clutch

Hell, if you don't like MS buying out competitors, then you must HATE Cisco. They have been doing that forever. I wonder when the gavel will be coming their way...

I know that %allusersprofile% will dump me into “C:\Documents and Settings\All Users”, but that doesn’t work for NT4. I am trying to find the var (if it exists) that is the same between NT4 and W2K so I can copy files to “All Users\Start Menu\Program Files”. Does this var exist? And if so, what is it?

Thanks, it looks like that twist on %userprofile% will do it just fine. Whenever I try %windir%\profiles in Win2K, it takes me to Winnt\profiles (makes sense since %windir%=c:\winnt on this system). But, if you put any files or folders in there, they wont show up in the start menu. Hence, the need to get to the "All Users\Start Menu\Programs" directory on both Win2K and NT4. Thank you both for the help.

Thanks, but that only gets me to the currently logged in user, right? I am trying to get a shortcut folder copied down to each PC so that it will show up for every user when they log on. I was trying to do it with one batch file, but I was getting the feeling that I may have to use separate collections (one for NT and one for W2K) in SMS to deploy different batch files for each OS.

I have just used the Win98 CD to boot up with, and then run my BIOS utility off of a floppy.

Sure beats waiting around for more Voodoo drivers...

Well, you would have to use a floppy for winnt.sif (for a single machine, unattend.txt, unattend.bat, and unattend.udf for multiple machines) anyway so you can edit the file as needed. Just use "setupmgr.exe" from DEPLOY.CAB in the SUPPORT\TOOLS directory on your Win2K CD. I use this for my home PCs, and just change the PC name when I set it up. The only other method I know of involves changing one of the files on the CD, but you get the file/info on changing the file when you are an Enterprise license user. Also, in the deploy.cab file there is a word doc defining unattended installations and what options you can use. I generally like having it blow away and reset the partition along with some other things in my file.

SMS 2.0 is Systems Management Server 2.0 from MS (www.microsoft.com/smsmgmt) and I don't think it would help you. It does a great many things though, so if you want to check it out follow the link.

Well, there are a few pieces I think you are missing in the DNS puzzle. Here's the breakdown: A. You have a domain name that is registered (hellbringer.com) B. When you register a domain name, the domain name service wants to know what your NAME SERVER IP(s) is. A name server is a DNS server, but it holds all relevant info about your domain (and, sometimes, many others as in the case of TZO.com). A name server is like a traffic cop; somebody on the net asks where HELLBRINGER.COM is, and that goes to a DNS server. Then, the DNS server looks up your NAME SERVER which has HELLBRINGER.COM's IP on it (it would also have stuff like mail.hellbringer.com, ftp.hellbringer.com, etc. if you register sub-domains as well). The IP info goes back to the client, and then it can connect to your HELLBRINGER.COM server. C. The average DNS server that you see is just a request hunter. It may not even know where microsoft.com is, but it can find the "traffic cop" (NAME SERVER) that does know and will bring the info back to you. Now, what TZO does, is they host name servers that get updated all the time by these little clients. That way, when a DNS server somewhere on the net wants to know where HELLBRINGER.COM is, it gets the request, and looks up the last IP that it was sent by the client on your computer. I hope this clears it up a little better.

Dynamic forwarding services kick a$$. I use TZO (www.tzo.com), and it works quite well. It's a client that will run as a service, and constantly updates the TZO name servers as to your current IP. It also works through routers (I use a Linksys router on my RoadRunner cable connection) without any issues. I have my own domain name with which I host my web/ftp servers along with 2 terminal servers, and MS Exchange 2K. All work fine.

Nevermind, I downloaded the SP again, and this time it worked. I think the other one had issues...

I have burned 3CDs now, and all of them prompt with "Please insert the disk labeled Service Pack 2 CD into Drive A:" at the blue screen stage of setup. Any ideas on this? I have been using what I *thought* was the appropriate disk label (W2PFPP_EN in this case) for the disk, but I don't know for sure anymore. Thanks.

I have to agree with Intlharvester, since I read about that a while ago (hence my option "A", since I don't feel that drivers are the responsibility of nVidia at all). The company bought out a competitor that was run poorly, and can now reap those benefits. They are not going to waste their time coding for hardware that they didn't purchase. Didn't nVidia pass on all the existing cards that were in inventory? If so, why bother supporting them? How many cards did 3DFX actually sell anyway? nVidia never claimed they would support these cards, so I don't see what the problem is. Hell, even the WickedGL mini-driver is starting to have a fee charged for it. There is no money in supporting 3DFX, so why bother? If MS and nVidia were here to make the world a better place and not make money, you would see ".ORG" and not ".COM" in their addresses.

I don't see how nVidia is evil since: A. You don't know for sure that nVidia restricted anything from MS. B. If I made decisions at nVidia, I would pull 3DFX drivers myself. Pulling the drivers would be one less thing to support. The 3DFX line is not making nVidia any money at the moment. Not in technology, and not in name recognition. Therefore, it stands to reason that it's not "pulling its own weight" with respect to development/support money. So, in either situation, I fail to see the reason for being mad at nVidia. 3DFX is dead, plain and simple. One day, members from the original crew may get together and start something else, but it wont be the same.

Have you tried restarting the print spooler on the server, or just rebooting the server? What service pack are you on? I have seen stalled print spoolers in NT before and sometimes restarting the service doesn't help. Once rebooted, the problem is gone.

http://www.practicallynetworked.com/sharing/app_port_list.htm http://www.iana.org/assignments/port-numbers Port 139 is part of the NetBIOS umbrella of ports, and you should be able to get rid of it if you unbind it from TCP/IP in your network settings. Hope this helps.

I was actually referring to this: Quote: Your cable modem will not act as a DHCP server for other machines on your network. The modem is capable of doing it, but your ISP only gives you one address, not a range of addresses. Which is incorrect, as an ISP is capable of giving a range of addresses (1,2,5, whatever) via the modem.

It's hard to say if you are vulnerable, but staying behind some sort of firewall/proxy will help. Personally, I think that enabling the guest account is the worst idea that I have ever seen here. So many people bash MS software for whatever security issue of the week, then you see suggestions to enable guest account. Will you be vulnerable? Always. Does enabling that God-awful guest account make you an easier target? Absolutely. However, staying behind that Linux box (I don't know how you have it configured) *should* help you out.

By default, when you setup any NT-based system it will create its own domain. So, you can use your existing logon for your Win2K box (or add another), and then have the Win9x box join that domain (in Network Properties). After that, when you bring up the Win9x box you will get a login prompt that you can enter the username/password combo that you have been using on your Win2K box and then they will see each other. You can also use TweakUI to automatically enter your username and password into the logon box on the Win9x PC.

Groovy.

Just thought I would pass this along, but I got an email from www.iisanswers.com about this tricky little doc from the NSA regarding IIS5. Bear in mind that a previously released version was only a draft copy, and that this one is the release version. http://www.iisanswers.com/iis_secure/SecureIIS5.zip

If you just give any of those programs a shot, you will probably find what you are looking for. Give it a few days though, and make sure to check out whatever tutorials they provide.

Try these: http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/planning/management/groupsteps.asp http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/howitworks/management/grouppolwp.asp

AD is Active Directory. It sounds like you should probably pick up a book on this subject and start from there. That way, you get a nice, clear picture of what is going on.

Which will leave a security hole big enough to drive a Mack truck through. If security is not an issue (as in the Win2K box does not connect to other networks-i.e. Internet) then go ahead. As for me, I would never, ever enable the guest account.