes. When we select a snap-in from the left, panel on
the right changes to show us actions that we can perform with that snap-in.
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Image 118.2 - Event Viewer Snap-in
Pre-configured Consoles
Windows XP ships with a bunch of pre-configured consoles. We can launch them using Run menu (type in the
name of the console and click OK). Available pre-configured consoles are:
 Certificates - certmgr.msc
 Component Services - comexp.msc
 Computer Management - compmgmt.msc
 Device Manager - devmgmt.msc
 Disk Defragmenter - dfrg.msc
 Disk Management - diskmgmt.msc
 Event Viewer - eventvwr.msc
 Group Policy - gpedit.msc
 Indexing Service - ciadv.msc
 Local Security Settings - secpol.msc
 Local Users and Groups - lusrmgr.msc
 Performance - perfmon.msc
 Removable Storage - ntmsmgr.msc
 Removable Storage Operator Requests - ntmsoprq.msc
 Resultant Set of Policy - rsop.msc
 Services - services.msc
 Shared Folders - fsmgmt.msc
 Windows Management Infrastructure (WMI) - wmimgmt.msc
The majority of the pre-configured XP consoles are set to work on the local machine by default, but if we have the
appropriate permissions, consoles can be used to administer remote computers. We can right-click on Snap-in
and select Connect (not every Snap-in supports this), and enter the name of the remote computer we want to
manage (or select Browse if we don't know the name).
Custom Console
We can create our own consoles containing the snap-ins that we use the most. To do that, first we need to open
MMC shell. Go to Start Menu, and then click on Run. In Run dialog, type in mmc and click OK.
Image 118.3 - Run dialog
The following window will open:
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Image 118.4 - Empty MMC Console
Notice that this MMC is blank. It only contains Console Root object which we can rename as we like. Just right-
click it and click Rename. We can now add snap-ins. To do that, we must go to theFile menu and click
on Add/Remove Snap-in, and then click Add... New window opens and now we can select which Snap-ins we
want to see in our MMC (we can select multiple Snap-ins). After we are done selecting, we click on Close, and
OK.
Image 118.5 - Adding MMC Snap-in
In our example we have added Performance Logs and Alerts snap-in. Our console now looks like this:
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Image 118.6 - Custom MMC
To save this Snap-in, go to the File menu, and select Save. Notice the folder in which the new Snap-in will be
saved (it's Administrative Tools). Write the name of your console, and click Save. Microsoft Management
Consoles use the extension .msc which stands for Microsoft Common Console Document (MCCD). By default,
files which use the .msc extension open with the application Microsoft Management Console (MMC). If we go
back to Administrative tools in Control Panel, notice that we don't see our newly created console. But, if we create
shortcut to Administrative Tools in our All Programs menu, we will see our custom Snap-in in Administrative Tools
there.
Remember
Windows XP ships with a bunch of pre-configured consoles. We can launch them using Run menu (type in the
name of the console and click OK). We can create our own consoles containing the snap-ins that we use the
most. To do that, first we need to open MMC shell. Microsoft Management Consoles use the extension .msc
which stands for Microsoft Common Console Document (MCCD).
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Group Policy in Windows XP
Parent Category: XP
Category: Basics
It can be of great importance to know how to work with Group Policy console, especially
if you often administer Windows systems. Lets take a look at local Group Policy in
Windows XP.
Before you start
Objectives: learn how to open and navigate trough pre-defined Group Policy console.
Prerequisites: you have to know what is Group Policy, and how to work in Microsoft Management Console.
Key terms: run Group Policy, Console organization, example settings, gpedit.msc, software settings, windows
settings, administrative templates, password policy, security options.
Local Group Policy Console
We will use the Start menu run command to open our Local Group Policy console. In Run menu, we can open
Microsoft Management Console by typing in mmc, and then add the Group Policy Snap-in to our console. We can
also open pre-defined Group Policy console by typing gpedit.mscin Run menu.
Image 138.1 - Run Group Policy
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Image 138.2 - Group Policy
Console Organization
There are two major sections - Computer Configuration section, and User Configuration section. Computer
Configuration section contains settings that are applied for the entire computer, and these settings are applied
when the computer boots. User Configuration node contains settings that are applied only to users. If user
settings are defined in AD, then they are independent of the computer on which the user logs on to. If settings are
configured locally, settings are valid only for local users. User settings get applied at user log on.
Under Computer Configuration, as well as under User Configuration, there are three categories of setting:
 Software Settings are used to control the installation of software, and there are no local settings for this. This
section can only be configured through AD.
 Windows Settings are used to set a wide range of system and startup values.
 Administrative Templates contain Registry-based policies.
In each category there are additional objects that group related settings. If we look at Group Policy in AD, we will
see more options than in Local Group Policy.
Example Settings
Lets take a look at some Group Policy settings on a local Windows XP workstation.
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Image 138.3 - Password Policy
Image 138.4 - Security Options
Notice that when we make a selection on the left, the right part of the window shows us two columns. In the first
column we see a descriptive Policy name, and in the second column we see current settings for our Policies. If
our computer is on a domain, then the current settings are a combination of local settings and settings defined in
AD.
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To edit a setting, just click double on policy name and choose the appropriate setting.
Remember
We can open pre-defined Group Policy console by typing gpedit.msc in Run menu. There are two major sections
in Group Policy console: Computer Configuration section and User Configuration section. Computer Configuration
section contains settings that are applied for the entire computer. User Configuration node contains settings that
are applied only to users. Software Settings are used to control the installation of software, and there are no local
settings for this. Windows Settings are used to set a wide range of system and startup values. Administrative
Templates contain Registry-based policies.
Commands that are mentioned in this article
 gpedit.msc - run pre-defined Group Policy console (enter in Start menu Run command).
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Regional and Language Options in XP
Parent Category: XP
Category: Basics
Windows XP supports many languages and different regional settings. As we go to the
Control Panel, we will find an icon for our Regional and Language settings.
Before you start
Objectives: find out where can you configure regional and language options in XP.
Prerequisites: no prerequisites.
Key terms: language, regional, keyboard, format, display
Regional Options
In previous versions of Windows, in order to move between various languages, we had to install separate
packages. Windows XP now allows us to navigate quickly and easily and select which language options we would
like to use. As we go in to the Regional and Language options in Control Panel, we will notice that we have three
tabs of information. First, we have Regional options, then Language options, and then Advanced options.
Image 190.1 - Regional Options
In Regional Options we can define how we want to represent our numbers, currency, time and date. For example,
in United States a common format for representing the date is: mm/dd/yyyy. In Europe a common format for dates
is: dd/mm/yyyy. The same thing is for our currencies. In United States we use commas (1,000 = one thousand),
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and in Europe we use decimals to separate thousands (1.000 = one thousand). In addition to having the number
settings, we also have the ability of setting up our location. Our location is used by programs such as Internet
Explorer. This is handy for getting news, weather, etc.
Language Settings
In Language settings we have the ability of selecting a bunch of different languages, as well as Keyboard layouts.
This becomes very handy when we are using our Word processing applications. For example, if we need to
create a document in different languages, we can hot-key between various language inputs. This means that by
using our keyboard, we can quickly switch between letters that we will be typing in and in which format.
Image 190.2 - Language Options
We can also choose to have different keyboard layout. We can have the standard QWERTY keyboard or we can
use, for instance, Dvorak keyboard. Dvorak keyboard has different key layout and it is optimized for efficiency. We
have also additional language support for countries that use right-to-left writing, and we can also add support for
east Asiatic languages. Advanced language options are intended for non-Unicode programs.
Windows can ship in Localized version or in Multi-language version. In both versions we can change date, time,
measurement display, create, view, and edit documents in multiple languages (including East Asian and right-to-
left languages), but we can't display Windows menus and dialogs in multiple languages in Localized versions of
Windows.
Remember
In Regional Options we can define how we want to represent our numbers, currency, time and date. In Language
settings we have the ability of selecting different languages, as well as Keyboard layouts, which comes very
handy when we are using our Word processing applications.
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Users and Groups
Users and Groups
Manage Users in XP
Parent Category: XP
Category: Users and Groups
There are two different ways to manage user accounts in Windows XP. We can use the
User Accounts applet for basic account management, or we can use Local Users and
Groups snap-in for advanced user management.
Before you start
Objectives: learn to create new users, change passwords and edit other properties for existing users. We will
work with local user accounts. For advanced user management go to Local Users and Groups Management.
Prerequisites: before you read about user management, you have to be aware of what a user account actually
is.
Key terms: account, user, password, new user, user management, local user
User Accounts Applet
If the computer is a standalone workstation or a member of a workgroup, we can use the User Accounts applet in
the Control Panel to easily create user accounts and modify user account properties. To open User Accounts
applet go to Start > Control Panel > User Accounts.
Image 167.1 - User Account Applet
The User Accounts applet lists common tasks at the top of the windows, such as Change an account, Create a
new account, and Change the way users log on or off. Accounts are listed at the bottom of the applet.
Creating New Account
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Users and Groups
To create a new user, we have to click on Create a new account, and we need to type a name for the new user
account.
Image 167.2 - Account Name
On the next window, we will have to choose an account type. We have two options:
 Computer administrator - with the administrator account we have the ability to make system wide changes,
create, change and delete accounts, install programs and access all files.
 Limited - with the limited account we can only make changes to our own account settings, view files that we have
created and files in Shared Documents folder. We will not always be able to install programs.
Image 167.3 - Account Type
Anders is a computer administrator, so we will choose that option and click on Create Account. Notice that now
we can see Anders Parker's account in the list of the user accounts.
Image 167.4 - Anders Parker Account
User Management
In User Accounts applet we can perform basic user account administration tasks, such as add or delete users,
change passwords and modify account capabilities. To modify properties for specific account, we can select it
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from list, or we can click on the Change an account option, and then select an account that we want to change.
In this case we will change the properties for Kim's user account.
Image 167.5 - Kim Verson Account
Notice that Kim Verson's account is configured as Computer administrator, and that it doesn't have a password.
To create a password for this account, click on Create a password.
Image 167.6 - Password Options
We have to type in a new password, and then type it in again to confirm it. We also have to type in a hint for our
password in case we forget it. When we click on Create Password button, Kim Verson will have password
protected user account.
We can also change Kim's account type. We don't want her to be computer administrator anymore. To do that,
let's click on Change the account type option, select Limited option, and click onChange Account Type button.
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Image 167.7 - Account Type
Guest Account
To enable Guest account, select Change an account option, and pick a Guest account. In this case, Guest
account is turned off. There aren't many configuration settings that we can change for the Guest account.
Basically, we can just turn it on or off.
Image 167.8 - Guest Account
Logon and Logoff Options
We can also use User Accounts applet to change the way users log on or off to the computer. Notice that
currently we are using the Welcome screen for users to log on to this computer. If we use the Welcome screen for
logging on we will see all user names for accounts that are currently active on our computer. This is not as secure
as traditional log on, because everyone can see all user accounts that are active on the computer. Because of
that, here we can select to use traditional log on method. But, if we do that we will not be able to use Fast User
Switching feature anymore.
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Users and Groups
Image 167.9 - Logon Options
Local Users and Groups Snap-in
For advanced user account management we will use the Local Users and Groups snap-in which is located in
Computer Management console. We can find the Computer Management console in Administrative Tools (in
Control Panel), or we can right-click on My Computer icon and select Manage option from the pop-up menu.
Either way, the following window appears:
Image 167.10 - Local Users and Groups Snap-in
We have to browse to Local Users and Groups. With this tool we can create users and groups, assign group
membership and manage user and group properties.
Creating New Account
To create a new user account, click on Users folder, then in Action menu select New User... option. We can also
right-click on Users folder, or we can right-click on the right side of the window, where all users are listed, to get
the same option.
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Image 167.11 - New User 1 Image 167.12 - New User 2
Now we need to type in the user name. Ally Anderson will use this account, so we will type inaanderson as a
user name, and Ally Anderson as her full name. We need to type in Ally's password too, and then confirm it by
entering it again.
Image 167.13 - New User Menu
By default, user would have to change the password at the next logon, and this is the most secure choice. When
Ally logs on for the first time she will be forced to change her password to something different. In that way only
she will know the password. If we clear the 'User must change password at the next logon' checkbox, we can
select 'User cannot change password' or 'Password never expires' option. We would do that in case if we have
more users that are using the same user account. Here, we can also disable an account if we want to. We would
do that, for example, in a case when a user is not going to use that account right away, or he is not going to use it
for a long time. In this case we will select that a user must change password at the next logon, and we'll click
on Create button to create her account, and click Close to close the New User menu. When we look into the
Users folder, we can see the new account for Ally Anderson.
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Image 167.14 - User aanderson
User Management
Using the Local Users and Groups snap-in we can easily edit user settings. For instance, if a user forgets his/her
password, we can easily set new password for him/her. To do that, we right-click the user account and select Set
Password... option.
Image 167.15 - Set New Password
When we select 'Set Password...' option we will get a warning that we should use this feature with caution. This is
because if a user has, for example, encrypted files, he/she won't be able to access them any more.
Image 167.16 - Password Warning
If a user know his password, he should log in, then press CTR+ALT+DEL and then click Change Password. In our
case we will click on Proceed button for now. We need to type in the new password and then confirm it by typing
it again.
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Image 167.17 - Set New Password
If we have set up account lockout policy, to three log on attempts for example, then it might happen that the user
account is locked out, because the user entered wrong password too many times. To unlock a user account, we
need to right-click the user account, select Properties, and clear the 'Account is locked out' checkbox. Then, we
have to select 'User must change password at next logon' option. This will force the user to change his password
when he/she logs on again.
We can also easily rename an account. We simply right-click on the account and click Rename. We can also
change the full name by clicking on accounts Properties.
If we know that some user won't log on to the computer for a while, we can disable his account to prevent anyone
to log on using that account. To do that we have to right-click a user account, select Properties, select 'Account is
disabled' option and click on the OK button. You will notice the icon change on the user that we have disabled.
When the user returns we simply clear the 'Account is disabled' option to re-enable the account.
When we create a new account we should always set a password to protect the account. The password should
not be something easy to guess (for example, user name). We should always force the user to change the
password at the next logon. We should also disable accounts that won't be used for a while. If a user leaves and
is replaced by someone else with similar access needs, we should rename the existing account (rather then
deleting the account and creating a new one).
Remember
For user management in XP we can use User Accounts applet or Local Users and Groups snap-in. The User
Accounts applet can be used to change an account, create a new account and change the way users log on or
off. For advanced user account management we will use the Local Users and Groups snap-in.
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Group Management in XP
Parent Category: XP
Category: Users and Groups
When we start dealing with a lot of users, rather then using individual users to control
access to resources, it is useful to group users because usually many users have the
same requirements. Because of that we need to know how to manage groups. By
default, XP already has some built-in groups.
Before you start
Objectives: learn how create or delete groups and how to manage group membership.
Also you will familiarize yourself with built-in local groups in XP.
Prerequisites: you should know how to manage user accounts in XP.
Key terms: group, membership, user, local, account, member, rights, access.
Local Users and Groups Snap-in
We can manage groups with Local Users and Groups snap-in in Computer Management console. We can
create our own groups or modify existing groups. We can also modify some groups which the system has created
for our usage (we can't modify the SYSTEM, INTERACTIVE, Everyone, and the NETWORK group). Let's say
that we have a shared folder on a network. We want some people to be able to manage files in that shared folder
and other people to be able to only read files in shared folder. In this situation we can create different user groups
and put our users that need to have read rights in one group, and those that need to have read rights in another
group. Then we can assign resource permissions to that particular user groups.
Image 171.1 - Local Users and Groups Snap-in
From this particular screen we have the ability of adding new user groups, modify the membership of the existing
groups, and we also have the ability to delete or rename user groups. To manage group membership, we have to
edit the group properties. To edit group properties, simply right-click the desired group, and select Properties.
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Image 171.2 - Right Click On Group
When we get into the group properties, we can use 'Add...' or Remove button to edit group membership. For
example, let's add a user to the Helpdesk group. We have to click on 'Add...' button and the following windows
appears:
Image 171.3 - User Selection
Here we will going to click on 'Advanced...' button to generate a list of users. This computer is not on a domain, so
we can only search for users on a local machine (in this case, on ADMIN-8268F4658). When we are ready, we
can click on Find Now button. The list of local users now appears, as shown below.
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Image 171.4 - List of Users
In this case, we will select two users - Kim Verson and wdelmonte. When we are done selecting, we will click on
the OK button, and then on the next window click OK again. Now we can see our two users in the member list of
the Helpdesk group.
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Image 171.5 - Helpdesk Group
We can also manage group membership for individual users. To do that, we can go to the user list, right-click on a
particular user, and select Properties. Then we have to go to the "Member Of "tab and add or remove groups that
the user belongs to.
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Image 171.7 - Individual User Membership
Create New Group
To create a new group we have to right-click on the group list window and select 'New Group...' option. We have
to provide group name (Developers in our case), and optional, group description. We can also add members to
the group right away by clicking on 'Add...' button. In this case, we will add the anderson user account. When we
are done, we have to click on the Create button to create a group.
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Image 171.6 - New Group
Delete Existing Group
To delete a group of users, we have to select a group we want to delete and then click on the Remove button.
When we delete a group from the computer, we don't delete the users that were members of the group. We only
delete the group, and the users stay on the local machine. Removing a user account from a group does not delete
the group or the user account. We can not remove the local Administrator user account from the Administrators
group and Guest user account from the Guests group.
Built-in Groups
Whenever possible, we should use built-in groups to assign rights and permissions. For example, to allow
someone to back up and restore the system, we should make the user account a member of the Backup
Operators group. We should use caution when modifying the default rights and permissions assigned to built-in
groups. When assigning security, we should make user accounts members of groups, then assign the rights or
permissions to the group rather than the user accounts. Built-in local groups are:
 Administrators - Members have complete and unrestricted access to the computer, including every system
right. The Administrator user account and any account designated as a "computer administrator" is a member of
this group.
 Backup Operators - Members can back up and restore files (regardless of permissions), log on locally, and shut
down the system. Members cannot change security settings.
 Guests - Members have limited rights (similar to members of the Users group). Members can shut down the
system.
 Users - Members can use the computer but cannot perform system administration tasks and might not be able to
run legacy applications. Members cannot share directories or install printers if the driver is not yet installed.
Members cannot view or modify system files. Any user created with Local Users and Groups is automatically a
member of this group. User accounts designated as "limited user" accounts are members of this group. A user
account created as a "computer administrator" is made a member of this group.
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 Power Users - Members can create and modify user accounts and local groups. They can remove users from
Power Users, Users and Guests groups. They can change the system date and time, and install applications.
They can not change the membership of the Administrators or Backup Operators groups, take ownership of files,
back up or restore files, load or unload device drivers, and manage security settings.
Windows XP also includes the following local groups:
 Network Configuration Operators
 Remote Desktop Users
 Replicator
In order to participate in one of the groups, a user has to be added to a particular group and they automatically
inherit particular privileges.
Special Built-in Groups
There are also other specific built-in user groups, like the Everyone group. The membership of the Everyone
group is everyone. It's created for simplified access to the resources. We can not modify the membership of the
Everyone group because everyone belongs to it. As we look into original permissions and security settings in
Windows XP, we will notice that the default is always is the Everyone group. The first thing that we will probably
want to do is remove the Everyone group from the list, and add our own groups of users to have access to
particular resources.
Two groups that we should also mention are INTERACTIVE group, and the NETWORKgroup. Let's say that we
have two computers that are linked over computer network. One user is logged on to the particular machine and
is actively using the keyboard, the mouse and looking at the monitor of that particular computer. In that case we
consider that that user is a member of INTERACTIVE group because he is interactive with that computer. It is
important to know where the user comes from. If that user access the resources on some machine on the network
(shared folder), he becomes a member of a NETWORK group.
Sometimes we refer to those groups as implicit groups or special identities. They act as variables to represent
either a set of users or a set of programs running on the computer. The identity and membership of these groups
is dynamically configured, so they are not listed in Local Users and Groups. In many cases, user accounts are
being dynamically made a member of these groups when users perform certain actions (such as logging on or
creating a file). Implicit local groups are:
 ANONYMOUS LOGON - Membership is obtained by logging on without a user name and password (anonymous
logon is commonly permitted if the computer is acting as a web server)
 AUTHENTICATED USERS - Membership is obtained by logging on with a user name and password
 CREATOR GROUP - Membership is obtained by creating an object
 CREATOR OWNER - Membership is obtained by creating an object (such as a file)
 DIALUP - Membership is obtained by connecting to the computer through a dial-up connection
 Everyone - Membership is obtained by gaining access to the computer except through anonymous logon
 INTERACTIVE - Membership is obtained by logging on interactively (also called logging on locally) through the
computer console
 NETWORK - Membership is obtained by logging on to the computer through a network connection
 REMOTE INTERACTIVE LOGON - Membership is obtained by logging on to the computer through a remote
desktop connection
Except the Everyone group, we can recognize these groups because their names are all written in caps.
Remember
We can manage groups with Local Users and Groups snap-in. We can create our own groups or modify existing
groups. To manage group membership, we have to edit the group properties. To create a new group we have to
right-click on the group list window and select 'New Group...' option. To delete a group of users, we have to select
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Users and Groups
a group we want to delete and then click on the Remove button. Whenever possible, we should use built-in
groups to assign rights and permissions. Administrators have complete and unrestricted access to the computer.
Members of Users group can use the computer but cannot perform system administration tasks. ANONYMOUS
LOGON membership is obtained by logging on without a user name and password. NETWORK membership is
obtained by logging on to the computer through a network. INTERACTIVE membership is obtained by logging on
interactively.
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Users and Groups
Manage User Profiles in XP
Parent Category: XP
Category: Users and Groups
User profiles help us to separate files and settings that belong to different users. Along
with local user profiles, we can also create roaming user profiles or mandatory user
profiles.
Before you start
Objectives: learn where to find user profile, how to create roaming or mandatory profile and how to change target
locations for specific folders.
Prerequisites: you should know what is user profile in general and how to manage user accountsin XP.
Key terms: profile, user, account, documents, ntuser, roaming, mandatory
Profile Location
User profile contains all of our custom settings that we have made to our computer. In Windows XP user profiles
are stored in C:Documents and Settings folder. Inside this directory we will see a folder for each user which
has logged on to the computer.
Image 178.1 - Documents and Settings Folder
If we open a folder for some particular user we will see, among other things, an NTUSER.dat file, which contains
user settings. Specific user files are contained in folders like Desktop, My Documents etc. In the picture below we
can see Administrator profile. Note that hidden files have to be shown to see NTUSER.dat file.
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Image 178.2 - Administrator Profile
Types of Profiles
Along with local profile we can also have a Roaming user profile. We would use Roaming profile if we often log
on to multiple computers on the network, and we want our settings to follow us around. Another type of profile that
we can create is the Mandatory user profile. Mandatory profile is a read only profile, so that any changes made
by a user will be lost when they log off.
Create Roaming Profile
To create a roaming profile we have to create a shared folder on some server. In this example, we have created
shared folder called Profiles on a computer named server. The UNC (Universal Naming Convention) path to this
folder is now serverprofiles. We will use this path when providing profile path for particular user
(serverprofiles%username% syntax).
The next step can be done in two ways. We can either copy existing profile to the network share or we can simply
define new profile path for particular user. If we copy existing user profile to the shared folder, we have to ensure
that the proper permissions are set on that folder, so that only particular user has access to it. In this case we
would set the user profile path to that particular directory. To do that we can go to the Computer Management,
then Local Users and Groups, Users folder, right-click on particular user and then select the Profile tab. In our
example we have copied existing user folder for anderson user account. On the picture below, notice that we
have changed the profile path for that particular user.
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Image 178.3 - Profile Path
Another option is that we only set the profile path (without copying user profile to the shared folder). In this case
system will automatically create new user profile on a shared folder when a user logs on to the computer. That's
because no user profile for that user account will exit on that location.
Create Mandatory Profile
The first step in specifying the mandatory profile is to create a profile that will be shared by multiple users. In our
case we will create a user account named Students.
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Image 178.4 - Students User Account
Next thing we need to do is to log on to the system using the Students user account and make the appropriate
changes. After we configure all the settings we want, we have to log off from the Students account and then log
on using some other account with administrative privileges (Administrator in our case). The next step in
configuring a mandatory profile is to save it to a central location. Let's go to the Start Menu, right-click My
Computer and select Properties to open system properties. Now, we will go to the Advanced tab, and under User
Profiles section we will click on the Settings button. In this window we can see all profiles that are currently saved
on the system.
Image 178.5 - List of User Profiles
We are currently logged on as Administrator so we can not copy or delete this particular user profile. This is why
we have created different user account that we will be using as a mandatory user account. Now, we want to copy
Students profile, so we will select that account, and then clickCopy To button. We have already created a folder
in which we will save this profile, so we will click on Browse button, navigate to the C:MandatoryProfile folder,
and click on the OK button. Now , we have to change permissions for this user profile, so we have to click on the
Change button in 'Permitted to use' section. Normally, profile is used by a single user, but this profile is going to
be used by multiple users, so we will give the Everyone group permission to use this profile.
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Image 178.6 - Copy Profile
The next step is to make that profile a read-only profile. To do that, we will browse to the C:MandatoryProfile
folder and rename the NTUSER.dat to NTUSER.man. This makes it a mandatory profile. If you don't see
NTUSER.dat file, it's because it's hidden by default. In that case, we have to select 'Show hidden files and
folders' in Folder Options menu.
Image 178.7 - Renaming NTUSER file
The final step is to configure local user account to use the mandatory profile (Students in our case). Let's go back
to Computer Management, and Users folder under Local Users and Groups. We right-click on the Students
user, select Properties option, go to the Profile tab, and enter the Profile path, which is in our case
C:MandatoryProfile.
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Image 178.8 - Students Profile Path
We can point any other user to use that same mandatory profile, at the same time. We don't have to create a
separate mandatory profile for different user accounts (but we can if we want to).
Create Custom Default Profile
The Default User profile is used to create a new profile for users who have never logged on to the machine
before. To create a custom default profile we have to begin by logging in with some random user account (in our
case we will use IMadruga account), and make changes that we want to be available for all new users. When we
make changes to user profile, we will copy that profile to the Default User location. Let's go to the Start Menu,
right-click My Computer, select Properties to open System Properties, go to the Advanced tab, and
under User Profiles click on the Settings button. Now we will copy the IMadruga user profile, so we will select it
and click the Copy To button. We have to select the new location for our user profile and in this case, we will
navigate to theC:Documents and SettingsDefault User folder, because we want this profile to be used as the
default user profile.
Image 178.9 - Copy to Default User Location
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When we click the OK button, we have to change the permissions for default user profile. We want everyone to be
able to use this profile, so we will select the Everyone group. We have to keep in mind that the old default profile
is now overwritten. If we wanted to save old settings, we should have backed it up. Now, whenever a new user
logs on to this particular machine, he will get our newly defined default user settings.
Redirect Folders
XP creates My Documents folder for each user account. This folder is used to store files saved by the user. Let's
take a look to the properties of My Documents. We will right-click it and select the Properties option.
Image 178.9 - Target Location for My Documents Folder
Notice the target location. This My Documents folder is located on the C drive, in Administrator profile folder. If we
want to, we can change or move the location of My Documents folder, even to a network path. Moving My
Documents folder is useful for data protection or for easier backup.
End users can only redirect the following folders: My Documents, My Music, My Pictures, and My Videos. Group
Policy can only redirect the following folders: Application Data, Desktop, My Documents, My Music, My Pictures,
My Videos, and Start Menu. We can use the %username% variable to redirect folders to unique parent folders
based on user name. When we redirect folders, the default is to copy the existing folder contents to the new
location. Redirecting folders does not delete the existing folder or prevent data from being stored in the folder. It
only redirects the shortcut that points to the target folder. By default, users are given the necessary permissions to
manage their redirected folders.
Remember
NTUSER.dat file is hidden by default. Roaming profile is saved on a network share. To create a roaming profile
we can simply change the path of the profile to point to the network share, and the system will create new,
roaming profile for that particular user. To create a mandatory profile we have to rename the NTUSER.dat file to
NTUSER.man, which will make it a read-only profile. Everyone must have permisions to access the Default
profile. We can change target location for specific folders like My Documents, Desktop etc.
Paths that are mentioned in this article
 C:Documents and Settings - folder in which all user profiles are located by default
 serverprofiles - shared folder which was used to save roaming user profile
 C:MandatoryProfile - folder which we used to create mandatory profile
 C:Documents and SettingsDefault User - path to the defualt user profile
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Users and Groups
User Rights and Group Policy in XP
Parent Category: XP
Category: Users and Groups
User rights define special local system actions that are permitted for specific users and
groups. To add or remove rights for users and groups we can use Group Policy editor.
Before you start
Objectives: learn how can you confgure user rights trough Group Policy editor.
Prerequisites: you should know what is Group Policy.
Key terms: policy, user, group, rights, assignment, editor, security
User Rights Assignment
We can open GP editor through Run menu by typing in gpedit.msc and clicking on the OK button. This opens
Group Policy editor for local computer. Next, we have to navigate to the Computer Configuration, Windows
Settings, Security Settings, Local Policies, and then User Rights Assignment.
Image 183.1 - User Rights Assignment Section
Let's find and open the 'Change the system time' policy. Notice that Administrators and Power Users can currently
change time on the system.
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Image 183.2 - Change the system time Policy
Let's remove the Power Users from this list, so that only administrators can change the system time. Let's add
Power Users the right to Debug programs. We will open 'Debug programs' policy, click 'Add User or Group...'
button, and look for the Power Users group. Before we can reach groups, we have to select Groups option in the
Object Types section.
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Image 183.3 - Object Types
When we are finished, we can click on the OK button to exit this policy. Power Users will now be able to debug
programs.
As you can see, we have a lot of options for setting up user rights. Remember that we can do this for any user or
group that we create.
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Hardware
Hardware
Devices in XP
Parent Category: XP
Category: Hardware
We can use Device Manager to view and configure computer hardware. The Device
Manager MMC is included as a part of a Computer Management console.
Before you start
Objectives: learn how to use Device Manager to check installed devices, and how to
add non-plug and play devices using Add New Hardware wizard.
Prerequisites: you should know about devices in Windows in general.
Key terms: device, hardware, manager, wizard, computer, resources
Device Manager
To open Device Manager, click Start, right-click My Computer, and select Manage to open up the Computer
Management. Then, browse to the Device Manager under System Tools. We can also open Device Manager as a
standalone console. Again, let's go to the Start menu, right-click My Computer, but this time select Properties to
open system properties. Then go to the Hardware tab, and click on the Device Manager button.
Image 199.1 - Device Manager
Notice that devices are organized in a tree view, by type. So, for example, if we look at Display adapters, we can
see the video card on this machine. We can also use the View menu to change the organization. Organization
can be 'Devices by type' or 'Devices by connection', or we can look 'Resources by type' or 'Resources by
connection'. We can also show hidden devices. If we select this option we will also see Non-Plug and Play drivers
as well as printers, in our tree view.
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Hardware
We can use the device icons to view and manage our devices. For example, let's look at the properties of the
COM port COM1. Right-click the device and open its properties.
Image 199.2 - COM1 Properties
Device properties typically have a General and a Driver tab. The General tab gives us the device status. For
example, COM1 port in our case is working properly. If we are having problems, we can run the Troubleshooter
by clicking on the 'Troubleshoot...' button to get more information on how to solve our problem. On the Driver tab,
we can see driver details or we can update, roll back, or un-install our drivers. Many devices also have
a Resources tab. Here we can configure resources such as IRQs and I/O ranges. Keep in mind that we don't
usually configure resources for Plug and Play devices. Also, depending on the hardware device, we may have
other tabs. For example, there is a Port Settings tab on COM1 device. These are typical settings that we can
configure for a COM port. Different type of device would have different tabs.
If a device is no longer used on our computer, begin by physically removing the device. In most cases, Windows
will detect that the hardware no longer exists, and it will remove the corresponding icon in the Device Manager. If
the icon remains after the hardware is removed, we can right-click the icon and select Uninstall option. This
uninstalls the device from the computer. If the device is no longer used, and it can not be physically removed, we
can use the Disable option instead. For example, suppose that we have a network card that's integrated on the
motherboard, but we have installed a new network adapter and we don't want to use the integrated NIC. In this
case, we can use the Disable option to prevent the integrated network adapter from being used by Windows.
Although the device still appears in the Device Manager, it can no longer be used.
Troubleshooting
Most hardware devices are Plug and Play devices, and they will be automatically installed and configured on
windows. If windows does not detect the device, or the device is not fully installed, we can use the Add Hardware
Wizard to manually install it. Let's go to the Start Menu > Control Panel > Add Hardware Wizard.
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Hardware
Image 199.3 - Add Hardware Wizard
Take a look at the warning message here. If we have an installation CD, we should use it rather than this wizard.
Let's click next. At this point wizard is doing the plug and play search, similar to Scan for new devices in Device
Manager. Now we need to answer a question. Have we already connected the hardware or not? If we select the
No option, the wizard finishes and prompts us to connect the device. Let's select the Yes option and click Next. At
this point we get a list of installed devices, and if we scroll down all the way, we can select the 'Add a new
hardware device' option. We will select that option and click Next.
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Image 199.4 - New Device Option
Next, we can choose from two options. If we choose the first option, computer will search and install the hardware
automatically. This search is more extensive than the previous search. It will search for detectable legacy or
detectable non-plug and play devices. We can also select the device from the list. To do that, we have to select
the second option and click Next. First we have to select the device category and then click Next. Now we have to
select the manufacturer and the model. After we made all of the selections, and provided all of the resources
settings, our new device should be up and running, and also visible in Device Manager.
Remember
We can use Device Manager to check our devices. Many devices in Device Manager will have options for
resources utilization. Resources are things such as IRQs and I/O ranges. Keep in mind that we don't usually
configure resources for Plug and Play devices. If some device is no longer used, but we can't remove it physically,
we can disable it in Device Manager. If windows does not detect newly added device, or the device is not fully
installed, we can use the Add Hardware Wizard to manually install it.
Paths that are mentioned in this article
 Start Menu > Control Panel > Add Hardware Wizard - path to the Add Hardware wizard
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Hardware
Quality of Drivers in XP
Parent Category: XP
Category: Hardware
Since device drivers can cause system instability and contain malicious code, Microsoft
provided several ways to check the integrity of the drivers in XP.
Before you start
Objectives: learn how to check that drivers are compatible with XP, and how to use
available tools to check that drivers are signed (sigverif, driverquery, sfc).
Prerequisites: you have to know what drivers are.
Key terms: driver, system, signed, check, tool, verification, signature
Quality of Drivers
There is a lot of concern about the quality of the drivers because they can cause system instability or they can
contain viruses. Because of that Microsoft came up with a way to help us ensure the quality and compatibility of
the device drivers on our system. This feature is known as Driver Signing. Driver signing is intended to ensure
that the device software is compatible with Windows XP and to ensure that nobody has tampered with the drivers
(that nobody inserted malicious code).
Since not all hardware manufacturers are on board with the Driver Signing, it becomes important for us to be able
to allow or deny the unsigned driver to be installed on the system. In XP, Microsoft provided us with three levels of
control for installation of unsigned drivers. These levels are Block,Warn and Ignore. To manage this settings, go
to the Start Menu, right-click My Computer, select Properties, go to the Hardware tab and then click on Driver
Signing.
Image 207.1 - Driver Signing Options
Block level will block the installation of any unsigned driver to the system. This will ensure that drivers are always
compatible with the system, and that our drivers don't have any viruses. The negative side of this is that many
manufacturers are not on board with driver signing, so if we want to use the latest drivers, they may not be
available. The Warn level will give us a warning when we try to install an unsigned driver. The criteria here is do
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we trust the source where we got our driver from. The Ignore level will simply install all the drivers without
prompting us for our approval. Of course, we would recommend that the Warn level is enabled at least.
We can make any of this level the default setting through out our system. To do that simply check the 'Make this
action the system default' option. Another way to enforce driver signing is through GPOs. We can do this either at
the local level, or at the domain level, which makes it easy to manage driver signing through out our organization.
Group membership can also have a little bit of control over driver signing as well. Remember, only members of
the Power User group (and up) have the ability of installing software. As a result of that, only Power Users and
Administrators can install drivers.
Driver Verification Tools
Microsoft also provided useful tools to check if the drivers are signed. The first one of these tools isSigverif.exe,
which is used to check if files are signed or not. Another utility that we can use isDriverquery.exe which enables
us to check existing drivers on the system (it is command line tool, so use '/si' switch to check driver signing).
Another utility that we can use is Msinfo32.exe, which can show us information for all our drivers (like dates,
manufacturers, and also if they are signed or not). Another command line utility that we can use is Sfc.exe.
Normally, Sfc.exe allows us to check the system files and verify their integrity. The thing is, sometimes drivers can
overwrite key system files. We can use Sfc.exe /scannow command to see if our system files have been
overwritten or become corrupted when we installed new drivers, especially when we installed unsigned drivers.
File Signature Verification Tool (sigverif)
The first tool is File Signature Verification tool. Let's go to the Run command, type in 'sigverif', and click the OK
button to run the File Signature Verification tool. By default, this tool checks all system files in the Windows
directory. To limit this search a little bit, click on Advanced , and browse toSystem32, and select 'drivers' folder.
This will limit the search to the drivers folder and its sub-folders (if we check the 'Include sub-folders' option). Click
'Start' to start the file signature verification process.
Image 207.2 - File Verification
In our case, all our files are verified as digitally signed. In other case, this tool would show us a list of unsigned
files.
Driver Query
Another way we can verify digital signatures for driver files is through the Driver Query program. To run this
program, we need to go to the Run command and open the Command Prompt. To do that, type in 'cmd' in Run
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menu and click OK button. Next, we need to type in 'driverquery', and then provide the '/si' switch. The '/si' switch
reports back the signature status.
Image 207.3 - Driverquery Result
As you can see, we have a column named 'IsSigned'. If we look down, in our case all our drivers are signed.
Here we can see exactly which device does not have a signed driver.
MSINFO32
Another tool that we can use to find the same information is 'msinfo32'. Again, we will go to the Run command,
type in 'msinfo32', and click the OK button. Now, we need to browse to the Software Environment, and
then Signed Drivers section.
Image 207.4 - Signed Drivers in System Information
In this window we can sort drivers by the Signed column, so that we can see unsigned drivers first.
Remember
Driver signing is intended to ensure that the device software is compatible with Windows XP and to ensure that
nobody has tampered with the drivers. In XP, Microsoft provided us with three levels of control for installation of
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unsigned drivers. These levels are Block, Warn and Ignore. To verify drivers we can use these tools: sigverif,
driverquery (in CLI), msinfo32 and sfc (CLI).
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Power Options in XP
Parent Category: XP
Category: Hardware
Windows XP supports two types of power management. Those are Advanced Power
Management (APM) and Advanced Configuration Power Interface (ACPI).
Before you start
Objectives: learn how to configure power options on XP machine
Prerequisites: no prerequisites.
Key terms: power, scheme, option, acpi, conserve, advanced, battery
APM vs ACPI
Advanced Power Management (APM) is Microsoft's first attempt to do power management. All power options
were set in the BIOS and the BIOS controlled the shutting down of devices. This was very simplistic and it really
did not help a lot. As a result of that, Microsoft developed the Advanced Configuration Power Interface
(ACPI). Some of the advantages that ACPI brought is that Windows is in charge of power management now. This
gives us more flexibility when controlling power options. ACPI enables us to control power options for each
individual device. We can use Device Manager to set power options for individual devices. Also, some devices
can send a signal that will wake up the rest of the system for us. ACPI enabled us functionalities like Hibernation
and Standby. ACPI comes with a specialized Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL). We can install this HAL only if
the BIOS supports the ACPI management.
Power Schemes
Windows XP introduced Power schemes which we can use to quickly set the appropriate power options. For
example, one of the Power schemes can be for Home/Office Desk. In our Home/Office default settings is that
after 20 minutes of inactivity system automatically powers off our monitor. This makes us Green Star compliant
and it allows us to conserve power, which is very important. Presentation Power scheme is used when we don't
want our computer to power off at all. In Presentation scheme everything is always on. This allows the presenter
to continue to talk without worrying that the computer will hibernate or go into the Standby mode. Another
interesting power scheme is Portable/Laptop scheme.This scheme will shut down various devices based on
inactivity to preserve battery power. For example, system will shut down monitor after 15 minutes by default, hard
drive after 30 minutes and after some determined idle time, other additional devices as well. Of course, we can
edit these Power schemes to further conserve power.
Example Configuration
We can change the way that our computer uses power. This is useful if we want to conserve energy, prolong the
battery life of the portable computer or configure a UPS. To customize Power Options let's go to the Start Menu >
Control Panel > Power Options. We will start by looking at the Power Schemes tab.
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Image 212.1 - Power Schemes
Here we can configure the computer to turn off the monitor or hard disks when the computer has been idle for a
while. Notice that for the Home/Office Desk scheme, monitor will be turned off after 20 minutes by default, but
hard disks will not be turned off. Let's say that this computer is a laptop, so we will want to select the scheme
which will conserve the battery. If we change the scheme to the Portable/Laptop, our monitor will be turned off
after 15 minutes and hard disks after 30 minutes, by default. We can edit the scheme to further conserve power.
To do that, just choose different option from 'Turn of monitor' drop-down menu or from 'Turn of hard disks' drop-
down menu. If we are doing a presentation, we should change to the Presentation power scheme, so that our
computer can always be on. The Presentation scheme is different from Always On scheme. In Always On
scheme, by default, monitor will turn off after 20 minutes, while in Presentation scheme everything is always
on. Let's go to the Advanced tab.
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Image 212.2 - Advanced Tab
In Advanced tab we can set the 'Prompt for password when computer resumes from standby' option which is very
useful setting. Here, we can also set the power button options. We can configure what will happen when we press
the power button on our computer. We can configure it to shut down, do nothing or to ask us what to do. Let's
take a look at the Hibernate tab.
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Image 212.3 - Hibernation Tab
Notice that hibernation is not enabled on this machine. When our computer hibernates, it stores all the memory
content to the hard disk and then shuts down the computer. Hibernation will use as much disk space as we have
RAM installed on our machine. Let's look at the UPS tab.
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Image 212.4 - UPS Tab
If this computer was connected to a UPS, we would use the 'Select...' button to identify the UPS.
Remember
We can change the way that our computer uses power. This is useful if we want to conserve energy, prolong the
battery life of the portable computer or configure a UPS.
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