Windows XP and 2000 Tips & Tricks UPDATE, May 5, 2003

Windows XP and 2000 Tips & Tricks UPDATE—brought to you by the Windows & .NET Magazine Network and the Windows 2000 FAQ site
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May 5, 2003—In this issue:

1. COMMENTARY

2. FAQS

3. ANNOUNCEMENT

4. CONTACT US

1. COMMENTARY
(contributed by John Savill, FAQ Editor, [email protected])

This week, I describe the Windows XP PowerToys Fun Pack, where to obtain the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools, and how to create a DVD from an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) image file under Windows Server 2003. I also explain how to add or remove the Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) Enhanced Security Configuration feature in Windows 2003, how to add a site to a trusted zone in IE, and how to view or modify the content of IE zones.

Around the industry, Microsoft officially released Windows 2003 last week, and many large companies have already begun implementing the new server OS. Several independent reports, as well as reports from Microsoft, show that Windows 2003 demonstrates definite performance improvements over its predecessors. Microsoft has also released a document regarding securing wireless LANs, which is available for download at Microsoft's Web site. Finally, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) Mosiac Web browser celebrates its 10th birthday.

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2. FAQS

Q. What's the Windows XP PowerToys Fun Pack?

A. On April 22, 2003, Microsoft released the XP PowerToys Fun Pack. The Fun Pack contains the Windows XP Desktop Wallpaper Changer PowerToy, which changes your desktop wallpaper automatically at a set interval, and the Windows XP Video Screen Saver PowerToy, which lets you play videos as your computer screen saver. You can download the complete Fun Pack or the individual PowerToys for free at the Microsoft Web site.

After you install the PowerToys, XP adds the Desktop Wallpaper Changer PowerToy to the Startup group so that the PowerToy will launch each time you log on. To configure the Desktop Wallpaper Changer PowerToy, right-click the PowerToy icon in the taskbar notification area, then select Configure Wallpaper.

You configure the Video Screen Saver PowerToy just as you'd configure a regular screen saver. The PowerToy is labeled "XP Video Powertoy" under the Screen Saver tab of the Display properties. After you select the PowerToy from the screen-saver list, click Settings to select the video clip and configure the screen-saver settings. The Video Screen Saver PowerToy options let you loop the video forever, mute the video's audio track, and select the playback size and speed. You can select multiple video files by selecting a playlist instead of a specific movie file.

If you attempt to install the XP PowerToys Fun Pack and either PowerToy isn't available on your system, you might need to install the PowerToys individually by selecting the relevant installer (go to Start, Programs, Windows XP Creativity Fun Packs, then click Windows XP PowerToys).

Q. Where can I obtain the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools?

A. The Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools are available for free at the Microsoft Web site. The tools download as one self-installing executable file called rktools.exe. After you download the tools, simply execute the file to begin the installation procedure and follow the instructions to complete the installation.

You can install the tools on all flavors of Windows 2003 and Windows XP. The package includes several utilities and scripts to speed common tasks. For example, the Dumpdsmos command-line utility uses the core Ntdsutil program to list all Flexible Single-Master Operation (FSMO) roles held by the domain controller (DC) that you pass as the argument. For example, to identify all the FSMO roles held by a DC named thunder, I type

C:>dumpfsmos thunder

to produce the following output:

ntdsutil: rolesfsmo maintenance: Connectionsserver connections: Connect to server thunderBinding to thunder ...Connected to thunder using credentials of locally logged on user.server connections: Quitfsmo maintenance: select Operation Targetselect operation target: List roles for connected serverServer "thunder" knows about 5 rolesSchema - CN=NTDSSettings,CN=thunder,CN=Servers,CN=Default-First-Site-Name,CN=Sites,CN=Configuration,DC=dev,DC=uk,DC=savilltech,DC=comDomain - CN=NTDSSettings,CN=thunder,CN=Servers,CN=Default-First-Site-Name,CN=Sites,CN=Configuration,DC=dev,DC=uk,DC=savilltech,DC=comPDC - CN=NTDSSettings,CN=thunder,CN=Servers,CN=Default-First-Site-Name,CN=Sites,CN=Configuration,DC=dev,DC=uk,DC=savilltech,DC=comRID - CN=NTDSSettings,CN=thunder,CN=Servers,CN=Default-First-Site-Name,CN=Sites,CN=Configuration,DC=dev,DC=uk,DC=savilltech,DC=comInfrastructure - CN=NTDSSettings,CN=thunder,CN=Servers,CN=Default-First-Site-Name,CN=Sites,CN=Configuration,DC=dev,DC=uk,DC=savilltech,DC=comselect operation target: Quitfsmo maintenance: Quitntdsutil: QuitDisconnecting from thunder...

To view all the tools available in the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools, review the resource kit Help file.

Q. How can I create a DVD from an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) image file under Windows Server 2003?

A. The Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools include the Dvdburn command-line utility, which you can use to burn an image to DVD. The syntax is

dvdburn : 

For example, when I type

C:>dvdburn e: d:tempwxpsp1plus.iso

the utility displays the following information and writes the image to DVD:

Media type: DVD-RPreparing media...| 25.6% done/ 45.2% done- 68.9% done 89.3% done- 100.0% done Finished WritingWaiting for drive to finalize disc (this may take up to 30 minutes).................Success: Finalizing media took 1325 secondsBurn successful!

Q. How can I add or remove the Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) Enhanced Security Configuration feature in Windows Server 2003?

A. Windows 2003 introduces the IE Enhanced Security Configuration and enables this configuration by default for all users and groups. This locked-down configuration protects your computer from exposure on the Web by initially blocking connections to most Web sites, although you can add any Web sites that you regularly visit as part of a trusted zone. By default, the IE Enhanced Security Configuration considers the Windows Update and Error Reporting Web sites, and not much else, as trusted sites.

To add or remove the IE Enhanced Security Configuration feature from Windows 2003, perform the following steps:

Q. How can I add a site to a trusted zone in the Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) Enhanced Security Configuration feature in Windows Server 2003?

A. To add a site to a trusted zone in the IE Enhanced Security Configuration, perform the following steps:

Alternatively, if you're already viewing a Web site (e.g., a local intranet site), you can go to the IE File menu and select "Add this site to - Trusted Sites Zone" to add the site to the trusted zone.

Q. How can I view or modify the content of my Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) zones?

A. To access the IE zones, perform the following steps:

3. ANNOUNCEMENT
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4. CONTACT US
Here's how to reach us with your comments and questions:

(please mention the newsletter name in the subject line)

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