In a previous article you learned how to create user accounts in Windows Server 2003. Well you are not done there. You’re next step is to become familiar with the different settings that can be configured through the properties window for a user account.

Every user account has a set of configurable properties. Right clicking on a user account within Active Directory Users and Computers brings up a window with several tabs. All the configurable properties are attributes within the Schema. From the properties window you can configure properties such as group membership, user profiles and home directories and dial in settings.

The following table summarizes the tabs that are available. If you are preparing for your MCSA, one of the best ways to become familiar with the configurable properties is to get some hands-on experience. If possible, sit down in front of a computer running Windows Server 2003 and poke around the various tabs until you are comfortable with the various options.

Property Tabs and Their Descriptions

• General: Used to change or configure the name, description, telephone number, and email address of the user account.

• Address: Used to configure the address of the user.
• Account: Used the change the logon name, configure logon restrictions, account options, and account expiration.
• Profile: This tab allows you to specify the path to a user’s profile as well as the location of logon scripts and home folders.
• Telephones: Allows you to configure different telephone numbers associated with the user such as a home number and fax number.
• Organization: Provides different fields where you can provide information about a user’s position within the organization.
• Remote Control: Use this tab to configure Terminal Services remote control settings for a user account.
• Terminal Services Profile: Allows you to configure the Terminal Services profile.
• COM+: Used to configure the COM+ partition set the user is a member of.
• Member Of: Allows you to configure the groups the user account is a member of.
• Dial-in: Used to define the dial-in settings for the user account such as remote access permissions and callback options.
• Environment: This tab allows you to configure the Terminal Services startup environment.
• Sessions: Use this tab to configure timeout and reconnect settings for Terminal Services.