Tech Tips

5 Hot Tips: Get More out of Windows Server 2008

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 18:03:33 +0000

IT pros are learning how to take advantage of the hidden talents in Microsoft's newest server OS. Here are five tips to get you started.

With Windows Server 2008 in the hands of IT shops for a year, you would be pleasantly surprised at some of the cool things folks have done with it. Through interviews with a range of tech experts and developers, we've dug up a handful of worthwhile tips and tricks that can either save time or help you function a bit better. There're an enormous number of tips we could report, but we decided to give you just the top five for now.

Resize a Vista partition without damaging data

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 17:05:33 +0000

There are many reasons why you might want or need to resize a partition, but generally speaking partitions can not be resized without damaging data. That is, until Microsoft Windows Vista. With Vista, resizing a partition that already contains data is not only possible, it's fairly simple. The only gotcha involved is that Microsoft has, with good reason, obfuscated the process from the untrained eye. Naturally I will give this warning. Although this method is tested and proven, that is not an absolute guarantee. Data can get lost when strange things occur. So with that in mind, your data is in your hands and you might want to do a data back up first. With that being said, let's get going.

Take advantage of multiple monitors with Vista's Remote Desktop

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:57:43 +0000

If you're using multiple monitors as a part of your system setup and you regularly connect to other Windows Vista or Windows XP via Remote Desktop, you'll definitely want to learn how you can take advantage of Vista's Remote Desktop support for multiple monitors. Once you do, you can use this feature to connect to a remote computer and then span its desktop across your local system's multiple monitors.

However, this great feature is essentially hidden, as it is tucked away in a command-line switch rather than being another check box in the Remote Desktop GUI. In this edition of the Windows Vista report, I'll show you how to use this command-line switch. I'll then show you how to create a specially configured shortcut that will relieve you from having to rely on the command line.

Caveats

While Vista's Remote Desktop support for multiple monitors is an awesome feature, it does come with two caveats:

Your multiple monitors must have the same screen resolution.

The screen resolution on your multiple monitors as well as the monitor of the computer to which you're connecting must be under 4096 x 2048.

The command line

To launch Remote Desktop Connection with multiple monitor support, you must open a Command Prompt window and type the command:

Mstsc /span

You'll then see the standard Remote Desktop Connection dialog box, shown in Figure A, and will need to fill in the connection settings.

Figure A

When you use the standard command-line method, you'll have to manually fill in the connection settings.
As soon as you make a connection, you'll immediately see the desktop of the remote system spread across your multiple monitors. When you need to have access to both the local and remote desktops, you can reduce the size of the remote system's desktop to only one monitor by clicking the Restore Down button on the Remote Desktop window. As a shortcut, you can also use the keystroke [Ctrl][Alt][Break].

Once the window is on one monitor, you can use click-and-drag to resize the window to completely cover a single monitor. Keep in mind that when you reduce the size of a spanned remote widow, it will display both horizontal and vertical scroll bars, as shown in Figure B, that you'll have to use to see the entire screen. However, you can instantly span the window by clicking the Maximize button.

Figure B

When you resize the remote desktop's spanned window, you'll have to use scroll bars to view the entire screen.
Creating a shortcutOf course, using the command line to launch your Remote Desktop connection isn't the most convenient way to use this feature. Chances are that you already have a saved Remote Desktop Connection RDP file saved on your desktop. Fortunately, you can create a standard Windows shortcut that will incorporate both the special command line and your RDP file.

Right-click anywhere on the desktop and select New | Shortcut from the context menu. When you see the Create Shortcut wizard, just type mstsc /span and the path to the RDP file in the text box, as shown in Figure C. Be sure that you enclose the path to the RDP file in double quotes if it has spaces in it. To continue, click Next and give the shortcut a appropriate name such as Saturn - MultiMon Remote and then click Finish.

Figure C

You can create a standard Windows shortcut that will incorporate both the special command line and your RDP file.
You can now use this shortcut to launch your remote desktop connection and use all the available space on your multiple monitors. Of course, the spanned desktop won't exactly behave like a multiple monitor setup when you open multiple windows. You'll have to use a little creative click-and-drag resizing to reposition the windows on the spanned desktop.

What's your take?Do you have a multiple monitor setup? Do you regularly use Remote Desktop? Will you take advantage of Vista's Remote Desktop support for multiple monitors? Please drop by the Discussion Area and let us hear from you.

Create virtual multiple desktops in Windows?

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 21:31:13 +0000

If you've ever used Linux then you know how effective having multiple desktops is can be. Not only does it aid in keeping down desktop clutter, it allows you to organize your desktop into various work environments (such as networking desktop, writing desktop, graphics desktop, programming desktop, etc). I have always been a big fan of this metaphor and have taken full advantage of its usage.

Centrally Managing Power Settings on Windows XP/2000 Computers

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 11:43:12 +0000

Where can I find the power management options for Windows XP Professional clients in Group Policy? I've looked all over but can't seem to find them.

Set File Permissions Thru Group Policy

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 09:04:35 +0000

How can I set file permissions for a user on a folder using Group Policy in Windows Server 2003/2008?

10 customization tricks for Windows XP

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 09:34:25 +0000

Create your own Sleep button in Windows XP

Is the Sleep button on your Windows XP machine in an inconvenient location for regular use? If so, follow these simple steps to create your own.

Many computers or keyboards have a Sleep button, which when pressed puts the computer into either Stand By or Hibernate mode depending on how Windows XP's Power Options are configured. However, the Sleep button might not be in convenient location for regular use. For example, it might be on the front of a mid-tower case that's under your desk.

Migrating Shared Folders to Windows 2003

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:42:37 +0000

How can we migrate shared folders from our Windows Server 2000 to Windows Server 2003?

You can download Microsoft's File Server Migration Toolkit (FSMT) to migrate shared folders from a server running Windows NT 4.0/2000 to a server running Windows Server 2003 or Windows Storage Server 2003.

FSMT also helps administrators configure new functionality in a Distributed File System (DFS) to maintain the original UNC path of files after they've been migrated to the new server. Microsoft's Knowledge Base article 829885 discusses this functionality but focuses on manual installation steps for creating DFS consolidation roots.

However, if you use FSMT, there's no need to follow these manual installation steps because FSMT will automatically create the DFS consolidation roots for you.

Get a better view of the Windows XP Tree command with Word

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:40:36 +0000

Using the Tree command to research the folders on your Windows XP hard disk can give you results fast - too fast for your eye to catch. Here's how to use Word to view a Tree you can read in detail and at your own pace.

Removing unused device drivers from Windows XP machines

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:45:38 +0000

When you install a device driver on a Windows XP machine, the operating system loads that driver each time the computer boots regardless of whether the device is present -- unless you specifically uninstall the driver. This means that drivers from devices that you have long since removed from your system may be wasting valuable system resources.

Quickly gather MAC addresses in Windows XP with ARP

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:39:00 +0000

When securing a wireless Windows XP network, in addition to using Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) or Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) encryption, you can use Media Access Control (MAC) address filtering.

When you enable MAC address filtering, the wireless access point or wireless router verifies that the network card in the computer requesting access has a MAC address in its filter list before allowing the computer to access the network. This means that you must first obtain the MAC addresses of each client computer. To do so, you might think that you have to manually visit each computer and use the Getmac command.

Automatically generate and assign strong passwords in Windows XP

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:31:50 +0000

Computer users consistently use very simplistic logic when creating passwords. For example, many of us choose meaningful words, personal dates, or a word commonly found in the dictionary because it makes the password easy to remember. These common practices cause us to sacrifice the security that passwords are intended to provide.

Create your own special characters in Windows XP

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:09:08 +0000

Have you ever wanted to create your own font or maybe just a special character -- for example, a character showing your initials for approving documents with your "signature"? You can easily create your own characters using a hidden Windows XP tool called the Private Character Editor. Here's how:

Put your name in the Windows XP notification area

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:02:31 +0000

During those times when the urgent need for high-powered technical intelligence wanes a bit -- especially on a slow Friday afternoon -- try this fun trick and amaze your colleagues. Here's how to make your "own" time by putting your name in the notification area:

Prevent a shutdown of a Windows XP system

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:56:54 +0000

By default, at three o'clock every morning Windows XP's Automatic Updates tool contacts the Windows Update site and automatically downloads and installs updates for your system. However, that can't happen if other people who use the computer shut it down at the end of the day. Fortunately, you can prevent anyone from shutting down Windows XP with a little registry tweak. Here's how: