Chapter 8
Chapter 8. Managing and Supporting Windows XP. You Will Learn…. How to use Windows XP features to secure the PC and protect users and their data About Windows NT/2000/XP registry About tools for troubleshooting and maintaining Windows XP How to troubleshoot the Windows XP boot process.
Chapter 8
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Presentation Transcript
Chapter 8 Managing and Supporting Windows XP
You Will Learn… • How to use Windows XP features to secure the PC and protect users and their data • About Windows NT/2000/XP registry • About tools for troubleshooting and maintaining Windows XP • How to troubleshoot the Windows XP boot process A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Security Using Windows NT/2000/XP • Two goals of security • Secure system resources, including hardware and software, from improper use • Secure users’ data from improper access • Concept of user accounts is key to understanding Windows XP A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
User Accounts and Profiles • Defines a user to Windows • Records information about the user (e.g., user name, account password, group memberships, rights and permissions assigned to the account) • Three types • Global (domain) user accounts • Local user accounts • Built-in user accounts A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
User Profiles • Created by the system after user logs on for first time • Types • Roaming user profile • Mandatory user profile • Group profile A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Viewing Profiles A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Administering Local User Accounts Password guidelines for users and administrators: • Usernames can consist of up to 15 characters • Passwords can be up to 127 characters • Do not use a password that is easy to guess A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Administering Local User Accounts (continued) • Use combination of letters, numbers, and non-alphanumeric characters for greatest security • Always set a password for the Administrator account • Passwords can be controlled by administrator, but generally, users should be allowed to change their own A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Creating a User Account • Log on as the Administrator • Open Computer Management • Expand Local Users and Groups, right-click Users, select New User, enter user data, click Create A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
To Change User Account Type • Click Change an account, click the account to be changed • Select account data to be changed and click Change the account type • Select account type, click Change Account Type, click Back twice A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Creating a User Account(continued) A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Controlling How a User Logs On • Welcome Screen (default) • Logon Window: User must press Ctrl+Atl+Del to get to logon window • Fast User Switching: enables more than one user to be logged on at a time Logon Options A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Controlling How a User Logs On (continued) A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
User Groups • Efficient way for administrator to manage multiple user accounts that require same privileges and similar profiles • Groups installed by Windows XP • Administrators • Backup Operators • Power Users • Limited Users • Guests A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Creating a New User Group • Click Start, right-click My Computer, select Manage • Expand Local Users and Groups • Right-click Groups folder, select New Group • Enter group name, description, click Add to add users, click Create A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Creating a New User Group(continued) A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Assigning User Rights A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Group Policy • Another way to control how the system can be used • Normally intended to be used on a domain, but can also be used on a standalone or computer in a workgroup • Can be applied to the computer or can be applied to each user who logs on A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Disk Quotas • Limit how much disk space user has access to • Does not specify location of files, just total space allowed on a volume • Can be set only if you are using NTFS A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Setting Disk Quotas • Log on as Administrator, open My Computer • Right-click disk, select Properties • Click Quota tab, check Enable quota management A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Setting Disk Quotas(continued) • Click Limit disk space to, enter limit • Enter size for Set warning level to • Click Deny disk space to users exceeding quota, click OK A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
EFS (Encrypted File System) • Encryption is the process of putting readable data into code that must be translated before it can be accessed • Protects data even when someone not authorized to view files or folders has full access to computer’s data storage • Applies only to Windows 2000/XP NTFS file system A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
How to Use Encryption • Can be implemented at either the folder or file level • Folder level is encouraged and considered a “best practice” strategy A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Encrypting Folder Contents • Locate the folder to be encrypted • Right-click the folder, choose Properties • On the General tab, click Advanced • Check Encrypt contents to secure data and click OK A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Encrypting Folder Contents (continued) A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Encrypting Folder Contents (continued) • Click Apply • If necessary, click Apply changes to this folder, subfolders, and files, click OK • A file saved in this folder is automatically encrypted A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Encrypting Folder Contents (continued) A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
The Cipher Command • For use when encrypting a large number of files or folders from a command prompt or using a batch file • CIPHER [/E, /D] [/S:dir] [pathname[…]] • /E encrypts specified files or folders • /D decrypts specified files or folders • /S:dir applies the action to the specified folder (directory) and all its subfolders • Pathname is the name of the file/folder and its path that is to be encrypted/decrypted A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) • Designed to protect a PC from unauthorized access from the Internet when the PC is connected directly • Examines every communication that comes to the PC to determine if it has been initiated by the PC (permitted) or is being initiated by an outside device/computer (refused) A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Enabling ICF A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
The Windows NT/2000/XP Registry • Hierarchical database containing information about all hardware, software, device drivers, network protocols, and user configuration needed by the OS and applications • Organization • Viewing contents • Back up and recovery • Making changes A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
How the Registry Is Organized • Logical organization • Upside-down tree structure of keys, subkeys, and values • Physical organization • Stored in five files called hives A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Logical Organization of the Registry A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Windows Registry Editor A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Five Subtrees of the Registry A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Physical Organization of the Registry • Registry is stored in five files called hives A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Editing the Registry • Modified automatically when you make a change (e.g., in Control Panel or Device Manager) • Rare occasions when you might need to edit manually • Changes take effect immediately and are permanent A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Registry Editors • Two versions under Windows NT/2000 • Regedt32.exe • Security menu allows you to apply permissions to keys and subkeys • Option to work in read-only mode • Regedit.exe • Used to search and view the registry • Under Windows XP, typing Regedit or Regedt32 starts Regedit A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Editing a Registry Subkey Value A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Other Maintenance and Troubleshooting Tools • Executed from a command line (.exe file extension) • Microsoft Management Console snap-ins (.msc file extension) • Built into Windows XP (e.g., Safe Mode) A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
System Information Window A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Help on the Web • Microsoft Knowledge Base at http://support/microsoft.com • Windows Update feature • Windows XP newsgroups A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Windows Update • An automated way to update the OS, applications, and device drivers • If no user interaction required, any user can perform an update • If decisions must be made, only a user with administrative rights can update A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Windows Update(continued) A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Windows Update(continued) A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Windows Newsgroups • If other sources have been exhausted, help may be available from Windows newsgroups • Click Start, Help and Support • Click “Get support, or find information in Windows XP newsgroups” • Click “Go to a Windows Web site forum” • Click “Go to Newsgroups” A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Troubleshooting the Boot Process • Last Known Good Configuration (and sometimes Driver Rollback) • Safe Mode from Advanced Options menu • System Restore • Windows XP/2000 Boot disk • Recovery Console • Automated System Recovery • Reinstall Windows XP using Windows CD A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
Advanced Options: Safe Mode and Last Known Good Configuration A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
System Restore • Similar to ScanReg, but cannot be executed from command prompt • Process does not affect user data on hard drive but can affect: • Installed software and hardware • User settings • OS configuration settings • Restores system state using a restore point A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition
System Restore(continued) To revert the system to a restore point • Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and System Restore • Click Restore my computer to an earlier time, then click Next • Select a restore point, click Next twice • Windows XP reboots and restores the system state A+ Guide to Software: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, Third Edition