192 Chapter 5 Managing the Windows XP Professional Desktop 13. B. Localized versions of Windows XP Professional include fully localized user interfaces for the language that was selected. In addition, localized versions include the ability to view, edit, and print documents in more than 60 different languages. On a localized version of Windows XP Professional, you enable and configure multilingual editing and viewing through the Regional Options icon in Control Panel. 14. A. Through the Accessibility Options icon of Control Panel, you can control how long the accessibility options will be active if the computer is idle. A setting on the General tab allows you to turn off accessibility options if the computer has been idle for a specified number of minutes. You should check this setting if working accessibility options unexpectedly become disabled. 15. A. In the General tab of the Accessibility Options dialog box, you can select the Support SerialKey Devices option to allow alternative access to keyboard and mouse features. Simpo PDF Merge and Split Unregistered Version - http://www.simpopdf.com Copyright ©2003 SYBEX Inc., 1151 Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, CA 94501. COPYING PROHIBITED www.sybex.com Chapter 6 Managing Users and Groups MICROSOFT EXAM OBJECTIVES COVERED IN THIS CHAPTER: Configure, manage, and troubleshoot local user and group accounts. Configure, manage, and troubleshoot account settings. Configure and manage user profiles and desktop settings. Simpo PDF Merge and Split Unregistered Version - http://www.simpopdf.com Copyright ©2003 SYBEX Inc., 1151 Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, CA 94501. COPYING PROHIBITED www.sybex.com One of the most fundamental tasks in network management is the creation of user and group accounts. Without a user account, a user cannot log on to a computer, server, or network. Group accounts are used to ease network administration by grouping users who have similar permission requirements together. When users log on, they supply a username and password. Then their user accounts are validated by a security mechanism. In Windows XP Professional, users can log on to a computer locally, or they can log on through Active Directory. When you first create users, you assign them usernames, passwords, and password settings. After a user is created, you can change these settings and select other options for that user through the User Properties dialog box. Groups are an important part of network management. Many administrators are able to accomplish the majority of their management tasks through the use of groups; they rarely assign permissions to individual users. Windows XP Professional includes built-in local groups, such as Administrators and Backup Operators. These groups already have all the permissions needed to accomplish specific tasks. Windows XP Professional also uses default special groups, which are managed by the system. Users become members of special groups based on their requirements for computer and network access. You create and manage local groups through the Local Users and Groups utility. Through this utility, you can add groups, change group membership, rename groups, and delete groups. In this chapter, you will learn about user management at the local level, including creating user accounts and managing user properties. Then you will learn how to create and manage local groups. Overview of Windows XP User Accounts When you install Windows XP Professional, several user accounts are created automatically. You can then create new user accounts. On Windows XP Professional computers, you can create local user accounts. If your network has a Windows Server 2003 or Windows 2000 Server domain controller, your network can have domain user accounts, as well. In the following sections, you will learn about the default user accounts that are created by Windows XP Professional and the difference between local and domain user accounts. Simpo PDF Merge and Split Unregistered Version - http://www.simpopdf.com Copyright ©2003 SYBEX Inc., 1151 Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, CA 94501. COPYING PROHIBITED www.sybex.com Overview of Windows XP User Accounts 195 Built-in Accounts By default, a computer that is installed with Windows XP Professional in a workgroup has five user accounts: Administrator The Administrator account is a special account that has full control over the computer. You provide a password for this account during Windows XP Professional installation. The Administrator account can perform all tasks, such as creating users and groups, managing the file system, and setting up printing. Guest The Guest account allows users to access the computer even if they do not have a unique username and password. Because of the inherent security risks associated with this type of user, the Guest account is disabled by default. When this account is enabled, it is usually given very limited privileges. Initial user The initial user account uses the name of the registered user. This account is created only if the computer is installed as a member of a workgroup, rather than as part of a domain. By default, the initial user is a member of the Administrators group . HelpAssistant (new for Windows XP) The HelpAssistant account is used in conjunction with the Remote Desktop Help Assistance feature. This feature is covered in Chapter 14, “Performing System Recovery Functions.” Support_ xxxxxxx (new for Windows XP) Microsoft uses the Support_xxxxxxx account for the Help and Support Service. This account is disabled by default. By default, the name Administrator is given to the account with full control over the computer. You can increase the computer’s security by renaming the Administrator account and then creating an account named Administrator without any permissions. This way, even if a hacker is able to log on as Adminis- trator, they won’t be able to access any system resources. Local and Domain User Accounts Windows XP supports two kinds of users: local users and domain users. A computer that is running Windows XP Professional has the ability to store its own user accounts database. The users stored at the local computer are known as local user accounts. The Active Directory is a directory service that is available with the Windows Server 2003 and Windows 2000 Server platforms. It stores information in a central database that allows users to have a single user account for the network. The users stored in the Active Directory’s central database are called domain user accounts . If you use local user accounts, they must be configured on each computer that the user needs access to within the network. For this reason, domain user accounts are commonly used to manage users on large networks. On Windows XP Professional computers and Windows Server 2003 and Windows 2000 Server member servers (a member server has a local accounts database and does not store the Simpo PDF Merge and Split Unregistered Version - http://www.simpopdf.com Copyright ©2003 SYBEX Inc., 1151 Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, CA 94501. COPYING PROHIBITED www.sybex.com 196 Chapter 6 Managing Users and Groups Active Directory), you create local users through the Local Users and Groups utility, as described in the “Working with User Accounts” section later in the chapter. On Windows Server 2003 and Windows 2000 Server domain controllers, you manage users with the Microsoft Active Directory Users and Computers utility. Active Directory is covered in detail in MCSE: Windows 2000 Directory Services Administration Study Guide , 2nd edition, by Anil Desai with James Chellis (Sybex, 2001). Logging On and Logging Off Users must log on to a Windows XP Professional computer before they can use that computer. When you create user accounts, you set up the computer to accept the logon information provided by the user. You can log on locally to an XP Professional computer, or you can log on to a domain. When you install the computer, you specify that it will be a part of a workgroup, which implies a local logon, or that the computer will be a part of a domain, which implies a domain logon. When users are ready to stop working on a Windows XP Professional computer, they should log off. Logging off is accomplished through the Windows Security dialog box. In the following sections you will learn about local user authentication and how a user logs out of a Windows XP Professional computer. Local User Logon Authentication Depending on whether you are logging into a computer locally or are logging into a domain, Windows XP Professional uses two different logon procedures. When you log on to a Windows XP Professional computer locally, you must present a valid username and password (ones that exist within the local accounts database). As part of a successful authentication , the following steps take place: 1. At system startup, the user is prompted to click their username from a list of users who have been created locally. This is significantly different from the Ctrl+Alt+Del logon sequence that was used by Windows NT and Windows 2000. The Ctrl+Alt+Del sequence is still used when you log on to a domain environment. You can also configure this logon sequence as an option in a local environment. 2. The local computer compares the user’s logon credentials with the information in the local security database. 3. If the information presented matches the account database, an access token is created. Access tokens are used to identify the user and the groups of which that user is a member. Access tokens are created only when you log on. If you change group member- ships, you need to log off and log on again to update the access token. Simpo PDF Merge and Split Unregistered Version - http://www.simpopdf.com Copyright ©2003 SYBEX Inc., 1151 Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, CA 94501. COPYING PROHIBITED www.sybex.com Logging On and Logging Off 197 Figure 6.1 illustrates the three main steps in the logon process. FIGURE 6.1 The logon process Other actions that take place as part of the logon process include the following: The system reads the part of the Registry that contains user configuration information. The user’s profile is loaded. (User profiles are discussed in the “Setting Up User Profiles, Logon Scripts, and Home Folders” section later in this chapter.) Any policies that have been assigned to the user through a user or group policy are enforced. (Policies for users are discussed later in Chapter 7, “Managing Security.”) Any logon scripts that have been assigned are executed. (Assigning logon scripts to users is discussed in the “Setting Up User Profiles, Logon Scripts, and Home Folders” section.) Persistent network and printer connections are restored. (Network connections are discussed in Chapter 10, “Managing Network Connections,” and printer connections are covered in Chapter 11, “Managing Printing.”) Through the logon process, you can control what resources a user can access by assigning permissions. Permissions are granted to either users or groups. Permissions also determine what actions a user can perform on a computer. In Chapter 9, “Accessing Files and Folders,” you will learn more about assigning resource permissions. Logging Off Windows XP Professional To log off of Windows XP Professional, you click Start Logoff. If Windows XP is installed as a stand alone computer and is using the new logon interface where the users are listed on the logon screen, pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del, as you did in Windows NT or Windows 2000, will not bring up the Windows Security dialog box; instead, you will access the Task Manager utility (which does not have an option for logoff). The Windows Security dialog box includes options for Shut Down and Log Off. If you are using the classic Windows logon option, which presents you with a dialog box for entering your username and password, and when you press Ctrl+Alt+Del, you will be presented with the Windows Security dialog box. Local Security Database User User logs on locally Authentication returned User is checked against database ? Simpo PDF Merge and Split Unregistered Version - http://www.simpopdf.com Copyright ©2003 SYBEX Inc., 1151 Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, CA 94501. COPYING PROHIBITED www.sybex.com 198 Chapter 6 Managing Users and Groups Working with User Accounts To set up and manage users, you use the Local Users and Groups utility. With Local Users and Groups, you can create, disable, delete, and rename user accounts, as well as change user passwords. The procedures for many basic user management tasks—such as creating, disabling, deleting, and renaming user accounts—are the same for both Windows XP Professional and Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003. Using the Local Users and Groups Utility The first step in working with Windows XP Professional user accounts is to access the Local Users and Groups utility. There are two common methods for accessing this utility: You can load Local Users and Groups as a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in. (See Chapter 4, “Configuring the Windows XP Environment,” for details on the MMC and the purpose of snap-ins.) You can access the Local Users and Groups utility through the Computer Management utility. In Exercise 6.1, you will use both methods for accessing the Local Users and Groups utility. EXERCISE 6.1 Accessing the Local Users and Groups Utility In this exercise, you will first add the Local Users and Groups snap-in to the MMC. Next, you will add a shortcut to your Desktop that will take you to the MMC. Finally, you will use the other access technique of opening the Local Users and Groups utility from the Computer Management utility. Adding the Local Users and Groups Snap-in to the MMC 1. Select Start Run. In the Run dialog box, type MMC and press Enter. 2. Select File Add/Remove Snap-in. 3. In the Add/Remove Snap-in dialog box, click the Add button. 4. In the Add Standalone Snap-in dialog box, select Local Users and Groups and click the Add button. 5. In the Choose Target Machine dialog box, click the Finish button to accept the default selection of Local Computer. 6. Click the Close button in the Add Standalone Snap-in dialog box. Then click the OK button in the Add/Remove Snap-in dialog box. Simpo PDF Merge and Split Unregistered Version - http://www.simpopdf.com Copyright ©2003 SYBEX Inc., 1151 Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, CA 94501. COPYING PROHIBITED www.sybex.com Working with User Accounts 199 If your computer doesn’t have the MMC configured, the quickest way to access the Local Users and Groups utility is through the Computer Management utility. Creating New Users To create users on a Windows XP Professional computer, you must be logged on as a user with permissions to create a new user, or you must be a member of the Administrators group or 7. In the MMC window, expand the Local Users and Groups folder to see the Users and Groups folders. Adding the MMC to Your Desktop 8. Select File Save. Click the folder with the Up arrow icon until you are at the root of the computer. 9. Select the Desktop option and specify Admin Console as the filename. The default extension is .msc. Click the Save button. Accessing Local Users and Groups through Computer Management 10. Select Start, then right-click My Computer and select Manage. 11. In the Computer Management window, expand the System Tools folder and then the Local Users and Groups folder. EXERCISE 6.1 (continued) Simpo PDF Merge and Split Unregistered Version - http://www.simpopdf.com Copyright ©2003 SYBEX Inc., 1151 Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, CA 94501. COPYING PROHIBITED www.sybex.com 200 Chapter 6 Managing Users and Groups Power Users group. In the following sections, you will learn about username rules and conven- tions and usernames and security identifiers in more detail. Username Rules and Conventions The only real requirement for creating a new user is that you must provide a valid username. “Valid” means that the name must follow the Windows XP rules for usernames. However, it’s also a good idea to have your own rules for usernames, which form your naming convention. The following are the Windows XP rules for usernames: A username must be between 1 and 20 characters. The username must be unique to all other user and group names stored on the specified computer. The username cannot contain the following characters: * / \ [ ] : ; | = , + * ? < > " A username cannot consist exclusively of periods or spaces. Keeping these rules in mind, you should choose a naming convention (a consistent naming format). For example, consider a user named Kevin Donald. One naming convention might use the last name and first initial, for the username DonaldK. Another naming convention might use the first initial and last name, for the username KDonald. Other user-naming conventions are based on the naming convention defined for e-mail names, so that the logon name and e-mail name match. You should also provide a mechanism that would accommodate duplicate names. For example, if you had a user named Kevin Donald and a user named Kate Donald, you might use a middle initial for usernames, such as KLDonald and KMDonald. Naming conventions should also be applied to objects such as groups, printers, and computers. Usernames and Security Identifiers When you create a new user, a security identifier (SID) is automatically created on the computer for the user account. The username is a property of the SID. For example, a user SID might look like this: S-1-5-21-823518204-746137067-120266-629-500 It’s apparent that using SIDs for user identification would make administration a nightmare. Fortunately, for your administrative tasks, you see and use the username instead of the SID. SIDs have several advantages. Because Windows XP Professional uses the SID as the user object, you can easily rename a user while still retaining all the properties of that user. SIDs also ensure that if you delete and re-create a user account with the same username, the new user account will not have any of the properties of the old account, because it is based on a new, unique SID. Renaming and deleting user accounts is discussed later in this chapter in the “Renaming User Accounts” and “Deleting User Accounts” sections. Simpo PDF Merge and Split Unregistered Version - http://www.simpopdf.com Copyright ©2003 SYBEX Inc., 1151 Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, CA 94501. COPYING PROHIBITED www.sybex.com Working with User Accounts 201 Make sure that your users know that usernames are not case sensitive, but passwords are. In Exercise 6.2, you will use the New User dialog box to create several new local user accounts. We will put these user accounts to work in subsequent exercises in this chapter. Table 6.1 describes all the options available in the New User dialog box. TABLE 6.1 User Account Options Available in the New User Dialog Box Option Description User name Defines the username for the new account. Choose a name that is consistent with your naming convention (e.g., WSmith). This is the only required field. Usernames are not case sensitive. Full name Allows you to provide more detailed name information. This is typically the user’s first and last name (e.g., Wendy Smith). By default, this field contains the same name as the User Name field. Description Typically used to specify a title and/or location (e.g., Sales-Texas) for the account, but it can be used to provide any additional information about the user. Password Assigns the initial password for the user. For security purposes, avoid using readily available information about the user. Passwords can be up to 14 characters and are case sensitive. Confirm password Confirms that you typed the password the same way two times to verify that you entered the password correctly. User must change password at next logon If enabled, forces the user to change the password the first time they log on. This is done to increase security. By default, this option is selected. User cannot change password If enabled, prevents a user from changing their password. It is useful for accounts such as Guest and accounts that are shared by more than one user. By default, this option is not selected. Password never expires If enabled, specifies that the password will never expire, even if a password policy has been specified. For example, you might enable this option if this is a service account and you do not want the administrative overhead of managing password changes. By default, this option is not selected. Account is disabled If enabled, specifies that this account cannot be used for logon purposes. For example, you might select this option for template accounts or if an account is not currently being used. It helps keep inactive accounts from posing security threats. By default, this option is not selected. Simpo PDF Merge and Split Unregistered Version - http://www.simpopdf.com Copyright ©2003 SYBEX Inc., 1151 Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, CA 94501. COPYING PROHIBITED www.sybex.com [...]... on a Windows XP Professional computer By default, the following local groups are created on Windows XP Professional computers: Administrators Backup Operators Guests Network Configuration Operators (new for Windows XP) Power Users Remote Desktop Users (new for Windows XP) Replicator Users HelpServicesGroup (new for Windows XP) Copyright ©2003 SYBEX Inc., 1151 Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, CA 945 01... upgraded from Windows NT 4 Workstation to Windows XP Professional, the default location for user profiles is \WINNT\Profiles\ UserName If you install Windows XP Professional from scratch, or upgrade from Windows 2000 Professional, the default location for user profiles is systemdrive:\Documents and Settings\UserName Copyright ©2003 SYBEX Inc., 1151 Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, CA 945 01 COPYING PROHIBITED... Directory Using Built-in Groups On a Windows XP Professional computer, default local groups have already been created and assigned all necessary permissions to accomplish basic tasks In addition, there are built-in special groups that the Windows XP system handles automatically These groups are described in the following sections Windows XP Professional, Windows 2000 Server, and Windows Server 2003 operating... the Windows XP environment for a specific user For example, profile settings include the Desktop arrangement, program groups, and screen colors that users see when they log on Each time you log on to a Windows XP Professional computer, the system checks to see if you have a local user profile in the Documents and Settings folder, which was created on the boot partition when you installed Windows XP Professional. .. compatibility with non Windows XP clients that want to log on but still maintain consistent settings with their native operating system To run a logon script for a user, enter the script name in the Logon Script text box in the Profile tab of the user Properties dialog box Logon scripts are not commonly used in Windows Server 2003 or Windows 2000 Server network environments Windows XP Professional automates... utility Table 6.2 describes the special groups that are built into Windows XP Professional Copyright ©2003 SYBEX Inc., 1151 Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, CA 945 01 COPYING PROHIBITED www.sybex.com Simpo PDF Merge and Split Unregistered Version - http://www.simpopdf.com Creating and Managing Groups TABLE 6.2 221 Special Groups in Windows XP Professional Group Description Creator Owner The account that... Inc., 1151 Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, CA 945 01 COPYING PROHIBITED www.sybex.com Simpo PDF Merge and Split Unregistered Version - http://www.simpopdf.com Exam Essentials 227 Summary In this chapter, you learned about user management features in Windows XP Professional We covered the following topics: The types of accounts supported by Windows XP Professional You can set up local user accounts... group that includes users who access the Windows XP Professional operating system through a valid username and password Users who can log on belong to the Authenticated Users group Anonymous Logon The group that includes users who access the computer through anonymous logons When users gain access through special accounts created for anonymous access to Windows XP Professional services, they become members... SYBEX Inc., 1151 Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, CA 945 01 COPYING PROHIBITED www.sybex.com Simpo PDF Merge and Split Unregistered Version - http://www.simpopdf.com 216 Chapter 6 Managing Users and Groups Use of the Microsoft Active Directory Users and Computers utility is covered in MCSE: Windows 2000 Directory Services Administration Study Guide, 2nd edition, by Anil Desai with James Chellis (Sybex,... users Windows XP Professional includes built-in local groups, such Copyright ©2003 SYBEX Inc., 1151 Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, CA 945 01 COPYING PROHIBITED www.sybex.com Simpo PDF Merge and Split Unregistered Version - http://www.simpopdf.com Creating and Managing Groups 217 as Administrators and Backup Operators These groups already have all the permissions needed to accomplish specific tasks Windows . Overview of Windows XP User Accounts When you install Windows XP Professional, several user accounts are created automatically. You can then create new user accounts. On Windows XP Professional. assigning resource permissions. Logging Off Windows XP Professional To log off of Windows XP Professional, you click Start Logoff. If Windows XP is installed as a stand alone computer. same for both Windows XP Professional and Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003. Using the Local Users and Groups Utility The first step in working with Windows XP Professional user