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

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May 5, 2003—In this issue:

1. COMMENTARY

2. FAQS

Q. What's the Windows XP PowerToys Fun Pack?
Q. Where can I obtain the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools?
Q. How can I create a DVD from an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) image file under Windows Server 2003?
Q. How can I add or remove the Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) Enhanced Security Configuration feature in Windows Server 2003?
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?
Q. How can I view or modify the content of my Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) zones?

3. ANNOUNCEMENT

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4. CONTACT US

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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: roles
fsmo maintenance: Connections
server connections: Connect to server thunder
Binding to thunder ...
Connected to thunder using credentials of locally logged on user.
server connections: Quit
fsmo maintenance: select Operation Target
select operation target: List roles for connected server
Server "thunder" knows about 5 roles
Schema - CN=NTDS
Settings,CN=thunder,CN=Servers,CN=Default-First-Site-Name,
CN=Sites,CN=Configuration,DC=dev,DC=uk,DC=savilltech,DC=com
Domain - CN=NTDS
Settings,CN=thunder,CN=Servers,CN=Default-First-Site-Name,
CN=Sites,CN=Configuration,DC=dev,DC=uk,DC=savilltech,DC=com
PDC - CN=NTDS
Settings,CN=thunder,CN=Servers,CN=Default-First-Site-Name,
CN=Sites,CN=Configuration,DC=dev,DC=uk,DC=savilltech,DC=com
RID - CN=NTDS
Settings,CN=thunder,CN=Servers,CN=Default-First-Site-Name,
CN=Sites,CN=Configuration,DC=dev,DC=uk,DC=savilltech,DC=com
Infrastructure - CN=NTDS
Settings,CN=thunder,CN=Servers,CN=Default-First-Site-Name,
CN=Sites,CN=Configuration,DC=dev,DC=uk,DC=savilltech,DC=com
select operation target: Quit
fsmo maintenance: Quit
ntdsutil: Quit
Disconnecting 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:\temp\wxpsp1plus.iso

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

Media type: DVD-R
Preparing media...
| 25.6% done
/ 45.2% done
- 68.9% done
\ 89.3% done
- 100.0% done 
Finished Writing
Waiting for drive to finalize disc 
(this may take up to 30 minutes).................
Success: Finalizing media took 1325 seconds
Burn 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:

Start the Control Panel Add/Remove Programs applet (go to Start, Settings, Control Panel, and click Add/Remove Programs).
Click Add/Remove Windows Components in the left pane of the dialog box.
Scroll down to Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration and select the check box to activate the locked-down configuration or clear the check box to deactivate the locked-down configuration.
If you're enabling the locked-down configuration, click Details to select which users (e.g., administrator groups, all other user groups) you want the policy to apply to.
Click Next, then follow the onscreen instructions to finish configuring the settings.

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:

In the IE address bar, enter the URL for the Web site you want to visit.
IE will display an error that says "Content from the Web site listed below is being blocked by the Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration."
Click Add in the dialog box that appears onscreen.
When IE displays the "Trusted sites" dialog box, click "Add," then click Close. IE will add the site to the trusted zone.

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:

Start IE.
From the Tools menu, select Internet Options.
Select the Security tab.
Select either "Local intranet" or "Trusted sites," then click Sites.
If you click "Local intranet" in Step 4, click Sites, then click Advanced in the "Local intranet" dialog box to add or remove Web sites from the trusted zone. If you click "Trusted sites" in Step 4, click Sites to add or remove Web sites from the trusted zone.
After you finish, click Close.
Click OK to close the Internet Options dialog box.

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