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How can I view additional information about a user in the AD Users and Computers snap-in? The Windows 2003 Resource Kit has a hidden .dll file called Acctinfo.dll. After registering the .dll with the following command, it will add a new property page, called Additional Account Info, to the user properties page in Active Directory…

Work with the Microsoft Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) Test Drive Program Great new resource from Microsoft: The Virtual Hard Disk Test Drive Program. The VHD Test Drive Program is designed to help customers to install and configure complex environments for the purpose of evaluating Microsoft and partner products and solutions. Currently, customers can either download…

In Windows XP Microsoft introduced a new method of keeping a working copy of your system files called System Restore, and now we can also use it on Windows Vista. System Restore helps you restore your computer’s system files to an earlier point in time. It’s a way to undo system changes to your computer…

Using the System Preparation Tool (Sysprep) in an Image-Based Installation An average Windows XP installation can last for 90 minutes, and even more, considering all the hotfixes, service packs and applications you need to install. This can make OS installations extremely time consuming operation for the IT administrator. One way to save this time is…

Can I recover deleted items through Outlook 2003 in Exchange 2003? Can I recover hard-deleted items through Outlook? Of course you can. Deleted items that are deleted via OWA or the regular Outlook client can be easily recovered, as long as the items that were deleted we not purged from the Exchange store. See Using…

How to use forms-based authentication in Exchange 2003 without the need to use SSL? Forms-based authentication (or FBA for short) is a mechanism in Exchange 2003 Outlook Web Access that allows the user to have a more customizable experience of the OWA logon page and usage. By default, FBA requires that Secure Sockets Layer (SSL…

Almost every Exchange administrator would like to see his Exchange servers and the relations between them in one visual map. Using Microsoft ExMap, you will be able to see in one diagram, all the exchange servers, including versions, in the relevant administrative groups, the SMTP connectors and the routing groups connectors. In this article I…

To protect your files you can create a backup by using Vista’s Backup Status and Configuration tool. A backup set is a set of copies of the files that is stored in a different location from the original files. That location can be a different partitions on your computer’s internal hard disk, an external hard…

On my previous article, “Understanding GlobalNames Zone in Windows Server 2008”, I’ve listed the major benefits for using the new GlobalNames Zone (also known as GNZ) in Windows Server 2008 DNS. Basically, if you are retiring WINS or are planning on deploying an IPv6-only environment, all the client and server name resolution will depend on…

When working with Terminal Server or RDP you have the choice to use either the XP RDP, or the newer Windows Server 2003 RDP SP1 5.2 client (Download RDP 5.2). But there are still people who would like to continue working with the “old” Windows 2000 Terminal Server client, that can be found in the…

When working with Terminal Server or RDP and trying to connect using RDP to different port,you have the choice to change the XP RDP 5.1 or 5.2 client connecting port. For the “old” Windows 2000 Terminal Server client port changes see Use Terminal Server Client to Connect to a Different Port. If you’ve changed the listening…

How can I force an OEM version of Windows XP to install as an upgrade installation? First, find your setupp.ini file in the i386 directory on your Windows XP CD. Open it up, it’ll look something like this: ExtraData=707A667567736F696F697911AE7E05 Pid=55034000 The Pid value is what we’re in this for. What’s there now looks like a…