Question: I have an IBM ThinkPad R50P laptop, using a Centrino 1,7 GHz processor, 1 GB RAM, and 80 GB HDD. I am using Windows 2000 Professional, with three partitions on my hard disk, all using FAT32. I want to share one of my partitions with colleagues on a Local Area Network, but need some protection for the files. How can I do this?

Answer: To properly protect your files on a Network, you should first convert your file system to NTFS. To do this, launch a command prompt window by clicking on the "Start" Menu, then typing "cmd" or "command". On the command prompt window, type the drive letter for the partition you want to protect followed by "/fs:ntfs" then validate by pressing the [enter] key ( e.g. if you want to share and password protect the [D:\] partition, type at the command prompt "d: /fs:ntfs" ). You will be asked for a name for the Volume. It is preferred to use a short alphabetic name (e.g. JOHN). You may obtain an error message indicating that the conversion cannot take place because the partition is in use, (this will happen if you want to convert your system partition or a partition that is currently in use). In this case, the conversion tool will ask you if you want to force the migration to NTFS. You can safely answer 'YES' (by pressing on the "Y" key). The conversion will take place the next time you reboot your computer. Once the process is complete, you need to modify security settings for the partition in question. To do this, click with your right mouse button on the folder you want to share, then select "Properties". On the window that appears before you, click on the "Security" tab to select it. In this section, you can modify access rights for each user (privileges) for the folder in question. You may need to add the user you want to give the permissions to manually if your computer is not correctly configured on the local network. Once the rights are correctly in place, you now need to share the folder. For this, you simply click on the "sharing" tab, and check the "share this folder" checkbox. Bingo! Now your folder is shared, and only users you have given access privileges to may access it. N.B.: to prevent other users from accessing the resources you share you need to apply access restrictions on the "All Users" Group. Tip: Adding a dollar sign at the end of the share name of a folder will make it invisible. To access it the users must know the name of the share (including the dollar sign) and to enter it manually.

Question: I am using Windows 2000 Server on a Compaq ProLiant ML570 Server with 2 GHz Xeon Processor, 1GB Memory, and 3 100 GB hard disks. I have lately noticed Login names in the format: "S<numbers>". Do these logins refer to accounts that have been deleted? What exactly do they stand for, and can they be removed from Security Policies, rights assignments, etc safely?

Answer: In Windows NT 5 / 2000, usernames have what is called an SID - Security Identification. Usernames you use (e.g. Administrator) are merely aliases to these SIDs, just as www.google.com is an alias for 209.85.135.99. Therefore, it is normal to see these SIDs. To answer your question, it is possible that SID information for deleted accounts remains, however it is wise to verify before deleting if the SIDs you refer to / want to delete are not associated with an account that is in use ( n.b.: deleting an SID for an account may damage your installation ). You can refer to the Microsoft Knowledge Base for more information about SIDs and references to usernames on this page: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/177077. You can also try the following Utility: http://www.petri.co.il/obj_sid.htm (OBJ/SID) to view if you have phantom SIDs that are not associated with any usernames.

Question: I am using an assembled Tower with 1.0 GHz PIII Processor, 256 MB RAM, and a 20GB Hard Disk. I noticed strange files in my WINNT folder. There are tons of sub folders named $NtUninst with a number that vary from one directory to another , e.g. KB890046$.... These directories contain files similar to "spunninst.exe". Some texts refer to SP2. Can I delete these files and folders safely?

Answer: What you are seeing are backup files created following Windows Updates on your Operating System. "KB" refers to articles from Microsoft's 'K'nowledge 'B'ase related to the updates conducted on your system. These files inform you of what each update has been intended to repair. As these files are backup files, you can delete them with no major harm to your system's operation. However, note that deleting them will prevent you from uninstalling the updates through "Add/Remove Program" from your Control Panel. It is therefore advisable to copy the files to a storage media such as a CDROM or DVDROM, enabling you to restore them to their location, should you need to uninstall updates in the future. This will free up disk space and leave you with the possibility of reversing the process of updates (it may be necessary to remove updates because of compatibility issues with programs you could need in the future).

Question: I run Windows 2000 on a Cisnet CI33-C61 with a P4 2.66GHz Processor, 256MB RAM, and an 80GB Hard Disk. Lately, following registry repairs, I can no longer run executable files (with *.exe extension). Everything else works fine on my computer, including Explorer and 'My Computer'. How can I fix this?

Answer: Most likely, the registry modifications have affected file associations linked with executable files. This means that Windows no longer recognizes files with the *.exe extension and therefore when you try to run them, nothing happens. To remedy this issue, you have two options. The easiest way is to use a batch file that has been precompiled to perform the operation for you. You may find such a file at this location: http://www.dougknox.com/xp/file_assoc.htm. The file will work on XP and 2000 since they are similar in this aspect. If you are an advanced user, you can perform the operation by yourself. To do so, open 'Edit' in a DOS Prompt Window, and enter the following text:

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.exe]
@="exefile"
"Content Type"="application/x-msdownload"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.exe\PersistentHandler]
@="{098f2470-bae0-11cd-b579-08002b30bfeb}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile]
@="Application"
"EditFlags"=hex:38,07,00,00
"TileInfo"="prop:FileDescription;Company;FileVersion"
"InfoTip"="prop:FileDescription;Company;FileVersion;Create;Size"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\DefaultIcon]
@="%1"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\open]
"EditFlags"=hex:00,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\open\command]
@="\"%1\" %*"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\runas]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\runas\command]
@="\"%1\" %*"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shellex]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shellex\DropHandler]
@="{86C86720-42A0-1069-A2E8-08002B30309D}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shellex\PropertySheetHandlers]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shellex\PropertySheetHandlers\PEAnalyser]
@="{09A63660-16F9-11d0-B1DF-004F56001CA7}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shellex\PropertySheetHandlers\PifProps]
@="{86F19A00-42A0-1069-A2E9-08002B30309D}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shellex\PropertySheetHandlers\ShimLayer Property Page]
@="{513D916F-2A8E-4F51-AEAB-0CBC76FB1AF8}"

Once you have finished, save the file as "exefix.reg". Remember the file's location.
Now exit EDIT, and, still within the command prompt, run the following command: "regedit /s exefix.reg" and confirm by pressing the [enter] key. Please double check the content of exefix.reg before saving it. This will fix your issue.

Question: I have a Compaq 5420US Presario AMD Athlon l 1.47GHz with 128MB RAM and 80GB HDD, running windows 2000 Server. I cannot open folders from my desktop (all folders including 'My Computer', 'Recycle Bin', 'My Documents', etc.). Nevertheless, it is possible to open them from windows explorer. What should I do?

Answer: This problem arises due to modifications in the registry. To fix this issue, click on the "Start" Menu, select "Run", then in the dialog box that appears before you, type the following command: "regsvr32 /i shell32". Click on "OK" to confirm. Normally, your issue is now resolved.

Question: I Have two Pentium III 1 GHz with 80 GB HDD custom-built PCs running Windows 2000. Both of them are Domain Controllers. One holds all the roles and the other the infrastructure role. Also, I have 1 exchange 2000 and 1 CAD, 1 CRM and 5 other application servers. What would be the best sequence to shut these down and turn them back on?

Answer: In your case, you should follow the following order to shut down your machines:

First: Your application Servers, your Database Servers, and your CAD or CRM servers, as they depend on the others.
Second: If you have a server dedicated for exchange, you should shut it down now.
Third: Now, you should shut down your Domain Controller ( DC ).
Fourth: Finally, your PDC (Primary Domain Controller) is last to go off, as everything else depends on it.

To reboot your network, simply reverse the order: Your PDC comes first, then any other DC's, then your exchange server, followed by application servers. Note that the PDC is always first to go ON and last to go OFF. Also, remember that exchange depends on Active Directory therefore; you turn it on AFTER your Domain Controllers.

Question: I run Windows 2000 Professional on a Tower pc, using 192MB of RAM, a 1500MHz processor, and a 40GB Hard Disk. Recently My server takes a longer time period to shut down. While everything works fine, Windows remains on the 'Saving Settings' and 'Windows Shutting Down' for about 60 seconds. It is somewhat annoying to wait for every time, especially when you are with clients on the move... How can I fix this?

Answer: This issue can arise if you change the PAGEFILE settings in your registry. To fix the problem, Start Registry Editor ( "Start" menu => "Run" => Type "regedit" in the dialog box and click on "OK").
In Registry Editor, locate the following entry by browsing for it in the left hand pane:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\ Memory Management

On your right hand pane, change the value of ClearPageFileAtShutdown in the registry key to a value of 0.
Restart your computer for the changes to take effect. The next time you shut down Windows, it should shut down normally.
N.B. : The Microsoft Knowledge Base ( http://support.microsoft.com/kb/182086/EN-US/ ) indicates to set the above value to 1. However, according to many users' experience, using 0 as a value is better. You can always try both 1 and 0 and see which value works best for you.

Question: I am running a Windows 2000 professional on an Acer AP4300 500MHz Celeron Desktop with 128 MB memory and 10 GB hard disk. Every time I start the computer, I get the following error message: "required DevCon32.Dll cannot be found"
Can anybody tell me what this is about and to fix the problem?

Answer: The file described is a dynamic link library that is most probably part of a sound driver. If your sound card is functioning well, you may not need the file at all and thus you can safely remove any references to it from your registry. To do so, run the registry editor by clicking on the "Start" Menu, selecting "Run", typing "regedit" in the dialog box that appears before you, and confirming with "Ok". In regedit, click on the "Edit" Menu, then "find". In the search dialog box, type "devcon32.dll", and then click on "Next" to find the file. Delete all references you find in the registry to the file. This will stop the error message above from appearing.
If, on the other hand, you have sound issues, then you might consider downloading and re-placing the file in your system folder. To do so, visit the following link: http://www.dll-files.com/dllindex/dll-files.shtml?devcon32. Once the file is downloaded, unzip it using any File Compression Utility (WinZip provides a free trial edition at www.winzip.com). Extract the DLL file to the following path: c:\[windows directory]\system. Note: [windows directory] refers to the folder where you installed Windows. This is normally either "Windows" or "WINNT". Also, if you installed Windows on a partition other than "c:" you need to modify the path indicated to that partition. Note: you may also need to place the DLL file in the path: "C:\program files\creative\sbliv". If your Creative / Sound Card Utility is installed in another folder, change the path indicated above accordingly.

Question: I use a Toshiba Satellite laptop with 1.7 GHz processor, 256 MB of RAM, and 80 GB hard disk. I use Windows 2000 on the computer. My kids would like to use the computer at home for word processing. I want to add a new account for each one of my kids. How can I do this?

Answer: To add new user accounts in Windows 2000, right click with your mouse on "My Computer", then select "Manage". Choose "Local Users and Groups", and then click with your right mouse button on the right pane of the window. Click on "Add User". A form will present you with the user information to enter such as username, password, and real name. Enter the information and then Click on "OK" to add the user. Repeat the operation for each user you would like to add. You can now modify access rights for each account added separately. Once you are finished, close all the windows opened by clicking on "OK" when possible (if not simply use the "X" at the top right corner of the window).

Question: I am using an old computer with a 450 MHz Processor ( PIII ), 128 MB of RAM, and a 40 GB Hard Disk. I use the computer mainly for internet purposes. The computer often hangs leaving me with no option but to reboot ( the start menu disappears, the desktop icons disappear, but I can still run task manager with control + alt + delete key combination and terminate the tasks that are not responding, but still no start menu ). Is there any way I can resume operation without having to restart?

Answer: If your task manager is still running then you can simply, after terminating the processes that are not responding, re-launch windows explorer (which will restore your Desktop and 'Start' menu). To do this, simply press on the 'Windows Key' on your keyboard. If this does not work, you can also, by using the [ctrl] + [alt] + [del] key combination, launch task manager. Then, in the 'File' Menu in Task Manager, click on 'New Task (Run)'. This will provide you with a new window. In this window, type 'explorer.exe', followed by the [enter] key ( or simply press on 'OK' to validate ). Your Desktop icons and your 'Start' menu should return and your computer should function just as if it has just been booted up. Note: if you are using an old system, you might free up system resources by disabling hardware that you are not using (e.g. USB ports that are not used, Scanners / Printers / Sound Cards that you do not use). To do so, click with your right mouse button on 'My Computer', and then select 'Properties'. In the window that appears, click on the 'Hardware' tab, then click on the 'Device Manager' Button. This will present you with a list of Hardware Devices currently present on your system. You can right click on a device then select 'Disable' to deactivate the device. Please note that deactivating some devices may stop your system from functioning, it is therefore advisable to disable only devices such as Printers, Sound Cards, Scanners, Network Cards, USB ports ( if you are not using them of course ).