2004 November

I’ve been enjoying my Gmail account for some time now. All in all, the good people at Google have made some really great strides with pushing the Web mail envelope. Address importing, inviting your friends, use of filters versus folders; the list of goodies just goes on and on.
My use of the Gmail account was […]

Welcome to Just Ask Matt! - The IT industry’s answer to the help column, only slightly more medicated. Today, Hal writes:
A month or so back, Chris suggested people give FastCache a try. For some time now, it has worked really well. But when I tried to use it in my Wi-Fi enabled notebook yesterday, it […]

Ever wish that you had a resource that could tell you what to do about spam, why spammers spam, the history of spam, how to stop making it lucrative for spammers, and, most important for the IT professional, how to get your users to stop enabling spam?
Well, then you’re in luck, because Danny Goodman’s new […]

SoftPerfect Network Protocol Analyzer is an advanced, professional tool for
analyzing, debugging, maintaining and monitoring local networks and Internet
connections. It captures the data passing through your dial-up connection or
network Ethernet card, analyzes this data, and then represents it in an easily
readable form. SoftPerfect Network Protocol Analyzer is a useful tool for
network administrators, security specialists, network application […]

Security Templates are basically subsets from the overall Group Policy menu that are security specific. Security Templates are basically examples of various granularly-applied security features. The idea is that, instead of manually building a security policy and run the risk of missing a vital element toward the overall picture, choose one or more ready-made security […]

Windows Server 2003’s implementation of PKI offers several options and configuration features that enhance both the security of the data and communication, but also user functionality and ease-of-use.
As in real life, Certificates aren’t just granted for anything and everything. Instead, they are usually requested or granted with a specific purpose in mind: File Recovery, EFS, […]

Even with the best intentions and backup schemes in place, users can still lose data. They might lose messages by exceeding the 2-GB limit for PSTs in Outlook 2002 and earlier, experience a loss of data because of a power outage or hardware glitch, or forget a password for an infrequently used PST.
If you’re looking […]

A Certificate is, at its heart, a document that certifies something, usually an accomplishment or status. In the context of Windows Server 2003 encryption, it becomes a document that certifies that the holder is who and what they claim to be. The holder, of course, is the computer or user account.

In the first installment of my series on ADD and computing, I gave a bit of an introduction to attention deficit disorder. I was attempting to give a snapshot of the ADD mind, but it’s not an easy thing to capture, as we only have our own brains to reside in and nothing else […]

Another alternative to creating images is to use the Remote Installation Preparation (RIPrep) image. Like Sysprep, RIPrep can be used to not only image an operating system but applications and configuration settings can be included in the image as well. In terms of TCO, RIPrep provides an efficient and very fast way of […]

At SearchSecurity.com, Ira Winkler, CISSP writes:
It never ceases to amaze me the awe in which media, the general public and the security naive within the computer profession regard hackers, specifically those people who criminally break into computer systems, creating even more computer misfits.
Everyone has a desire to standout from the crowd and the sensationalism of […]

CRITICAL: Moderately critical IMPACT: System access WHERE: From local network OS: Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server, Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server, Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Server, Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Server, Terminal Server Edition, Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition, Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition, Microsoft Windows […]

In a previous certification related article, I outlined the different Operation Masters in Windows Server 2003 (and Windows 2000). It is definitely a popular exam topic. You should know what each role does (which was previously discussed) as well as how to determine which server on your network is functioning as a particular operation master.

As already mentioned, you have two options for deploying an operating system through RIS. You can use RIPrep to create an image of a reference computer and copy it to the RIS server (this will be discussed further in Part IV). Or you can use CD-based images.
When you run the Remote Installation Services […]

Good news for those of you with pirated copies of Windows XP: Microsoft is going to replace your pirated copies with legitimate ones. Their trade-in program offers full amnesty and will be good for up to five PCs.

Ah yes, it is time for another exciting Thanksgiving here in the States. Turkey, stuffing, and of course - rain. What Washington State Thanksgiving wouldn’t be complete without a tremendous rain fall to keep everything green and leafy? Just for kicks, I managed to get some camera phone pics of the really bad flood areas […]

Welcome to Just Ask Matt! - The IT industry’s answer to the help column, only slightly more medicated. Today, GiM writes:
I know the differences between Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional. I see a lot of computers with Windows XP Media Center. Aside from the fact that it’s usually used with a TV tuner […]

While on the road to obtaining an MCSE or an MCSA you will undoubtedly run into the terms distinguished name or user principal name. Understanding the difference between these naming conventions will put you one step closer to exam success.
Active Directory supports a variety of different naming conventions such as distinguished names, relative distinguished names, […]

The basic steps for installing an RIS server are as follows:

Install the Remote Installation Services.

Run the Remote Installation Services Setup wizard.

Authorize the RIS server in Active Directory.

Grant the appropriate users the right to create computer accounts in the domain.

Gnomie M. Nelson writes:
Life as computer repairman can be challenging at times. Running my own small business, that makes me one of the very few people in my area who goes to people’s houses to solve their computer problems. As many well know, it can be not only interesting, but very frustrating.
My business substantially consists […]