microsoft windows xp power pack

Microsoft

Windows XP

Power Pack

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Microsoft

Windows XP

Power PackJames Michael Stewart,Stu Sjouwerman, et al

201 West 103rd Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46290

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Microsoft Windows XP Power PackCopyright 2003 by Que

All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, storedin a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic,mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without writtenpermission from the publisher. No patent liability is assumed withrespect to the use of the information contained herein.Althoughevery precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, thepublisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omis-sions. Nor is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the useof the information contained herein.

International Standard Book Number: 0-7897-2858-3

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2002110538

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing:April 2003

06 05 04 03 4 3 2 1

TrademarksAll terms mentioned in this book that are known to be trademarksor service marks have been appropriately capitalized. Que cannotattest to the accuracy of this information. Use of a term in this bookshould not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark orservice mark.

Windows XP is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

Warning and DisclaimerEvery effort has been made to make this book as complete and asaccurate as possible, but no warranty or fitness is implied.The infor-mation provided is on an as is basis.The authors and the publishershall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entitywith respect to any loss or damages arising from the informationcontained in this book or from the use of the CD or programsaccompanying it.

PublisherPaul Boger

Associate PublisherGreg Wiegand

Executive EditorRick Kughen

Acquisitions EditorRick Kughen

Development EditorTodd Brakke

Managing EditorCharlotte Clapp

Project EditorsCarol BowersSheila SchroederElizabeth Finney

Copy EditorLisa M. Lord

IndexerRebecca Salerno

ProofreaderJessica McCarty

Technical EditorBrian Fulk

Team CoordinatorSharry Lee Gregory

Multimedia DeveloperDan Scherf

Interior DesignerAnne Jones

Cover DesignerAnne Jones

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Contents At a Glance

Introduction 1

I Windows XP Overview

1 Introducing Windows XP 7

2 Common Windows XP Administrative Utilities 25

3 The Windows XP Layout 47

II Nuts and Bolts of Windows XP

4 Windows XP and Hardware 77

5 Keeping Windows XP Current 99

6 Windows XP Installation and Upgrade Secrets 119

7 Booting Windows XP 129

8 Windows XP Control Panel Utilities 151

9 Introducing the Windows XP Registry 179

10 Editing the Windows XP Registry 199

11 Important Registry Keys and Values 229

III Networking Windows XP

12 Windows XP Networking Explored and Explained 249

13 Windows XP Networking Models 261

14 Windows XP and TCP/IP 273

15 Windows XP and Legacy Protocols 307

16 Windows XP Meets Unix 331

17 Remote Access 353

18 Windows XP and Terminal Services 393

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IV Managing Your Windows XP System(s)

19 Windows XP and Storage 413

20 Windows XP Backup and More 437

21 Scripting and Automation 457

22 Tuning and Optimizing Windows XP 485

23 Managing Applications 509

24 Printing with Windows XP 543

25 Managing System Security 565

26 Managing System Recovery 599

V Windows XP Goes Online: Internet orIntranet Access

27 Windows XP as a Web Client 621

28 Windows XP as an E-mail Client 643

29 Internet Services from Windows XP Professional 669

30 Sharing an Internet Connection 685

31 Maintaining Internet Security 695

VI Appendixes

A Windows XP Information Resources, Online andOff 709

B Key Windows XP Utilities: Native, Resource Kit,and Downloads 719

C Windows XP Command-Line Reference 737

D Windows XP Performance Monitor Objects andCounters 789

E Windows XP Keyboard Commands and Shortcuts 819

F CD-ROM Contents 833

Index 837

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Table of Contents

Introduction 1

I Windows XP Overview

1 Introducing Windows XP 7Windows XP History and Description 7

Birth of Network Operating Systems 7Windows NT 9Windows 2000 10Windows XP 11

Windows XP Architecture 12Kernel Mode 13User Mode 19

Differences Between Windows XP Professional, XPHome Edition, and XP 64-bit Edition 21The Many Advantages of Windows XP 23Upgrading to Windows XP 23For More Information 24

2 Common Windows XP AdministrativeUtilities 25What Administration Really Means 25Administering a Windows XP System 26The Control Panel and Administrative Tools 26The Microsoft Management Console:WhereManagement Begins 29Computer Management 31

Event Viewer 32Shared Folders 34Local Users and Groups 35Performance Logs and Alerts 37Disk Management 39Services 40

System Information 42Backup 43

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Third-Party Administrative Utilities 45For More Information 46

3 The Windows XP Layout 47Windows XP Directory Structures 47

System Partition 48Boot Partition 49

Key Windows XP Executables 55Main Windows Root Folder 55Windows\System32 56

The Windows XP Distribution CD 71Living with Service Packs and Hotfixes 71For More Information 72

II Nuts and Bolts of Windows XP

4 Windows XP and Hardware 77Plug and Play in Windows XP 77Universal Plug and Play 79Documenting a Current Hardware Configuration 80

Planning to Add New Hardware 82Checking Minimum Requirements andRecommendations 84Working with Video Devices 86Working with Audio Devices 88Working with Storage Devices 89Working with Common Peripherals and NewInterfaces 89

Windows XP on a Laptop 93Multiple CPUs and Windows XP 94Troubleshooting Hardware Problems on Windows XP 94Third-Party Hardware Troubleshooting Utilities 96For More Information 97

5 Keeping Windows XP Current 99What Happens When You Install a Program? 99Building Windows XP Systems with Room to Grow 102

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Windows Update 105The Automatic Updates Tab of System Properties 106Controlling Access to Windows Update 109Living with Service Packs and Hotfixes 110The Joys of Slipstreaming 111

Keeping Up with Changing Hardware, Software, andMore 112Advanced Device Driver, DLL, and System FileManagement 113

Device Driver Management 113The Driver Signing Options Dialog Box 114Windows File Protection 117

For More Information 117

6 Windows XP Installation and UpgradeSecrets 119Maintaining User Profiles and Configurations 119Windows Activation 122Dos and Donts of Upgrading 123Performing a Smooth Migration 125Automating Windows XP Installation 125Troubleshooting Installations 126

Windows Crashes During Installation 126My Existing OS Wont Recognize the CD-ROMDrive 127Windows XP Fails to Boot After Installation127


7 Booting Windows XP 129System and Boot Partitions 129The Windows XP Boot Sequence 130

Power On Self Test (POST) 131Initializing the System 132Booting the System 133Detecting the Hardware 139

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Kernel Loading and Initialization 139Logging in to the System 139

Building Boot Disks 139Boot Disk Requirements 140Creating the Boot Disk 140Advanced Options Menu 141

Multi-Boot System Implementation 142Troubleshooting Boot Problems 143

Ntldr Boot Errors 143Ntdetect.com Boot Errors 144Ntoskrnl.exe Boot Errors 144Bootsect.dos Boot Errors 144Boot.ini Errors 145

Third-Party Troubleshooting Tools 145Turn Off, Restart, Hibernate, Standby 146Logging Off and Fast User Switching 148For More Information 149

8 Windows XP Control Panel Utilities 151The History of the Registry 151A New Way to View Control Panel 152The Control Panel Applets 156

Accessibility Options 156Add Hardware 157Add or Remove Programs 158Administrative Tools 160Date and Time 161Display 162Folder Options 163Fonts 164Game Controllers 164Internet Options 164Keyboard 164Mouse 165Network Connections 165Phone and Modem Options 165Power Options 165

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Printers and Faxes 166Regional and Language Options 166Scanners and Cameras 166Scheduled Tasks 166Sounds and Audio Devices 167Speech 167System 167Taskbar and Start Menu 175User Accounts 177


9 Introducing the Windows XP Registry 179Registry Overview 179

Registry Differences 181Windows XP Registry Hives 182

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE 183HKEY_USERS 184HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG 184HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT 184HKEY_CURRENT_USER 185

Windows XP Registry Files and Structures 185HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE 185

Security Information in the Registry 192Securing the Computer 192Alternative Ways to Secure the Registry 194

How Programs Interact with the Registry 195Group Policies 196For More Information 198

10 Editing the Windows XP Registry 199Backing Up the Registry 200Editing the Registry 201

File: Import and Export 202File: Load Hive and Unload Hive 202File: Connect Network Registry and DisconnectNetwork Registry 202Edit: New 203Edit: Permissions 203

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Working with Existing Keys and Values 203The HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT Key 203The HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG Key 204The HKEY_USERS Key 204The HKEY_CURRENT_USER Key 204The HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE Key 204

Data Formats of the Registry 206Binary or REG_BINARY 206DWORD or REG_DWORD 206Multi-String or REG_MULTI_SZ 207Expandable String or REG_EXPAND_SZ 207String or REG_SZ 207

Importing and Exporting Registry Data 208Importing Registry Files 208Exporting Registry Files 208

Avoiding Registry Problems 209Last Known Good Configuration 209Registry Security 210

Troubleshooting the Registry 210Uninstalling Applications 211Third-Party Registry Editing and Management Utilities212

REG 213REGINI.EXE 217REGFIND.EXE 221REGBACK.EXE 222REGDMP.EXE 224COMPREG.EXE 224REGREST.EXE 225RegMon 226


11 Important Registry Keys and Values 229Basic Console Operations 229

Windows XP Logon and Logoff Controls 231Windows XP Shell 235Mouse and Keyboard Settings 238Device Keys and Controls 238

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Important Registry Miscellany 239Windows XP Filename Completion 240Restore an Explorer-Like Task Manager 240Remove Nag Prompt for File Location 240Disable Source Routing 240Disable 8.3 Name Creation in NTFS 240Ghosted Connections 241Manage the Mapped Network Drive Drop-Down List 241Move Shares from One Windows XP Server toAnother 241Change the Default Spool Folder 241Prevent Printer Popups and Event Logging 242Activate a Screensaver from an Icon 242Control Which Errors Pop Up in Windows XP242Create Separate Processes for the Desktop, theTaskbar, and Windows XP Explorer 243Prevent Windows XP from Running anUnknown Job at Logon 243Connect to Microsofts FTP Site as a Drive 244

Shareware and Freeware Tools 244Hyena 244HideIT! 245WinInfo 245


III Networking Windows XP

12 Windows XP Networking Explored andExplained 249The Redirector 249The Workstation Service 250The Server Service 251Protocol Stacks 252Multiple Universal Naming Convention Provider 254Multi-Protocol Router 255

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Administrative Shares 255Protocols and Network Bindings 256Binding Optimization 257Changing the Binding Order 258


13 Windows XP Networking Models 261Workgroup Networks 261Domain-Based Networks 263Understanding Groups 264

Administrators 266Backup Operators 266Guests 266HelpServicesGroup 267Network Configuration Operators 267Remote Desktop Users 267Power Users 267Replicator 267Users 267

Understanding the Security ID 267Troubleshooting Techniques for Networks 268

IP Address Connection Works, but NameResolution Fails 268TCP/IP Connection to Remote Host Hangs 269NET Commands 270


14 Windows XP and TCP/IP 273TCP/IP Explored and Explained 274Understanding IP Addressing, Subnet Masks,and Domain Names 277

IP Address Classes 278IP Subnets and Subnet Masks 280IP Addresses on Your Network 283Working with Network Address Translation(NAT) 283

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Routers, Proxies, and Firewalls 284Static and Dynamic Routers 285Proxies and Firewalls 286

DNS,WINS,Active Directory, and Other IP Matters 287

Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDNs) andDNS 288NetBIOS Names and WINS 289Static Name Resolution Techniques 291

Using the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) 291Installing and Configuring TCP/IP 294

IP Settings 294DNS 295WINS 296Options 297

Managing Internet Connections 297Creating and Managing a Dial-Up Connection 298Creating and Managing an Always-OnConnection 298

Managing IP Information Services 299Managing IP-Based E-mail 299Managing Your Web Browser 300Serving the Web from Windows XP Professional 301FTP Utilities 301

Troubleshooting IP 302The IP Connectivity Drill 303


15 Windows XP and Legacy Protocols 307NetBEUI and Windows XP 307

NetBIOS Versus NetBEUI 308When to Use NetBEUI 309Managing NetBEUI 311Mixing and Matching Protocols 312

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Keeping NetBEUI Secure 312Troubleshooting NetBEUI 312Performance Monitoring and NetBEUI 313

Integrating Windows XP with Older Versions ofNetWare 314

What Is the NWLink Protocol? 314Installing NWLink 315CSNW Versus GSNW 316Microsoft Clients Versus Novell Clients 322

Windows Services for NetWare Version 5 324File Migration Utility (FMU) 324Microsoft Directory Synchronization Services(MSDSS) 325File and Print Services for NetWare (FPNW) 325

The Realities of Integrating NetWare and Windows2000 325

Dealing with Duplicate Names 326Dealing with Supervisor Rights 326Dealing with File Migration 326Best Practices for Migration 328Mechanics of NDS Versus Active Directory 328

Troubleshooting NetWare-to-Windows XPConnections (and Vice Versa) 329Performance Tuning When Using Multiple Protocols 329For More Information 330

16 Windows XP Meets Unix 331Windows XP Strengths and Weaknesses 331Unix Strengths and Weaknesses 334Hybrid Environments 335

The OSI Model 336IEEE 802 Networking Specifications 336Name Resolution 338DHCP 340

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Windows 2000 Server and Unix Integration 341The Realities of Integrating Unix and Windows2000 342Microsoft Windows 2000 Services for Unix 342Server Message Block (SMB) 343Common Internet File System (CIFS) 343Samba 344Other SMB/CIFS Implementations 344Unix File Services Running on Windows XP 345

The Domain Name System 346Unix DNS 348Windows 2000 Server DDNS 349Troubleshooting Windows XP-to-UnixConnections (and Vice Versa) 350


17 Remote Access 353Connecting to Remote Systems 353Working with Modems, ISDN, Cable Modems, andMore 354

Working with Analog Modems 355WinModems 356Using Unsupported Modems with Windows XP 357Working with ISDN 360Setting Up ISDN 362Troubleshooting Remote Access Problems withModems 365Using HyperTerminal to Test ModemConnections 366Special Information for Business Users 368Working with Cable Modems 368DSL and ADSL 369Looking to the Future: Satellite Technology 371The Dark Horse Entry:Wireless 372

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Broadband:Which One Should You Choose? 373Security Issues for Always-On Connections 373

Connecting Broadband to Your Computer 374Troubleshooting Broadband Connections 376

Remote Access Versus Remote Control 377Remote Desktop 379Remote Assistance 382

Problems with Remote Assistance 385Working Across Virtual Private Networks 385

Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) 385Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) 386Which VPN Protocol Should You Use? 387Tools for Diagnosing VPN Problems 388

Third-Party DUN, RAS, and VPN Utilities andHardware 389For More Information 390

18 Windows XP and Terminal Services 393Terminal Services History and Overview 393

What Is Terminal Services Good For? 395Terminal Services Advantages and Disadvantages 396

Working with Terminal Services 398Terminal Services in Application Mode 398Terminal Services in Remote AdministrationMode 399

Using Windows XP as a Terminal Services Client 399Using the Remote Desktop Connection Client 400Remote Desktop Client Configuration Options 402Setting Up Windows XP as a RemoteManagement Workstation 406

Troubleshooting Terminal Services 408Third-Party Terminal Services and Related Utilities 409For More Information 410

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IV Managing Your Windows XP System(s)

19 Windows XP and Storage 413FAT and NTFS 413Installing, Configuring, and Partitioning Disks 415

Basic and Dynamic Disks 416File Management Utilities 418

Disk Quotas 420Data Management 421

Cleaning Up Files and Folders 421Compressing Files and Folders 422Defragmenting Disks 423Repairing, Replacing, or Moving Data 425Working with Removable Media 425

Encrypting File System (EFS) 428Encrypting Files and Folders 429Recovery Agents 432

Third-Party Storage Management Utilities 433Troubleshooting Disk Drives/Storage Subsystems 433For More Information 435

20 Windows XP Backup and More 437The Windows XP Built-in Backup Utility 437

Backup Options 439Backing Up Data 442Restoring Data 442

Other Backup Alternatives 443Iomega Zip Drives and the Like 443Iomega Jaz Drives and Similar Products 443CD-Recordable (CD-R) 444CD-Rewritable (CD-RW) 444DVD-Recordable 444Duplicate Drives 444

Choosing an Appropriate Backup Device 445Backup Space 445Backup Window 446

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Downtime 447Affordability 447

Rules for Backing Up 448Temporary Files 448The Page File 448

Managing Backup Media 449Son 449Father-Son 450Grandfather-Father-Son 451

Benefits of Offsite Storage 452Third-Party Backup Tools and Utilities 452

Ultrabac 453ARCserve 2000 453Backup Exec 453Networker 454Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) 454Other Backup Tools and Utilities 454

Troubleshooting Backup Problems 455Hardware Problems 455Software Configuration 456Permissions 456


21 Scripting and Automation 457The Computer Can Take Care of Itself 457Windows Batch Files and Commands 458Windows Script Host 462

Working with CScript 463Working with WScript 464Working with the WSH 464

AT and the Scheduled Tasks Service 468AT 468The Scheduled Tasks Applet 470SCHTASKS 473

Scripting and Automation Scenarios 475Adding a Shortcut to a Users Desktop 475Modifying the Registry 475

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Windows Remote Installation Service (RIS) 476Troubleshooting Scripting and Automation 478

Troubleshooting Problems with Scripts 479Troubleshooting Problems with the ScheduledTasks Applet 479

Third-Party Scripting and Automation Alternatives481

Arcana Scheduler 481Macro Scheduler 481OpalisRobot 481Opalis JobEngine 482ScriptLogic 482Perl 482Python 482


22 Tuning and Optimizing Windows XP 485Establishing a Baseline 485Working with System Monitor 487

Graph View 488The Report View 490Histogram 491The Alerts Container 491Counter and Trace Logs 492Trace Logs 494

Characterizing System Performance 494Key Objects and Counters 495

Memory Object 496Processor Object 498Disk Objects 499Network Objects 500

Identifying Bottlenecks 501Troubleshooting System Monitor Problems 502

Process Time Starvation 502Process and Thread IDs 502Zero Measurements and Logging 502Resource Kit Performance Tools 503

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Other Windows XP Performance Tools 503Task Manager 504Windows XP System Information 504Virtual Memory Management 505

Third-Party Performance Monitoring Tools 505Monitoring Tools 507Third-Party Network Monitoring Tools 508For More Information 508

23 Managing Applications 509Understanding Foreground Priority 509Managing Application Priority 511Using the Run and Run As Commands 513

Using the Run Command to the Max 514Using the Run As Command 516

Environment Subsystems 517Win32 517VDMs 518Win16 (WOW) 525

Making the Most of Virtual Memory 526The Virtual Memory Manager 527Optimizing the Page File 527

Using Compatibility Mode 533Using the Program Compatibility Wizard 534Configuring Program Compatibility Manually 536The Application Compatibility Toolkit 537

Third-Party Application Management Tools 537Troubleshooting Application Difficulties 537

MS-DOS Applications 538General Applications 538

Using DualView to Display the Desktop Across TwoMonitors 539For More Information 542

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24 Printing with Windows XP 543The Windows XP Print Architecture 543Adding Printers 548

Locally Attached Printers 548Plug and Play Printers 550Network-Shared Printers 550Network-Attached Printers 552

Updating Print Drivers and Determining Who NeedsThem 556Printer Pooling 556Managing Printer Users, Queues, and Priorities 557

Server Management 557Print Job Management 558Web-Based Print Management 560

Third-Party Print Management Tools 560Troubleshooting Printing Problems 561For More Information 563

25 Managing System Security 565Windows XP Security Components 565Windows 2000 Security Overview 567

The Windows XP Security Model 567Certificate Services 570Encrypting File System (EFS) 571TCP/IP Security Enhancements 573Using Policies to Manage Windows XP Security 574

Establishing a Windows XP Security Regimen 576Managing Users and Groups 576Establishing Secure Account Controls 577Avoiding Internal Attacks 580Applying Service Packs and Hotfixes 582Securing Well-Known Windows XPVulnerabilities 585Auditing as a Security Tool 587

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Security Is a Way of Life 589Exposure to Theft 590Raising Users Security Consciousness 590Viruses Threaten Security,Too 591

Interesting Security Tools 592Security Tweaks for ACLs, Events, and theRegistry 592Resource Kit Nonpareils 593Security Scanners 594


26 Managing System Recovery 599Some Preventive Techniques 600Repairing a Damaged Windows XP System 601

Common Recovery Tools 603Boot Options 608Preparation for Recovery 610Working with the Recovery Console 611

Using IntelliMirror 613User Data Management 614Software Management 615User Settings and Desktop EnvironmentManagement 616Remote Installation Services 616

Third-Party System Recovery Tools 618For More Information 618

V Windows XP Goes Online: Internet orIntranet Access

27 Windows XP as a Web Client 621Types of Internet Access 621

Dial-Up Connection 621DSL 622Cable 623

Selecting an ISP 623

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Equipment to Use 623Modem Installation 624Using the New Connection Wizard 624

Internet Explorer 6.x 627Customizing the Toolbar 628Selecting Your Options 628

Exploring Other Browsers (Netscape, Opera) 632Exploring Netscape 633Exploring Opera 633

Working Outside the Web with E-mail, Newsgroups,and FTP 633

Using E-mail Programs 633Using Newsgroups 635File Transfer Protocol 637

The Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK) 638Troubleshooting Internet or Intranet Access Problems 639

Verify Your Network Connection 639Check the Hardware 640Check the Configuration 640Check the Network 641Dont Forget the Modem 641


28 Windows XP as an E-mail Client 643Outlook Express and Outlook 2002 643

Outlook Express 644Outlook 2002 646

Configuring E-mail Access 647Multiuser Support 648Address Books 648Directory Services 649Customizing and Configuring Your Messages 650

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Managing and Searching E-mail Folders 651Encryption 652Searching E-mail Folders in Outlook Express 652Searching E-mail Folders in Outlook 2002 653

Filtering E-mail 653Filtering E-mail in Outlook Express 653Filtering E-mail in Outlook 2002 655

Creating Calendars 657Handling Appointments 659Building Outlook Applications 660Integrating Newsgroups and Mailing Lists 661

Newsgroups 662Mailing Lists 663

Troubleshooting E-mail Problems 664E-mail Messages Stay in the Outbox 664General Problems Sending E-mail 665Corrupted E-mail 665

Third-Party E-mail Tools 665For More Information 667

29 Internet Services from Windows XPProfessional 669IIS Limitations and Options in Windows XP 669Internet Information Services (IIS) 670

IIS Management 671Setting Up a Web Site with IIS 671

Creating and Managing Content 673Creating Virtual Directories 673Managing Virtual Directories 674Managing the Default Web Site 675

Tools for Web Success 676Microsoft Office 676FrontPage 677Visual Studio 677Site Builder 677

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Static Versus Dynamic Content 677Push Versus Pull Publishing 678Personal Web Site Tools 679Third-Party Personal Web Tools 680Troubleshooting Personal Web Sites 681For More Information 682

30 Sharing an Internet Connection 685Using XP as a NAT Proxy 685

What Are the Benefits of NAT? 686Internet Connection Sharing 686

Enabling ICS 687Configuring the ICS Client 690

Tradeoffs of Sharing a Link 691Controlling the Flow of Data 692

Creating a Service Definition 693For More Information 694

31 Maintaining Internet Security 695Using Firewalls 695Internet Connection Firewall 697

ICS and ICF 698Enabling ICF 698

Third-Party Firewall Options 700Controlling the Flow of Data 700Watching Out for Violations and Vulnerabilities 702

Watching Out for Attacks 703Closing Down Common Access Points 704Testing for Weakness 705


VI Appendixes

A Windows XP Information Resources, Onlineand Off 709Internet Resources 709Listservers 713

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Newsletters 714Publications 714Training 717

B Key Windows XP Utilities: Native, ResourceKit, and Downloads 719Windows XP Support Tools 719

Active Directory Tools 720Computer Management Tools 720Deployment Tools 721File and Disk Tools 721Network Management Tools 722Performance Tools 722Security Tools 722

Windows 2000 Professional Resource Kit 723Administration Scripts 723Debugging Utilities 725Deployment Utilities 726Desktop Management Utilities 726File and Disk Utilities 727Management Utilities 728Network Utilities 730Performance Tuning Utilities 732Scripting Utilities 733Security Utilities 733System Diagnostic Utilities 734

Microsoft Power Toys for Windows XP 735

C Windows XP Command-Line Reference 737APPEND 738ASSOC 739AT 739ATTRIB 740BOOTCFG 740CACLS 741CALL 742

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CHDIR (CD) 743CHKDSK 743CHKNTFS 744CIPHER 744CMD 745COLOR 746COMP 747COMPACT 747CONVERT 748COPY 748DATE 749DEFRAG 750DEL/ERASE 750DIR 751DISKCOMP 752DISKCOPY 753DISKPART 753DOSKEY 753DRIVERQUERY 754ECHO 755ENDLOCAL/SETLOCAL 755EXPAND 756FC 756FIND 757FORMAT 757FSUTIL 759GOTO 759GPRESULT 760GPUPDATE 760HOSTNAME 761IF 761LABEL 762MKDIR (MD) 762MORE 762MOUNTVOL 763MOVE 764

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MSINFO32 764NET 765

NET ACCOUNTS 765NET COMPUTER 766NET CONTINUE 766NET GROUP 766NET HELPMSG 767NET LOCALGROUP 767NET PAUSE 768NET PRINT 768NET SEND 768NET SESSION 769NET SHARE 769NET START 770NET STOP 770NET TIME 770NET USE 771NET USER 772NET VIEW 773

PATH 774PAUSE 774PRINT 774RENAME (REN) 775REPLACE 775REXEC 776RMDIR (RD) 776RSH 777RUNAS 777SCHTASKS 778SECEDIT 778SET 779SETLOCAL/ENDLOCAL 780SFC 781SHIFT 781SORT 781START 782

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SUBST 783SYSTEMINFO 784TIME 784TITLE 785TREE 785TYPE 785VER 785WINMSD 786XCOPY 786

D Windows XP Performance Monitor Objectsand Counters 789Hard Disk Counters 789Enabling Storage Counters 789

Identifying Storage Device Bottlenecks 790Disk Bottleneck Removal 791

CPU Counters 792Identifying CPU Bottlenecks 792CPU Bottleneck Removal 793

Memory Counters 793Identifying Memory Bottlenecks 793Memory Bottleneck Removal 794

Network Counters 795Identifying Network Bottlenecks 795Network Bottleneck Removal 796

Miscellaneous Counters 797Performance Counters for Detailed Diagnosis 798

Cache Counters 799LogicalDisk Counters 801Memory Counters 802NBT Counters 805Objects Counters 806Paging File Counters 806PhysicalDisk Counters 806Process Counters 808Processor Counters 809

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Redirector Counters 810Server Counters 814System Counters 816

E Windows XP Keyboard Commands andShortcuts 819Remote Desktop Connection 828Keyboard Accessibility Features 829

F CD-ROM Contents 833AutoPilot 833Double-Take 833iHateSpam 834OpalisRobot 834PestPatrol 834Retina 834ScriptLogic 834Security Explorer 835StorageCeNTral 835Sunbelt Remote Administrator 835Ultrabac 835UpdateEXPERT 836

Index 837

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About the AuthorStu Sjouwerman is the founder of Sunbelt Software, an international companyproviding best-of-breed system, network, and security management software to keepmission-critical Windows NT/2000 and Server 2003 servers up and running. He is theEditor-in-Chief of W2Knews, which goes to 500,000 subscribers every week, and thepublisher of WinXPnews, which has well over two million readers.

James Michael Stewart is a partner of ITinfo Pros, Inc., a technology-focused writingand training organization. His work focuses on Windows NT/2000/XP/.NET, certifica-tion, and security. Michael has coauthored numerous books on Microsoft and securitycertification and administration and written articles for several print and online publica-tions. He has developed and presented certification courseware and training materials. Heis also a regular speaker at Networld+Interop.With nearly 20 years of experience withcomputers, he has also been an MCSE since 1997 and holds the following certifications:CISSP,TICSA, CIW SA, CCNA, MCSE NT and W2K, and iNet+.You can reachMichael by e-mail at [email protected].

Lee Scales, BSEE, MCSE + I, has been working in the computer industry for morethan 20 years, including stints with IBM and Microsoft. He is currently employed as asenior consultant with a Microsoft Gold Partner, where his duties include designingWindows networks. He has also been developing courseware for the Windows platformfor several years and has been a contributing author to titles in the Exam Cram and theWindows Power Toolkit series.

Gale Pomper has 20 years of experience installing and designing computer networksand holds CompTIAs newest network certification, Server+. She is a certified trainerand engineer for both Microsoft (MCT, MCSE) and Novell (CNI, CNE). For the past10 years she has been an independent consultant providing network design services andcustomized training. In 2001 she filmed a Web-based course on Windows 2000 Server.She is the principal author for an exam guide for Windows 2000 Active Directory pub-lished in December 2001. She has recently returned from an 8-month sailing hiatus inthe Bahamas with her family.

Diana Huggins, B.Ed., MCSE, MCT,A+, Server+, and I-NET+, is an independenttrainer and technical writer who has coauthored several certification books on WindowsServer 2003,Windows 2000 Directory Services Design, ISA Server, Server+, andWindows XP Professional.

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Dawn Rader has been a networking writer, editor, and researcher since 1993. Beforejoining LANWrights, Inc. in 1995, she was the Managing Editor at NetWare Solutionsmagazine. Since joining LANWrights full time, she has performed duties as ManagingEditor on more than 85 books. She is a contributing author on numerous titles, includ-ing the Windows 2000 Power Toolkit (New Riders), Windows 2000 Server Exam Prep(Certification Insider Press), Computer Telephony (AP Professional), The PC NetworkingHandbook (AP Professional), and the Networking Essentials Exam Cram (CertificationInsider Press).

Todd Klindt is an Infrastructure Associate for EDS PLM Solutions. His day-to-dayactivities include the care and feeding of Windows servers. He spends his free time ridinghis motorcycle, trying to do martial arts, and spending time with his new bride, Jill.

00 0789728583 fm 3/13/03 5:11 PM Page xxxiv

AcknowledgementsStu Sjouwerman: Grateful acknowledgements to Tom Shinder, the editor ofWinXPnews.Without his help, this would never have been possible.

James Michael Stewart: Thanks to Ed Tittel and LANWrights, Inc. for allowing me tocontribute to this book.Working with you guys is and always has been a pleasure.Thanks to my editor, Dawn Rader, for putting up with bad grammar and sporadic sub-mission schedules.To my parents, Dave and Sue, thanks for your love and consistent sup-port.To my sister, Sharon, and nephew,Wesley, its great having family like you to spendtime with.To Mark, you are the best friend a guy could ever have.To HERbert andQuin, it is all because of you I have to dust every week to keep the cat hair from con-gealing into world-dominating fuzz monsters.And finally, as always, to ElvisI just gotyour latest release of the top-30 #1 hits. I cant believe you are still making so much cashfrom beyond! By the way, can I get a cut?

Lee Scales: Thanks to our editor, Dawn Rader, a fellow Scorpio, for all her hard workin keeping us focused. In addition, thanks to my son, Davin, who was very understandingon those days when Daddy couldnt come out and play.

Gale Pomper: I would like to thank Dawn Rader for all her kindness and support dur-ing this project. I appreciate the reformatting and graphics work you were doing for meon the side. I would also like to express my appreciation to all the editorial staff atLANWrights for the behind-the-scenes work that we know takes place but never haveto see.Thank you, Ed Tittel, for allowing me to join your team again.As always, I owethe most gratitude to my family, Gardner and Clara, for taking all those deadlines instride.

Diana Huggins: First and foremost, Id like to thank my agent, David Fugate ofWaterside Productions, and Dawn Rader of LANWrights, Inc. for bringing me on boardthis project.A special thanks as well to my family and friends for being so supportive.

Dawn Rader: As always, thanks to my friends and coworkers at LANWrights: Ed Tittel,Michael Stewart, Mary Burmeister, Kim Lindros, and Bill BrogdenI couldnt ask for abetter bunch of folks to work with. I would also like to thank John Davidson for stick-ing by me and for being a mighty, mighty good man.

Todd Klindt: I would to thank the LANWrights team for including me in this book,especially Dawn Rader and her Job-like patience. I would also like to thank my newbride, Jill, for her patience and support.

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We Want to Hear from YouAs the reader of this book, you are our most important critic and commentator.We valueyour opinion and want to know what were doing right, what we could do better, whatareas youd like to see us publish in, and any other words of wisdom youre willing topass our way.

As an associate publisher for Que, I welcome your comments.You can e-mail or writeme directly to let me know what you did or didnt like about this bookas well as whatwe can do to make our books better.

Please note that I cannot help you with technical problems related to the topic of thisbook.We do have a User Services group, however, where I will forward specific techni-cal questions related to the book.

When you write, please be sure to include this books title and author as well as yourname, e-mail address, and phone number. I will carefully review your comments andshare them with the author and editors who worked on the book.

E-mail: [email protected]

Mail: Greg WiegandQue201 West 103rd StreetIndianapolis, IN 46290 USA

For more information about this book or another Que title, visit our Web site atwww.quepublishing.com.Type the ISBN (excluding hyphens) or the title of a bookin the Search field to find the page youre looking for.

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Introduction

WELCOME TO THE Windows XP Power Pack! This book is designed to help WindowsXP users at all levelsfrom novice to expertfunction like a power user on steroids!Weve designed this book to be easy to read, easy to use, and a great source of tips, tools,and techniques to enhance your Windows XP user experience.Windows XP features arealso introduced and explained.

Who This Book Is ForIf you use the Windows XP operating system, this book is for you. By and large, thisbook is not aimed at the types of problems and topics that network or system adminis-trators must solve on a day-to-day basis (but even those folks should find it useful).

Rather, this book is aimed at helping those people who must work with Windows XPto get their work done on a day-in, day-out basis.Therefore, it provides informationabout what Windows XP is, how it works, and how to get the best use out of yoursystem.

But whether youre a seasoned professional or a newbie, youll find a lot to help youimprove your productivity in this book, including the following:

n Lots of useful overview and orientation informationn How to manage Windows XP hardware and softwaren The most useful Windows XP Registry tweaksn Networking tips and tricksn Making the most of the Windows XP file systems and utilitiesn Scripting and automating everyday tasksn Tweaking and tuning Windows XP for maximum performancen And (as the saying goes) much, much more!

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2 Introduction

Whats in This BookEach chapter is designed to cover some topic or technique related to Windows XP, fromthe fundamentals of its architecture to the ins and outs of remote access, printing, proto-cols, and system security.Throughout the book, youll find pointers to built-in WindowsXP software, Resource Kit utilities, new Windows features, and third-party softwareproducts designed to improve your ability to get your work done.Whenever possible andpractical, youll find copies of this software on the CD that accompanies this book.

To help organize the voluminous material this book contains, its organized into sixparts, described in the following sections.

Part I:Windows XP OverviewThis part of the book contains three chapters, which together provide an overview ofWindows XP capabilities and a roadmap to its visible contents. Chapter 1,IntroducingWindows XP, covers a bit of Windows history, compares various versions of thesoftware, and discusses upgrade and migration issues. Chapter 2,Common Windows XPAdministrative Utilities, covers the common administrative utilities in Windows XP,and Chapter 3,The Windows XP Layout, provides a roadmap to various Windows XP directory structures, files, and elements and explains how to live with the routine of change so common on modern systems.

Part II: Nuts and Bolts of Windows XPThis part of the book contains eight chapters.The first chapter, Chapter 4,WindowsXP and Hardware, covers how Windows XP interacts with hardware. Chapter 5,Keeping Windows XP Current, discusses how to keep Windows XP current. Chapter6,Windows XP Installation and Upgrade Secrets, covers how to install and upgrade toWindows XP. Chapter 7,Booting Windows XP, explains how Windows XP boots itselfduring startup. Chapter 8,Windows XP Control Panel Utilities, examines how to con-trol and configure your system with the Windows XP Control Panel utilities.Theremaining three chapters focus on that all-important Windows data repositorytheRegistry. Chapter 9,Introducing the Windows XP Registry, includes an overview of itsstructures and functions. Chapter 10,Editing the Windows XP Registry, discusses safeediting techniques to manipulate Registry contents. Chapter 11,Important RegistryKeys and Values, contains a slew of details about important Registry keys and values.

Part III: Networking Windows XPThis part of the book contains seven chapters, beginning with a Windows XP network-ing overview in Chapter 12,Windows XP Networking Explored and Explained.Chapter 13,Windows XP Networking Models, follows with a discussion of Windows

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3Introduction

XP networking. Chapter 14,Windows XP and TCP/IP, provides coverage of TCP/IP.Chapter 15,Windows XP and Legacy Protocols, explores working with legacy proto-cols, such as NetBIOS and NWLink. In Chapter 16,Windows XP Meets Unix, issuesrelated to Windows XP support for Unix interoperability are explored. Chapter 17,Remote Access, covers the Remote Access Service. Chapter 18,Windows XP andTerminal Services, discusses the use of a Windows XP system as a Terminal Servicesclient.

Part IV: Managing Your Windows XP System(s)This part of the book contains eight chapters, starting with coverage of Windows XP filesystems and storage capabilities in Chapter 19,Windows XP and Storage. Chapter 20,Windows XP Backup and More, covers Windows XP backup hardware, software, andrecommended backup methods and techniques. Chapter 21,Scripting andAutomation, includes a discussion of the Windows XP built-in scripting facilities, alongwith batch files and commands.We also provide information on third-party automationalternatives to help you turn routine work over to your computer instead of performingtasks repeatedly by hand. Chapter 22,Tuning and Optimizing Windows XP, coverstuning and optimizing Windows XP, and Chapter 23,Managing Applications, explainswhats involved in managing newer 32-bit applications along with older 16-bit applica-tions in a Windows XP environment. Chapter 24,Printing with Windows XP, surveysprinting in the Windows XP environment, starting with an overview of the WindowsXP print architecture and moving on to installing, configuring, and updating printers ona Windows XP system. Chapter 25,Managing System Security, discusses Windows XPsecurity, documents well-known holes and backdoors in the system, and provides sometips and tricks on how to close them for good! Part IV concludes with Chapter 26,Managing System Recovery, which provides a discussion of system recovery of a failedWindows XP system.The chapter also introduces you to the built-in Recovery Consoleand IntelliMirror and lists some third-party tools.

Part V:Windows XP Goes Online: Internet or Intranet AccessThe five chapters in this part cover the software components in Windows XP that sup-port Internet or intranet access and services. Chapter 27,Windows XP as a WebClient, documents the Windows XP capabilities as a Web client, primarily usingInternet Explorer. Chapter 28,Windows XP as an E-mail Client, switches its focus tothe Windows XP capabilities as an e-mail client, primarily using Outlook 2000. Chapter29,Internet Services from Windows XP Professional, explores the Windows XP Web-serving software, namely Internet Information Services (IIS). Chapter 30,Sharing anInternet Connection, looks into the use of Windows XP as a NAT proxy to share anInternet connection with a network.To round out coverage of Internet utilities andservices, Chapter 31,Maintaining Internet Security, covers essential Internet securityissues so that you can keep your environment safe from malicious people and software.

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4 Introduction

Part VI: AppendixesThese six elements cover a variety of useful explanatory and supplementary informationrelated to Windows XP.Appendix A,Windows XP Information Resources, Online andOff, offers a concise but useful compendium of Windows XP information resources,both online and off.Appendix B,Key Windows XP Utilities: Native, Resource Kit, andDownloads, provides an overview of some built-in and Resource Kit utilities.AppendixC,Windows XP Command-Line Reference, supplies a command-line reference, andAppendix D,Windows XP Performance Monitor Objects and Counters, has a com-prehensive list of Performance Monitor objects and counters.Appendix E,WindowsXP Keyboard Commands and Shortcuts, describes important Windows XP keyboardcommands, shortcuts, and equivalents. Finally, in Appendix F,CD-ROM Contents,youll find a list of all the software and information included on the CD-ROM thataccompanies this book.

All in all, theres a tremendous amount of information, along with a great collection oftools and utilities to help you use what you learn.

How to Use This BookYou can use this book in any of a variety of ways. If youre a relative newcomer toWindows XP, youll probably benefit from reading the book in sequence because manyof the later chapters reference information in earlier chapters. If youre an intermediateuser, look for chapters on topics of interest and tackle them as you please. Just rememberthat for some topicssuch as the Windows XP Registry covered in Chapters 9, 10, and11you might have to read more than one chapter to cover the necessary ground. Ifyoure a Windows XP expert, we recommend that you use the books Index and Table ofContents to point your reading to more precise topics. But no matter what your level ofexpertise is, we also suggest that you investigate the contents of the CD that accompa-nies the book, simply because youll find so much good stuff there.

So roll up your sleeves, dust off your favorite reading chair, and get down to it.Also,please feel free to share your comments with the authors. Send your comments, sugges-tions, questions, and criticisms to [email protected]; well do our best to answer all e-mail within 24 hours (by noon the next working day if sent on weekends or holidays).Thanks for buying our book, and enjoy your reading experience!

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IWindows XP Overview

1 Introducing Windows XP

2 Common Windows XP Administrative Utilities

3 The Windows XP Layout

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02 0789728583 Part1 3/13/03 5:26 PM Page 6

1Introducing Windows XP

ON OCTOBER 25, 2001, MICROSOFT OFFICIALLY launched Windows XP, the newestmember of the Windows family.With this release of Windows, Microsoft realized a goalthat had been eluding it for years: combining the home and corporate versions ofWindows, using the same architecture.Windows XP unites the friendliness of its ances-tors in the Windows family line with the robustness of its corporate heritage.This com-bination makes Windows XP the best desktop OS yet.

Windows XP History and DescriptionIn its earliest form, Microsoft Windows was simply a desktop operating system built as anextension to MS-DOS that provided a graphical interface for users to access applications.Over the years, and through many iterations,Windows has grown to encompass the latestand greatest computing advances. In recent years, with the rise of the Internet and busi-ness networks,Windows has embraced networking technology for sharing resources.

Birth of Network Operating SystemsThese days, computer networks are a normal part of any advanced computer usersworking environment. Most of us use a computer network every day without thinkingtwice about it. But computer networks have not been around very long.

Before the wonderful features of todays networks were so broadly available, most usersrelied on a networking technology known as sneakernet. Sneakernet was a great inven-tion. It almost never failed, was easy to upgrade, and was extremely scalable. Every timeyou added a computer system to your organization, that machine automatically joinedyour current network and configured itself.

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8 Chapter 1 Introducing Windows XP

In case you havent already guessed, using sneakernet meant copying the information youneeded to transfer to a floppy disk, taking that floppy disk to the destination computer,and copying the information onto that system.The key mode of transportation for thisnetwork was its users shoes, hence the name sneakernet.To some users, sneakernet is afond memory; to others, its a relic of a bygone era; to a surprising number, its still busi-ness as usual.

The first commercially available local area network (LAN) was the Attached ResourceComputer Network (ARCNet) architecture from Datapoint Corporation, which wasdeveloped in 1977. It was based on a scheme of file and application processors, servers,and clients. More than 500,000 ARCNet systems were in use before Ethernet (a LANtechnology developed by the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center) was a commercialproduct.

The first commercially successful network operating system was Novells NetWare,which hit the streets in 1984. Because of its success, many believe that Novell was thefirst company to offer a system that allowed users to share information and resourcesacross a network. Not to be outdone, Microsoft released its first version of a networkoperating system in early 1985 under the name MS-NET. MS-NET worked hand-in-hand with MS-DOS 3.10.When MS-NET was released, Microsoft was still a relativelysmall company and did not choose to market the software aggressively. It did, however,establish a relationship with IBM that helped move the MS-NET networking softwareinto the marketplace. In 1985, there were really only two mainstream options for organi-zations that wanted to implement PC-based networks: MS-NET and NetWare.Unfortunately for Microsoft, although MS-NET was inexpensive and easy to imple-ment, NetWare outperformed MS-NET and offered corporate users more powerful fileand print services. In this first networking encounter between the two companies,Novell carried the day.

Microsoft realized that it needed to close the gap between its products and Novells if itwas to succeed in the networking market.To accomplish this goal, the company designeda second-generation network operating system based on the OS/2 1.0 operating system.This network operating system, called Microsoft LAN Manager, involved extensive col-laboration with the networking giant 3Com Corporation.

As with MS-NET, Microsoft did not intend to market LAN Manager directly, but hopedthat IBM and other partners would sell the product.Although IBM did sell LANManager, some of those other partners (including Compaq Computer Corporation)decided not to participate in this venture.This prompted Microsoft to enter the market-place directly to market and sell LAN Manager.

Unfortunately, NetWare had a head start on LAN Manager and continued to outper-form it.When Microsoft released LAN Manager version 2, however, the new productfurther closed the gap, in terms of both market acceptance and adoption, between thetwo network operating systems.

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9Windows XP History and Description

Windows NTWhile working on the OS/2 operating system with IBM, Microsoft was developing anew operating system intended to replace LAN Manager.This new operating system wasinitially designed to run on OS/2. It was Microsofts intention to develop a processor-independent operating system. Processor independence would allow this new operatingsystem to venture into the Unix world and permit it to run on processorssuch asRISCthat, until then, could run only Unix.

In October 1988, Microsoft hired David Cutler, an operating system guru who hadworked for Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) and helped that company develop itsVMS operating system. Microsoft decided to call this project its New Technologyoperating system.

The products original name was to be OS/2 NT. In early 1990, however, Microsoftdecided that it would base the interface for this operating system on its current desktopoperating system, Microsoft Windows 3.0, instead of on OS/2. Because Windows 3.0gained a large installed base rather quickly, we can only speculate that Microsoft wantedto leverage the success of that product with the introduction of the new product.

In early 1991, IBM learned that Microsoft was planning to base its new operating systemon Windows rather than on OS/2, and withdrew from its development. IBM continuedto work on the OS/2 operating system for several years and ultimately developed theOS/2 Warp product family before giving up and switching its focus to Windows NT in1997 and 1998.

Finally, on July 17, 1993, Microsoft released LAN Manager NT, calling it Windows NTAdvanced Server.Although this product was a new operating system, Microsoft marketedit as version 3.1.Two powerful factors helped motivate this strategy:

n Microsoft was already marketing its Microsoft Windows 3.1 desktop operating sys-tem and felt that users might not adopt Windows NT Advanced Server if it had a1.0 version number.

n NetWare was already on version 3.11 and Microsofts marketing wizards believedthat people might assume Windows NT Advanced Server was an inferior product,solely because of its lower version number.

Whats in a Name?There is some discussion as to how the name New Technology was derived. Some think that Microsoft

(and David Cutler) decided on the name and called it Windows NT (WNT). Others believe that the initials

WNT were decided on first, and that Windows New Technology was derived from the initials. Heres one

explanation we find interesting, be it gospel truth or imaginative fiction.

Anyone who has seen the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey cannot help but remember that one of the main

characters in the movie is named HAL. Many people wonder where that name came from. But if you take

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each letter in that name and increase its letter value by one, you will see immediately where the name

comes fromthat is, the next letter after H is I, the next letter after A is B, and the next letter after L is M.

You can apply the same technique to the Windows NT characters, WNT. The next letters in this sequence areVMS, which is, of course, the operating system that David Cutler worked on when he was with DEC.Conspiracy theorists are welcome to find significance here! We simply find it amusing.

In September 1994, Microsoft released a new version of the Windows NT operating sys-tem and dropped the word Advanced from its name (although this is not the last youwill see of Windows Advanced Server).This new version, called Microsoft Windows NT3.5, was a tuned-up version of 3.1.Windows NT 3.5 required less memory, includedbuilt-in NetWare and TCP/IP connectivity, and was separated into Server andWorkstation versions.Windows NT 3.5 also included new administration tools thatcould be run from a Microsoft Windows for Workgroups (version 3.11) system.

In 1995, Microsoft released Microsoft Windows NT 3.51, which fixed some bugs fromthe previous version and added new functions, including file and directory compressionand support for new hardware.Version 3.51 also represented a turning point forWindows NT sales and marketplace acceptance and marked the beginning of its incredi-ble ramp up to the market share that Windows NT/2000/XP enjoys today.

In August 1996, Microsoft released Windows NT 4.0. Many people at that time believedit was simply version 3.51 with the Windows 95 interface grafted on. Nothing could befurther from the truth:Windows NT 4.0 added significant functionality to its predeces-sor, including Domain Name System (DNS) services, and its graphics-handling architec-ture was modified to increase overall performance.

Windows 2000In the nearly four years between the release of Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000,Microsoft released six different service packs.With the service packs, it adopted the prac-tice of releasing not only bug fixes but also product enhancements. Each subsequentservice pack included new administrative utilities and enhancements to existing tools andservices.As you will see, administrators did not adopt this practice as Microsoft hadhoped they would (because installing 60+MB service packs every several months onmany systems became a nightmare for many administrators).

On February 17, 2000, Microsoft released Windows 2000. More than one billion dollarswas spent on developing and testing the new operating system. Unlike previous releases,Microsoft decided not to succumb to external pressure to release the operating system,opting instead to wait until it felt the OS was stable and relatively bug free and coulddeliver what Microsoft had been promising for years.

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11Windows XP History and Description

Windows 2000 added major new functionality, including the following features:

n Active Directory (a data structure that allows any network object to be tracked)n Full Plug and Play supportn COM+, a major improvement to Microsofts Component Object Modeln File system improvements, including disk quotas, encryption, and defragmentation

capabilitiesn Improved security using certificates, IP Security (IPSec), and Kerberosn FAT32 file system support (FAT stands for file allocation table)n More flexible upgrade paths from previous operating systems

With Windows 2000, the term workstation is no longer used. Instead, the following nameshave been assigned to the different flavors of Windows:

n Windows 2000 Professional. Equivalent to Windows NT Workstation.n Windows 2000 Server. Equivalent to Windows NT Server.n Windows 2000 Advanced Server. Equivalent to Windows NT Server

Enterprise edition.

Microsoft also created a new category of the server operating system, called Windows2000 Datacenter Server.This was Microsofts high-end server product, which supportedup to 32 processors simultaneously in a system with 64GB of RAM.

Windows XPOctober 25, 2001 was the release date for Microsofts most ambitious desktop OS todate,Windows XP. Microsoft chose the letters XP to stand for eXPerience.With WindowsXP, Microsoft is not just selling an OS and applications; it is selling an entire experience.Windows XP started its existence as a project code-named Whistler. It merged the homeline of Windows 95, 98, and Me and the corporate line of Windows, NT, and 2000.Theinternal version of Windows XP is NT 5.1, which suggests it is a point upgrade toWindows 2000, or NT 5.The following upgraded features are included with Windows XP:

n New Luna skinnable interfacen Faster boot timesn Internet Connection Firewalln Support for burning CDsn Support for 64-bit Intel Itanium processors

Windows XP came out in three flavors:Windows XP Professional,Windows XP HomeEdition, and Windows XP 64-bit Edition.Windows XP Professional corresponds to

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Windows 2000 Professional, and Windows XP Home Edition corresponds to Windows98 and Windows Me. Microsoft has not yet released a corresponding server OS;Windows .NET Server is currently slated for release in Q1 of 2003.

You can learn more about the Windows XP product line by visiting the Web sites listedat the end of this chapter in For More Information.

Windows XP ArchitectureTo understand how and why Windows XP operates the way it does, you must under-stand its architecture. Knowing the lay of the land also allows you to understand whysome programs run better than others on Windows XP and why some applications donot run at all.This section covers the Windows XP architecture in detail.

Windows XP is designed around a modular architecture, which means it incorporates acollection of separate and distinct components.This separation of components allows theoperating system to be ported from one processor platform to another without requiringits developers to rewrite or recompile the entire system (although currently,WindowsXP is available only for the Intel platform, including 64-bit Itanium processors, whereasWindows NT was available for the Intel, PowerPC, Mips, and Alpha platforms).

The Windows XP architecture can be divided into two main components: the Kernelmode and the User mode (see Figure 1.1).

NoteIf you understand the Windows 2000 architecture, you are well on your way to grasping Windows XP archi-

tecture because they are nearly identical.

The Kernel mode represents a highly privileged mode of system operation. Componentsthat run in this mode have direct access to all hardware components and memory on thesystem.This includes all address spaces for all User mode processes.

The User mode, on the other hand, is a less privileged mode that has no direct access tohardware.This is why you cannot run a lot of older software, such as games, that requiredirect access to hardware on Windows XP. Components that run in this mode can accessonly whatever address space is assigned to them. But to access even their own assignedaddress space, components must request access from the Kernel mode.When the Usermode requires access to system resources, it uses operating system application program-ming interfaces (APIs) to request them and waits for those APIs to grant (or deny) theirrequests.

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13Windows XP Architecture

Figure 1.1 The Windows XP architecture.

These two modes can be described as being similar to a bank. Everything behind thebank counter represents the Kernel mode, whereas everything in front of the counterrepresents the User mode.Assuming that you have an account at a bank, you can accessany information about your account, but you must ask a bank teller to access the bankssystems on your behalf. Just being a client of the bank does not give you access to anyother clients information.Tellers operate in Kernel mode.They can access informationabout any bank client, handle funds for deposits and withdrawals, and transfer fundsbetween accounts.The following sections explain the Kernel and User modes in moredetail.

Kernel ModeThe primary component of the Kernel mode is the Windows XP Executive.TheExecutive is further divided into four major components:

n Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL)n Device drivers

WOWEXEC

NTVDM

Win32

NTVDM

Win32

POSIXApplication

POSIXSubsystem

Win32Application

Win32Subsystem

OS/2Application

OS/2Subsystem

SecuritySubsystem

Executive Services

I/OManager

SecurityReferenceMonitor

MemoryManager

Plug andPlay

Manager

PowerManager

ProcessManager

IPCManager

WindowManager

Object Manager

Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL)

Device Drivers Microkernel

Hardware

FileSystems

GraphicsDeviceDrivers

User ModeKernel Mode

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n Microkerneln Executive services

It is important that you understand these four components, what they enable WindowsXP to accomplish, and how they communicate with one another.

Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL)

The Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) is the component that makes Windows XP atruly portable operating system. By portable, we do not mean that it runs on a laptopcomputer. Being portable means that it can be easily translated, or ported, to operate ona variety of processor platforms.

In fact, the HAL is simply a library of routines that enables Windows XP services toaccess and manipulate a systems primary hardware component: its central processing unit(CPU).Windows XP is also capable of operating on systems with more than one CPU,again by invoking a special version of the HAL and the Microkernel. Microsoft providesthe library of routines that makes up the HAL; this library is installed during theWindows XP setup process.The HAL lies at the bottom of the Windows XP Executivebetween the physical hardware and the operating system.

The HAL gets its name from the fact that it hides, or abstracts, the physical characteris-tics of the processor platform behind a standard interface.This standard interface allowsthe Windows XP Executive to make calls to the hardware without any need to knowthe specifics of the hardware it is addressing.The Executive simply makes a call, and theHAL translates it to match the characteristics of whatever hardware is in use and thenpasses this information to that hardware.

The HAL allows the same operating system to run different processor platforms withouthaving to be completely recompiled.Thats because the HAL for the Intel x86 CPUfamily is different from the HAL for other processors, but all HALs share a commoninterface to the rest of the Windows XP Executive; therefore, the rest of the system canremain oblivious to CPU differences.

As previously mentioned, the HAL is installed during the setup process. It is rare thatyou will need to change the HAL, but such modification is required in some cases. Forexample, if a dual-processorcapable system had only one processor when Windows XPProfessional was first installed and a second processor was added later, changing from theuniprocessor HAL to the multiprocessor HAL would be necessary.

Device Drivers

Simply put, the device drivers are the bits of the operating system that allow theExecutive services to communicate with the hardware, or devices, installed on the

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system.They are the same device drivers that are normally installed when adding orchanging a hardware component.

When a device driver is added, it simply acts as the interface between the Windows XPsystem and the hardware device.This interface enables multiple devices to be added tothe system without having to teach each application how to use the device.

Microkernel

The Microkernel is the heart and soul of Windows XP. It lies just above the HAL andoperates in close cooperation with the HAL.The Microkernel schedules all threadsathread is a unit of processor executionin the system and takes care of all interrupts andexceptions.The Microkernel really starts to earn its keep in multiple-processor systems.In such systems, the Microkernel schedules and synchronizes activity between all avail-able processors.

The Microkernel operates like a dispatcher at a trucking office. Its up to the dispatcherto ensure that all truckers are kept busy. If one trucker is constantly working while oth-ers sit idle, the organization suffers.The same is true with a multiple-processor system. Ifa single processor is utilized while others stay idle, the systems resources are not beingused to their maximum potential.

When threads are ready to be executed by the processor, the Microkernel schedulesthem based on their dynamic priority, a numerical value that ranges from 1 to 31.Thisnumber indicates the importance of a thread: 1 is the lowest importance and 31 is thehighest.Threads with the highest priority assigned always run first on the processor.Thisis true even if a thread with a lower priority must be interrupted so that the higher-priority thread can run.

When a process is executed, it is assigned a priority. Normally, this priority remainsconstant unless one of two things happen:

n An administrator increases the priority of the process by using Windows TaskManager (as shown in Figure 1.2).

n The Process Manager modifies the process priority level up or down by two levelsto improve process performance or restrict it.

Under Windows XP, most user applications are assigned Normal priority (set between 6and 10), as shown in Figure 1.2. User mode priorities generally occur in the range of 1to 15; Kernel mode priorities generally occur in the range of 16 to 31.Among otherthings, this means that User mode execution invariably takes a back seat to Kernel modeexecution.The priorities for Windows XP are listed in Table 1.1.

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Figure 1.2 Modifying the process execution priority.

Table 1.1 Windows XP Thread Priorities

Priority Priority Level Thread Priority

1 Idle Idle

2 Idle Lowest

3 Idle Below normal

4 Idle Normal

5 Idle Above normal

6 Idle/Normal Highest/lowest

7 Normal Below normal

8 Normal Normal

9 Normal Above normal

10 Normal Highest

11 High Lowest

12 High Below normal

13 High Normal

14 High Above normal

15 High Highest/time critical

16 Real-Time Idle

22 Real-Time Lowest

23 Real-Time Below normal

24 Real-Time Normal

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25 Real-Time Above normal

26 Real-Time Highest

31 Real-Time Time critical

Note: 31 is the highest priority, whereas 1 is the lowest.

NoteSetting an applications priority too high can render your system unusable for the remainder of that session

because it could bring certain critical system processes to a halt. In addition, these settings affect only the

current session. When you reboot the computer, the system default settings are restored.

You can use several tools to modify an applications priority.The tool that you shoulduse most often to control priority settings is Windows Task Manager.To modify an appli-cations priorityin this case, explorer.exefollow these steps:

1. To run Windows Task Manager, press Ctrl+Alt+Delete.Alternatively, you canright-click on the taskbar and choose Task Manager from the pop-up menu orpress Shift+Ctrl+Esc.

2. Click the Processes tab, shown in Figure 1.3.

Table 1.1 Continued

Priority Priority Level Thread Priority

Figure 1.3 You can halt processes or alter process priority through the Processes tab in Task Manager.

3. Select the process whose priority you want to change, and then right-click itsentry in the list. (In this case, it appears as explorer.exe.)

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4. Click Set Priority on the shortcut menu, and then choose the priority.You canselect Realtime, High,AboveNormal, Normal, BelowNormal, or Low. (Realtime isavailable only if you log on with administrative privileges.)

Windows XP Executive Services

The Windows XP Executive Services are really a collection of services that can beinvoked by any operating system component.These services include the following:

n Object Manager. This component handles all objects in the Windows XP sys-tem, including their creation, management, and deletion. Because every aspect ofWindows XP is considered an object, the Object Manager handles all actions per-formed on the system.

n I/O Manager. This provides a consistent interface for the majority of I/O opera-tions on a Windows XP computer.

n Security Reference Monitor. This fields all requests for system objects orresources from other Windows XP processes, regardless of whether they are inUser or Kernel mode.

n Memory Manager. This maps virtual addresses on a processs 4GB addressspace2GB for the processs use and 2GB for system use.Windows XP 64-bitEdition supports 16 terabytes of memory8TB for User mode and 8TB forKernel mode.

n Plug and Play Manager. This controls all Plug and Play capabilities on the sys-tem, including device detection, installation, and management.

n Power Manager. This controls all of Windows XP power management capabili-ties.

n Process Manager. This creates and deletes processes, tracks process and threadobjects, and provides services for creating processes and threads.

n Interprocess Communication (IPC) Manager. This component is responsiblefor all communication between clients and servers on the network.

n Window Manager. This handles user interaction with the Windows XP GUI,moving and resizing windows, selecting icons, and moving the cursor.

n File Systems. This component controls all the file systems supported by WindowsXP, including FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, Compact Disc File System (CDFS),and Universal Disk Format (UDF) 2.01.

n Graphics Device Drivers. This supplies the necessary software that permits theoperating system to communicate with hardware.

Situated just above these service groups are the System Services, which act as the inter-face between User and Kernel mode components.

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User ModeWhen Microsoft created the Windows NT operating system, it knew that the only waythe computer and networking market would embrace the operating system was if a largesoftware base existed.The company had two primary options it could adopt: It couldwork with independent software vendors (ISVs) to build applications for release with theoperating system, or it could make Windows NT as compatible with previous operatingsystems as possible.

For obvious reasons, Microsoft chose both options. It encouraged developers to buildnative, 32-bit multithreaded applications that could take full advantage of Windows NT,but it also chose to support as much backward-compatibility with 16-bit Windows andDOS applications as possible.The same is true with Windows XP.Although WindowsXP is a major upgrade to Windows NT and 2000, it is still backward-compatible withthese versions, and most applications run on Windows XP as well as (if not better than)on Windows NT or 2000.

Microsoft accomplished its goal of supporting modern 32-bit applications alongside lega-cy 16-bit applications by creating User mode components named environment subsystems.These components enable different applications to run seamlessly on the same desktop.In fact,Windows XP can run multiple instances of applications that are written for thefollowing operating systems:

n MS-DOSn Windows 3.xn Win32

Because these subsystems emulate different operating systems, they allow Windows XPto support a variety of runtime environments.You might notice that unlike its predeces-sors,Windows XP no longer supports OS/2 or POSIX subsystems. If you need Unixsupport in Windows XP, you can purchase Windows Services for Unix, which includesthe Internix subsystem. For additional information, go to the Windows Services for UnixWeb site at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/sfu/default.asp.

One of the best features of this model is that each of these subsystems runs in its ownplayground.Therefore, each application runs in its own space on the system.This sepa-ration protects each subsystem from being shut down as a result of a misbehaving appli-cation in another subsystem.Think of placing four toddlers in a single playground withone toy. How long before an all-out fight breaks out? This fighting problem is solved byplacing each toddler in a separate area with his or her own toy.

For applications written for older Microsoft operating systems (such as MS-DOS andWindows 3.x),Windows XP creates what is known as a Virtual DOS Machine (VDM).Windows XP provides the following protected subsystems and VDMs:

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n MS-DOS NTVDMn Win16 NTVDMn Win32 subsystem

These systems are covered in detail in the following sections.

The MS-DOS Environment

When MS-DOS applications run on a Windows XP system, a process called theWindows NT Virtual DOS Machine (NTVDM) is created.The NTVDM is simply anapplication that emulates the environment an MS-DOS application would experienceon an Intel 486based system.

In native MS-DOS, you are limited to running one application at a time (excluding ter-minate-and-stay-resident, or TSR, applicationsthat is, applications that remain in mem-ory after they are opened).When MS-DOS applications run under Windows XP, thislimitation is eliminated because each MS-DOS application runs in its own separateNTVDM.As stated earlier, each NTVDM emulates an Intel 486based system.

Likewise, because each NTVDM is assigned its own virtual address space, whicheverMS-DOS application occupies that NTVDM believes it is running on its own Intel486based system.This protects each MS-DOS application from other such applications,while protecting the operating system from corruption or damage.

The number of NTVDMs that can run on a Windows XP system at any one time islimited only by the systems hardware. If this limit is ever reached, you can simplyupgrade the CPU or install more memory.

NoteAlthough each MS-DOS application runs in its own NTVDM, all active NTVDMs appear as NTVDM.EXE in Task

Manager.

The Win16 Environment

Like MS-DOS applications, 16-bit Windows applications also run in an NTVDM.Themain difference lies in the way these applications run. Because most 16-bit Windowsapplications are better behaved than MS-DOS applications (mostly because they aresomewhat aware of one another),Windows XP runs them within a single NTVDMprocess with a shared address space by default.Another name for the Win16 NTVDM isWOW, which is an acronym for Windows-on-Windows (or Win16-on-Win32).Whenyou run a Win16 application within an NTVDM, the WOWEXEC.EXE process showsup beneath that instance of NTVDM.EXE in Task Manager.

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21Differences Between Windows XP Professional, XP Home Edition, and XP 64-bit Edition

NoteWindows XP isolates programs from resources, such as the display adapter, printers, and COM ports.

Programs written to take direct control of such resources (for example, most DOS-based games) will not

work under Windows XP. Only programs that use standard APIs to communicate with resources will run

properly.

The Win32 Subsystem

The Win32 subsystem is the system Windows XP uses when it runs native applications.In Windows NT/2000, the Win32 subsystem also included windows, graphics, and mes-saging support.With Windows XP, these services have moved into the Kernel mode or,more specifically, Executive Services.

Win32 has two primary built-in functions:

n Console. The console simply gives Windows XP the capability to handle harderrors and shutdowns and to support text windows.

n Miscellaneous environment functions. The Miscellaneous environment func-tions support highly specialized functions that let 32-bit Windows XP applicationscreate and delete processes.

Differences Between Windows XP Professional,XP Home Edition, and XP 64-bit EditionWindows XP is Microsofts answer to the question of how to develop an operating sys-tem that serves the needs of both business and home desktop users.Windows XPProfessional is geared mostly toward organizations, whereas Windows XP Home Editionis geared toward individuals using their systems at home.With its heritage from Windows2000,Windows XP is considerably more stable than Windows 9x or Me (MillenniumEdition). It also outperforms both of these home operating systems on the same hard-ware.Windows XP also has an Application Compatibility program that enables it to runlegacy programs; this makes it more appealing to home users who want to play games oruse other non-work-related software.

Windows XP 64-bit Edition is geared to run on 64-bit Intel processors, such as theItanium. For now, these processors are found only in high-end workstations.Thesemachines are used for tasks such as computer-aided drafting (CAD), 3D graphics, andanimation.

Windows XP Home Edition is a subset of Windows XP Professional. So instead of com-paring the features of each, the following lists the features that are available only inWindows XP Professional:

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n Remote Desktop: Both Windows XP Pro and Windows XP Home Edition haveRemote Assistance capabilities, but only Windows XP Pro can also host a TerminalServices connection, allowing one inbound connection to the system.. For more information on the Remote Desktop feature, see Chapter 17,

Remote Access, p. 353.

n Multiprocessor support: Windows XP Home Edition supports only one proces-sor, whereas Windows XP Pro supports two.

n Automatic System Recovery (ASR): With Windows XP Professional, you canuse Backup to configure ASR to recover your machine in case of a catastrophicfailure.Windows XP Home Edition does not include a backup utility. It can, how-ever, be installed from the CD, if you can find it in the \valueadd folder. (ManyOEM versions of Windows do not have this folder.). For more information on ASR, see Chapter 26, Managing System

Recovery, p. 599.

n Dynamic Disks: Windows XP Home Edition supports only standard disks.Windows XP Pro, if not installed on a portable computer, supports DynamicDisks.. For more information on Dynamic Disks, see Chapter 19, Windows XP

and Storage, p. 413.

n Internet Information Services (IIS):You cannot install IIS on your computerwith Windows XP Home Edition. It is an option with Windows XP Pro.. For more information on IIS, see Chapter 29, Internet Services from

Windows XP Professional, p. 669.

n Encrypted File System (EFS): Windows XP Pro enables you to encrypt files,which renders them inaccessible except to the person who created them.. For more information on EFS, see Chapter 19, p. 413.

n Domain membership:You cannot join a Windows domain with Windows XPHome Edition.You can access Windows domain resources, but all Windows XPHome Edition computers are in the workgroup MSHOME, and this cannot bechanged.. For more information on Windows domains, see Chapter 13, Windows

XP Networking Models, p. 261.

Windows XP 64-bit Edition is feature-equivalent to Windows XP Professional.

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23Upgrading to Windows XP

The Many Advantages of Windows XPWe could easily dedicate entire chapters to all the new features and advantages ofWindows XP over Windows 2000. Instead, a list of some of the most important andsubstantial features are listed:

n Skinnable interface that supports Visual Stylesn Remote Desktopn Remote Assistancen Simultaneous user logonsn .NET integrationn Most recently used programs on Start menun Built-in CD burning n Faster boot timen Faster recovery from standby or hibernationn Support for digital cameras and scannersn Movie Maker video editorn Internet Connection Firewalln Built-in 802.11b supportn System restorationn Error reporting

Upgrading to Windows XPFortunately, the upgrade path from previous versions of Windows to Windows XP is rel-atively smooth.The Windows XP Setup program automatically detects any installed ver-sion of Windows. Upon finding an existing installation, the Windows XP Setup programgives you the options of upgrading the existing installation or installing a new copy.

If you choose to install a new copy of Windows XP, you must be aware of these issues:

n If you install Windows XP in the same directory as an existing installation, theWindows XP Setup program attempts to upgrade the system (even though youhave instructed it otherwise).

n If you choose to install Windows XP into a different directory, you will berequired to reinstall all applications, re-create all user and group accounts, andreconfigure all security information on the new system.This is because theWindows XP Setup program does not migrate any old settings when a new instal-lation is performed.

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If you choose to upgrade your current installation of Windows to Windows XP, it mustbe one of the Windows versions that is eligible for a Windows XP upgrade.Table 1.2lists the Windows versions that support upgrading to XP.

Table 1.2 Potential Windows XP Upgrade Paths

Current Version of Windows XP Professional XP Home Edition

Windows 98 and 98SE Yes Yes

Windows Me Yes Yes

Windows NT Workstation Yes No

Windows 2000 Professional Yes NoWindows XP Home Edition Yes No

The following is a list of operating systems that do not currently have an upgrade path;instead, a full installation of the operating system is required:

n MS-DOSn Windows 3.xn Windows 3.1xn Windows 95n Windows NT Server 3.51n Windows NT Server 4.0n Windows 2000 Server

For More InformationFor more information about the Windows XP architecture, consult the following refer-ences:

n Microsoft KnowledgeBase:A compilation of questions to and answers from theMicrosoft technical support operation. It is available online at http://support.microsoft.com, but is also included on CD with a TechNetsubscription.

n Microsoft Windows XP Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsXP.n TechNet:A monthly, CD-based technical subscription service from Microsoft that

includes most Resource Kits and related software, service packs, a KnowledgeBase,and a great deal more useful information. For information about obtaining a sub-scription and access to online information, you can register for the TechNetSubscription CD online at http://technet.microsoft.com.

n Windows XP Resource Kit. Microsoft Press, October, 2001. ISBN: 0735614857, oronline at http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsXP/pro/techinfo/productdoc/resourcekit.asp.

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2Common Windows XPAdministrative Utilities

MICROSOFT WINDOWS XP INCLUDES SEVERAL UTILITIES to aid system configurationand administration.These tools are accessed via the Administrative Tools folder in ControlPanel.This chapter takes a look at the Windows XP administrative tools as well as severalthird-party tools that can make maintaining a Windows XP system a little easier.

What Administration Really MeansKeeping a Windows network functioning encompasses many activities, ranging frommaintaining user accounts to configuring security, monitoring network traffic, correctingsystem problems, and enabling local and remote access.The number of tasks required tokeep a network up and running is directly related to its size and complexity. For exam-ple, all networks require managing user accounts, applying security controls, and backingup data. Other networks might also require remote access management, performancemonitoring, and error tracking.

Administration really means planning the network, mapping out configurations, imple-menting decisions, and monitoring network activity over time.As the network grows,you need to adjust various settings and configurations to support the changes.You mightfind that your original decisions sustain a growing network adequately, or you may needto make adjustments unexpectedly. In either case, vigilance is your primary asset for sus-taining the network.

To minimize downtime, you must anticipate problems that are likely to occur and cor-rect problems when they occur.Thats why its so important to learn your system, under-stand your tools, and plan. Otherwise, you could find yourself working over the weekendor pulling an all-nighter to get the network running smoothly again.

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26 Chapter 2 Commo

microsoft windows xp power pack

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