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Windows Tips & Tricks UPDATE--October 18, 2004

Windows Tips &amp Tricks UPDATE, October 18, 2004, —brought to you by the Windows IT Pro Network and the Windows 2000 FAQ site
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FAQs

  • Q. When I run Norton AntiVirus 2005, why do I receive an error stating that the program can't be repaired and must be reinstalled?
  • Q. What's Microsoft Calculator Plus?
  • Q. How can I check which domain controllers (DCs) are acting as bridgeheads for a site?
  • Q. How do I set a domain to interim mode?
  • Q. How can I configure Performance Monitor to read performance data that I've saved to a binary data file?

Commentary
by John Savill, FAQ Editor, [email protected]

This week, I explain what might be causing an error in Norton AntiVirus 2005 and how to fix it, what Microsoft Calculator Plus is, and how to check which domain controllers (DCs) are acting as bridgeheads for a site. I also tell you how to set a domain to interim mode and how to configure Performance Monitor to read performance data that's saved to a binary data file.

Readers of this Update know that I often discuss Windows management topics, such as Active Directory (AD). Windows IT Pro is offering you the opportunity to test your AD skills against your peers in the IT Prolympics competition. Before you start, you can download a free AD study guide. Then, take a 20-question multiple-choice test. Finally, complete a timed virtual AD lab to demonstrate your skills in a real-life setting.

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FAQs

Q. When I run Norton AntiVirus 2005, why do I receive an error stating that the program can't be repaired and must be reinstalled?

A. I experienced this problem after I moved the Norton AntiVirus program icon's group from the All Users\Start Menu\Programs folder to another location. To solve the problem, simply move the icon group back to the All Users\Start Menu\Programs folder. For example, in Explorer move to C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs and make sure that the Norton AntiVirus folder is under that folder hierarchy. If you don't find the Norton AntiVirus folder there, find the folder in its new location and return it to its original location.

Q. What's Microsoft Calculator Plus?

A. Microsoft Calculator Plus is an updated calculator application for Windows XP that you can download at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=32b0d059-b53a-4dc9-8265-da47f157c091&displaylang=en&hash=wlxqgx. Microsoft Calculator Plus has an improved interface over the standard Calculator that comes with Windows XP. The new calculator also boasts some neat features, including the ability to perform exchange-rate calculations and various types of conversions, such as currency and weight. The download process checks the version of Windows on your system and doesn't download the program until it has verified that the software is a "genuine" Windows version. The figure at http://www.windowsitpro.com/content/content/44368/newcalc.gif shows what the new calculator looks like.

Q. How can I check which domain controllers (DCs) are acting as bridgeheads for a site?

A. The Intersite Topology Generator (ISTG) decides which of a site's DCs will act as the site's bridgehead servers (in Windows Server 2003, you can use multiple DCs for each replicated naming context). One way to check which DCs are acting as bridgehead servers for a site is to view the connection objects by using the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Active Directory Sites and Services snap-in, which shows the DCs each DC is replicating with.

The best method for determining which DCs are acting as bridgehead servers is to use the Repadmin tool and specify the bridgeheads server parameter. To do so, enter the command

repadmin /bridgeheads

You'll then see on-screen messages similar to those that the figure at http://www.windowsitpro.com/content/content/44368/repadmin.htm shows.

Q. How do I set a domain to interim mode?

A. Typically, when you upgrade a domain from Windows NT Server 4.0 to Windows Server 2003 and the domain is the first one in a new forest, during the upgrade you can set the domain and forest mode to interim. Interim mode has advantages over Windows 2000 Server native mode--for example, interim mode has no 5000-group membership limit and provides Knowledge Consistency Checker (KCC) and topology enhancements.

If you're creating a new domain, you can set the domain and forest mode to interim by using the ADSI Edit tool. (You can't use the typical Active Directory--AD--management snap-ins to do this.) To set the domain and forest mode to interim for a new domain, follow these steps:

  1. Start the ADSI Edit tool (Start, Run, adsiedit.msc).
  2. Expand the Configuration partition of the forest root--for example, CN=Configuration,DC=demo,DC=test.
  3. Right-click CN=Partitions, then click Properties.
  4. Select the msDS-Behavior-Version attribute, then click Edit.
  5. In the Value field, which the figure at http://www.windowsitpro.com/content/content/44368/adsieditsetinterim.gif shows, type 1 and click OK.

When you check the forest and domain level, it will now be displayed as Windows Server 2003 interim. Be aware, though, that after you make this change you can't go back to mixed mode and thus can no longer add Windows 2000 DCs to the domain.

Q. How can I configure Performance Monitor to read performance data that I've saved to a binary data file?

A. You can configure Performance Monitor to output data to a binary log file. To read this data, start Performance Monitor, select the System Monitor component, right-click in the snap-in's detail pane (e.g., the chart), and select Properties. In the System Monitor Properties dialog box, which the figure at http://www.windowsitpro.com/content/content/44368/perfmonviewbindata.gif shows, select the Source tab, and click Add in the Log Files section to select the log files. If you want, you can then set the time range to display only a subset of the performance data.

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