Use an operating system day in and day out, and you’re sure to become intimately familiar with it, reaching one of three states: love, hate, or mere tolerance. When you have to switch to a new operating system or new version, or even just try to use features you’ve never used before, that state can certainly change. Sometimes the problem and its solution are simple; sometimes they are not.
Windows 2000 Quick Fixes targets a selection of common problems, first-time tasks, and infrequently used features and provides quick and (usually) simple solutions to those issues. New users and users who are experienced but not familiar with the Windows 2000 interface will find tips on customizing a wide range of operating system parameters that control everything from the way the desktop looks and functions to how the operating system does its job behind the scenes. Users of all levels will find quick and concise instructions that address problems and features in many areas of Windows 2000, including hardware and software configuration, security, networking, remote access, and a range of other features and functions.
Like most computer books, Windows 2000 Quick Fixes isn’t meant to be read from front cover to back (surely no one is that much of a masochist). Instead, the book provides chapters covering specific topic areas, each with simply stated problems and concise instructions on how to work through the issue. You can find a topic quickly when the need occurs and turn to that section, working out a solution in a matter of minutes. Windows 2000 Quick Fixes assumes you have a solid computer background, are comfortable using a computer, and have a relatively high level of confidence in your computer skills. This book won’t teach you how to use every feature in Windows 2000. Rather, it focuses on specific problems and features that you may be aware of but aren’t sure exactly how to deal with. As you browse the book you’re sure to run across solutions you already know, but read anyway—you might find a simpler solution or one that better fits your need.
This book contains thirteen chapters.
Chapter 1 covers problems you might run across when installing Windows 2000, as well as problems that have the potential to bite you shortly after installation. Among other things, you’ll learn about dual-boot solutions and alternatives, how to address specific installation issues, and a forgotten Administrator password.
Chapter 2 will help you deal with hardware configuration problems, set up and use hardware profiles, optimize your system’s hard disk(s), and take advantage of Windows 2000’s new dynamic disk features.
Chapter 3 focuses on configuring the Windows 2000 operating system’s core components and adding components. You’ll learn how to work with services, remove several “hidden” components, customize Microsoft Management Consoles (MMC), configure and use offline folders, and other similar topics.
Chapter 4 addresses those myriad questions about tweaking and fine-tuning the Windows 2000 GUI and its behavior. You’ll learn how to configure multiple monitors, customize the Start menu and taskbar, add to and sort the Start menu items, and find new and easier ways to accomplish tasks. Chapter 4 also covers potential GUI annoyances like the sometimes irritating special effects, as well as how to start applications with switches and other interface topics.
Chapter 5 assumes you’re up to speed on installing and using printers in Windows and focuses on new features like the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP), which enables a client to print to a printer across an intranet or even the Internet. You’ll find several tips in Chapter 5 to make printing easier, such as how to quickly switch printer settings by maintaining multiple instances of the same printer driver.
Chapter 6 goes where many users dread going: to the Windows 2000 command console. If you’re a diehard DOS user, you’ll be right at home in the command console, but this chapter will give you several tips to make your character mode tasks easier. Those of you who cut your teeth on the GUI will find tips to help you get the most out of the console prompt as well, and make it a little less intimidating (and more useful!).
Chapter 7 will help you configure your computer’s network interfaces and settings for both performance and security. You’ll learn how to bind and unbind protocols to a client or service, restrict traffic with IP filters and IPSec, and address problems such as errors caused by duplicate protocols on multiple adapters. Chapter 7 also addresses several security-related questions, among them enforcing strong passwords, forcing users to change their passwords, and other logon and security topics.
Chapter 8 offers tips on sharing folders and files, controlling access to resources, moving between workgroups and domains, and networking home computers. The chapter also covers scripts, access permissions and rights, and roaming profiles, which enable you to have the same working environment regardless of which computer you use to log on to the LAN.
Chapter 9 will help you configure TCP/IP for your system, including using DHCP and APIPA to assign IP addresses and related settings to client computers automatically. Troubleshooting is a big part of this chapter, and you’ll learn about several tools you can use in Windows 2000 to identify and fix specific connectivity problems.
Chapter 10 is the place to turn for answers about remote access, Internet connections, virtual private networks (VPNs), and related topics like credit card dialing. You’ll learn how to share a single dial-up Internet connection with other users on the LAN and use multilink to combine multiple connections to provide a single, higher-speed connection.
Chapter 11 will help you make the most of Windows 2000’s web services. You’ll learn how to host multiple web sites on one computer with a single IP address, build a web site directory structure from multiple computers, pull a few neat tricks with FTP, and jazz up those boring web site error pages. Chapter 11 also looks at remote web site management, configuring sites to use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), and related topics.
Chapter 12 provides quick solutions to a variety of security-related issues. You’ll learn how to issue your own certificates, copy certificates between computers or users, work with secure email, and encrypt your files. This chapter also covers topics that will help you protect your computer from potential problems, including limiting the tasks that others can perform on your computer. You’ll also learn about group policies and how to use them to configure specific security features and apply certain restrictions to the system.
Chapter 13 is targeted at users who need to know what steps to take to prevent disaster and how to plan for the worst in case it does happen. You’ll learn how to back up your system’s configuration, create an emergency repair disk, and perform backups to network drives and writable CDs. Chapter 13 also covers some potentially catastrophic problems such as a forgotten Administrator password, a system that refuses to boot, and others. You’ll also learn about the new Windows 2000 Recovery Console, which will help you boot an otherwise unbootable system and resurrect it from the dead.
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