Lesson 4-Windows NT 4.0 Workstation

1. Lesson 4-Windows NT 4.0 Workstation

2. Overview • Introduction to Windows NT Workstation 4.0. • Installing Windows NT Workstation 4.0. • Customizing and managing Windows NT Workstation 4.0. • Managing Windows NT Workstation security. • Windows NT boot-up process and creation of a startup disk. • Troubleshooting common Windows NT problems.

3. Introduction to Windows NT Workstation 4.0 • Features of Windows NT. • Limitations of Windows NT. • Strengths of Windows NT. • Hardware and Windows NT Workstation 4.0.

4. Features of Windows NT • Desktop – Windows NT provides a better user interface and allows users to create a hierarchy of folders and shortcuts. • File system – Windows NT 4.0 supports the FAT16 and NT file system version 4 (NTFS4) file systems. • Security - NT’s advanced file system protects files and folders by assigning permissions to individuals or groups.

5. Features of Windows NT • Stability - Windows NT 4.0 allows a user to work on different applications without the risk of data loss, thereby providing better stability. • Memory – The Windows NT virtual memory manager allows more programs and data in the memory.

6. Features of Windows NT Software compatibility: • Windows NT 4.0 runs applications in environments called subsystems. • 32-bit Windows applications are the ‘native’ applications of Windows NT and run in the Win32 subsystem.

7. Features of Windows NT Software compatibility (continued): • A DOS application in Windows runs within a virtual DOS machine (VDM). • Windows NT 4.0 provides support for different types of applications by creating a simulated environment specific for the application.

8. Limitations of Windows NT • Hard drive limits - The Windows NT setup program can only create a maximum hard disk partition size of 4 GB. • Hardware support - Windows NT does not support a variety of hardware and also does not support the plug and play feature. • Software compatibility – A few DOS and 16-bit Windows-based applications do not work in NT’s simulated environment.

9. Strengths of Windows NT • Organizations use Windows NT 4.0 for backward compatibility. • An organization owning a license for Windows NT can continue to use the same license when old computers are replaced.

10. Hardware and Windows NT Workstation 4.0 • Windows NT 4.0 Workstation can be installed on a computer that complies with the Intel/Microsoft set of standards. • Windows NT Workstation 4.0 supports symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) with two processors.

11. Hardware and Windows NT Workstation 4.0 The recommended hardware requirements for installing Windows NT include: • Intel Pentium processor. • 128 MB of RAM. • 2 to 4 GB of hard disk space. • CD-ROM drive. • SVGA or higher resolution video adapter. • Microsoft mouse.

12. Hardware and Windows NT Workstation 4.0 • It is essential that the hardware and the software to be installed are both compatible with the operating system. • Users can refer to the Microsoft site to check the list of hardware and software that have passed Microsoft’s compatibility tests.

13. Installing Windows NT Workstation 4.0 • Prerequisites for Windows NT Workstation 4.0 installation. • Installing Windows NT Workstation 4.0. • Post-installation tasks.

14. Prerequisites for Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Installation • Ensure that the system complies with the hardware requirements, and that the hardware is compatible with the operating system. • All the connections should be in place for the installed components.

15. Prerequisites for Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Installation • Ensure that the device drivers required for the installed hardware are present. • A device driver is a small program that allows the operating system to interact with and control a hardware device.

16. Prerequisites for Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Installation • Updates or patches should be kept ready to solve security issues and problems causing major failures. • The service pack level to be used should be determined. • A service pack is a series of accumulated updates into a larger package.

17. Prerequisites for Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Installation • Manual and automated are the two methods of installing Windows NT. • Manual installation requires a user to provide the necessary information and respond to messages during the entire process.

18. Prerequisites for Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Installation • An automated installation is done using scripts. • Automated installation is used by organizations that need identical applications and desktop configuration to be installed on a large number of systems. • Automated installations and some manual installations use the WINNT.EXE or WINNT32.EXE program.

19. Installing Windows NT Workstation 4.0 • The common Windows NT 4.0 installation strategy involves installing Windows NT 4.0 using the generic drivers. • A clean installation of the operating system is recommended.

20. Installing Windows NT Workstation 4.0 A clean installation in Windows NT refers to either: • Installing the operating system on a clean hard disk, or • Removing the old partitions and allowing setup to create a new partition, and formatting the same during the installation process.

21. Post-Installation Tasks Verifying network access: • Ensure that users requiring access to the LAN are able to connect to other resources on the network. • The Network Neighborhood window is used to display a list of computers visible on the network.

22. Post-Installation Tasks Installing service packs: • The latest service pack must be tested before being installed. • The WINVER program can be used for determining information regarding the Windows version, license, amount of memory available, and the service pack level.

23. Customizing and Managing Windows NT Workstation 4.0 • Creating a new hard disk partition. • Installing and removing applications and Windows components.

24. Creating a New Hard Disk Partition • A partition defines the boundaries on a hard disk. • Primary and extended are the two standard partition types. • A primary partition has a single drive letter assigned to the entire partition, while an extended partition has multiple logical drive letters. • Each area, defined as a drive letter, is a volume.

25. Creating a New Hard Disk Partition • A hard disk can have a total of four partitions, but the number of extended partitions cannot exceed one. • The Disk Administrator tool is used for creating and managing disks in Windows NT.

26. Installing and Removing Applications and Windows Components • Most applications come with their own installation programs. • The Add/Remove Programs applet in the Control panel can be used for installing and uninstalling applications and Windows components.

27. Managing Windows NT Workstation Security • The NT operating system offers both, a local security database for authentication of users and the ability to set permissions on local files and folders. • Logons can be enforced only at the network level.

28. Managing Windows NT Workstation Security • Managing users, groups, permissions, and rights. • Using and managing a local printer.

29. Managing Users, Groups, Permissions, and Rights • Security accounts in Windows NT include individual user accounts and group accounts that can contain multiple users. • User and group accounts are used to protect sensitive data on the system.

30. Managing Users, Groups, Permissions, and Rights • In a workgroup, security accounts are on individual desktop computers. • In a domain, security accounts are contained in a centralized accounts database on special servers called domain controllers.

31. Managing Users, Groups, Permissions, and Rights Users and groups: • Windows NT requires an authenticated logon with a valid username and password. • For easier administration, NT uses security groups to group user accounts.

32. Managing Users, Groups, Permissions, and Rights Users and groups (continued): • Administrator and Guest are the two built-in user accounts that are created by default when Windows NT Workstation is installed. • Windows NT Workstation, by default, creates the Administrators, Backup Operators, Guests, Power Users, Replicator, and Users built-in group accounts.

33. Managing Users, Groups, Permissions, and Rights Users and groups (continued): • All local user accounts automatically become members of the Users group. • The User Manager administrative program is used for creating and managing users and groups. • The Everyone group is a special default group, which includes all users on a network irrespective of their authentication.

34. Managing Users, Groups, Permissions, and Rights User rights: • A right is a privilege to perform system-wide functions. • In Windows NT, user rights can be viewed by opening User Manager and selecting User Rights from the Policies menu.

35. Managing Users, Groups, Permissions, and Rights Permissions: • Permissions define the actions that can be performed by a user on an object. • Each folder and file in a NTFS file system has a set of security permissions associated with it. • No Access, List, Read, Add, Add and Read, Change, and Full Control are the standard folder permissions.

36. Managing Users, Groups, Permissions, and Rights Planning for users, groups, and permissions: • Additional user accounts must be created if a Windows NT Workstation computer is to be used by more than one user. • A user must log on as a member of the Administrators group to create users or groups.

37. Using and Managing a Local Printer • A local printer can be used only after the printer driver is installed. • Only the Administrator or a member of the Administrators group can install a printer driver.

38. Windows NT Boot-Up Process and Creation of a Startup Disk • Windows NT system files and partitions. • Windows NT boot-up process. • Windows NT startup diskette.

39. Windows NT System Files and Partitions • The NTLDR is a file that loads the operating system into the memory from the boot sector of the active partition. • The active partition in Windows NT is called the system partition. • NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM, BOOT.INI, and NTBOOTDD.SYS are the NT boot files, and they reside in the system partition.

40. Windows NT System Files and Partitions • The partition containing the system files is called the boot partition. • System files include the operating system kernel, the file containing the operating system settings from the registry, and the driver files. • The system files are installed into the WINNT\SYSTEM32 folder.

41. Windows NT Boot-Up Process The boot-up process in Windows NT is divided into the following stages: • Pre-boot sequence. • Boot sequence. • Load sequence.

42. Pre-Boot Sequence • In the pre-boot sequence, the NTLDR is loaded into the memory. • A part of the instructions in the NTLDR are activated in this stage.

43. Boot Sequence • In this stage, the NTLDR loads, switches the processor into the protected mode, and reads the BOOT.INI. • NTLDR loads and starts NTDETECT.COM, if ‘Windows NT Workstation Version 4.0’ is selected. • NTLDR also loads NTOSKRNL.EXE, HAL.DLL, and the system portion of the registry into the RAM. • NTLDR is also responsible for loading the drivers that are configured to load at boot time.

44. Load Sequence • The load sequence begins when NTLDR passes control to NTOSKRNL.EXE. • Windows NT gets loaded and initialized in this stage.

45. Load Sequence • The load sequence has three phases – the kernel initialization phase, the services load phase, and the Windows system start phase. • The components NTOSKRNL.EXE and SMSS.EXE control the first two phases of the load sequence respectively.

46. Windows NT Startup Diskette • A Windows NT startup disk can be created by formatting a diskette in NT, and copying the files NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM, and BOOT.INI to the diskette.

47. Troubleshooting Common Windows NT Problems Registry: • The registry is a central place where NT stores all configuration settings for the operating system. • The REGEDIT.EXE and REGEDT32.EXE tools are used for viewing and modifying the registry as a hierarchical structure.

48. Troubleshooting Common Windows NT Problems Event Viewer: • System, application, and security are the three categories of events that can be logged in the Event Viewer. • The system log shows events involving the operating system components. • The application log shows events involving application.

49. Troubleshooting Common Windows NT Problems • The Microsoft Web site and the Windows NT Help program provide help for troubleshooting problems with Windows NT. • The defragmentation tool can be used to reorganize data on the hard disk, thereby increasing the speed of the computer.

50. Troubleshooting Common Windows NT Problems • Ensure that the contents of the TEMP folder and temporary Internet files are cleaned regularly. • The Windows NT backup program can be used to back up all valuable files, thereby preventing data loss. • The Windows NT startup disk can be used to resolve startup errors that occur while booting.