An NT 4.0 Performance Monitor Bug Fix; Several Win2K Fixes

NT 4.0 Perfmon Bug Fix
This one’s not a showstopper, but if you like accurate data, you might want to call Microsoft Support for the new Perfmon bug fix. Microsoft article Q269398 indicates that when you log data from multiple systems to one performance log file, the performance tool might display a zero for every 99th data sample for all counters. (The article notes that Performance Monitor always displays correct data for the first computer logged in the Perfmon log file.) Microsoft released the bug fix, a new version of perfmon.exe, August 28.

Win2K and NT 4.0 Last Logged On Username Differences
For security reasons, administrators often create a Windows NT 4.0 system policy that prevents the system from displaying the last logged on username in the logon dialog box. You can disable this feature in Windows 2000 as well, but because the two OSs store the setting in different registry locations, you'll experience problems applying this policy if you support a mix of Win2K and NT 4.0 in an NT 4.0 domain. To avoid problems, you must modify the registry on each Win2K system for which you want to disable the last logged on username display. Win2K stores this logon setting in the registry path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPoliciesSystem. The value entry is

DontDisplayLastUserName: REG_DWORD. When you set the entry to zero, Win2K displays the last username; when you set the entry to one, Win2K suppresses the username.

Because Win2K and NT 4.0 store the setting for the last logged on user in different registry locations, the NT 4.0 setting disappears when you upgrade to Win2K. You can reactivate the feature by modifying the local system’s policy. Start the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) and add the Group Policy snap-in. The MMC changes the Group Policy snap-in to the Local Computer Policy snap-in when you load it on a workstation or server that's not a domain controller. Go to the Security Options key (Windows Settings, Local Policies) and scroll down the right pane until you find "do not display last username in logon screen." Right-click this entry and select the Enable check box. Reboot the system to activate the change.

Many network administrators also use the System Policy Editor's (SPE's) Legal Notice Caption and Text feature to inform users that they need a valid account to log on. In NT 4.0, a legal notice consists of a small window that displays a caption and a short message (the legal notice text) that you compose. Win2K extends the text display area, so you can send out a much longer message. You define the legal notice caption and text in an NT 4.0 computer policy (Computer, Windows NT system, Logon). Once you replicate the policy to all domain controllers, the caption appears correctly on Win2K and NT 4.0 systems.

Tweak-UI Disables Quick Launch Toolbar
When you use Microsoft’s Tweak-UI toolbar to disable Internet Explorer (IE), Tweak-UI might disable the Quick Launch toolbar and/or inhibit the display of icons on the toolbar. Microsoft article Q273785 indicates that Tweak-UI typically sets the ClassicShell value to zero in the registry path

HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPoliciesExplorer. You can restore the Quick Launch toolbar and icons by deleting the ClassicShell entry. Log off and back on, and the toolbar will return.

Win2K Blue Screen
A bug in the Win2K redirector causes Win2K to crash and display the message, "Stop 0x0000001E ( C0000005, 80444028, 00000000, 00000018 ) KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED." Microsoft article Q264959 indicates that the system crashes because the redirector doesn't inform the Cache Manager when it extends a range of memory addresses. You must restart the crashed system; no workaround or bug fix is available.

Renaming a Removable Win2K Device Gives Everyone Access
When you change the drive letter associated with a CD-ROM drive or any other removable media device, a Win2K bug causes the OS to automatically create an administrative share for the newly renamed drive, and the share security gives Full Access to the Everyone group. According to Microsoft article Q267868, changing the drive back to its original drive letter doesn't eliminate this problem. If the access level on the renamed drive is a security issue on your network, call Microsoft Support for the bug fix, an update of srvsvc.dll released August 14.

Creating a Win2K ERD
Win2K replaces the familiar NT 4.0 Rdisk utility with an equivalent tool located on the Ntbackup utility's Tools menu. Because the Win2K registry is too large to fit on one disk, a Win2K Emergency Repair Disk (ERD) has limited utility. You can use an ERD, however, to inspect and repair the startup environment, verify Win2K system files and replace missing or damaged files, and inspect and repair the boot sector. Microsoft article Q231777 contains instructions for creating an ERD and links to other articles that explain the difference between the Win2K Recovery Console and the ERD.

Win2K How-To Documentation
I found two Microsoft articles that make scintillating bedtime reading. If you configure multiple Win2K systems, you might find the answers you need in either or both of the following documents.