Problem solve
Get help with specific problems with your technologies, process and projects.
Problem solve
Get help with specific problems with your technologies, process and projects.
Scripting resources to automate patching
Although lacking the bells and whistles of commercial patching tools, scripts can offer a quick and simple way to automate Windows patch deployment. Contributor Tony Bradley identifies several handy patching scripts and resources in this tip. Continue Reading
Infected with malware? Stop it from spreading
A worm, virus or other malicious software is spreading throughout your network. How can you stop the "bleeding" before too much damage is done? Windows security threats expert Kevin Beaver offers his tips for containing malware. Continue Reading
Windows patches: When to push or pull them
To deploy Windows patches, you can push patches from a central server to Windows machines or have clients contact the central server directly to pull the patches down. Continue Reading
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Configure Group Policy to prevent attacks
This list of critical Group Policy settings will help you lock down Windows against security threats, whether you want to thwart automated password cracking attacks, enable audit logging or simply force attackers to jump through more hoops. Continue Reading
Practice effective security log analysis
Collecting security log data is useless if your log isn't properly configured, monitored and analyzed. Get tips for effective data logging in part one of this two-part series. Continue Reading
Manual vs. automated patch tracking
With new patches coming at you seemingly a mile a minute, you may wonder what the best way is to manage them. Get help comparing manual vs. automatic patch tracking.Continue Reading
Security Configuration Wizard quick setup checklist
The Security Configuration Wizard (SCW) is considered a significant new security enhancement in a Windows service pack. Learn how to setup SCW with this checklist.Continue Reading
Disable Windows XP Remote Desktop
Is Windows XP Remote Desktop causing havoc on your machine? Find out how you can disable or enable this feature with a simple registry tweak.Continue Reading
Block Internet Explorer Web surfing via Group Policy
Learn how to block a user's ability to surf the Web using Microsoft Group Policy.Continue Reading
Granting access to resources in a multiple domain environment
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Empty the prefetch folder
Empty the Prefetch folderContinue Reading
Choosing an intrusion detection system: Network, host or application-based IDS
Different types of intrusion detection tools do different jobs. This tip offers help comparing three different types of IDS devices: network, host and application-based IDS.Continue Reading
How to turn System Restore on or off
System Restore is a handy feature offered in Windows XP by default. Find out how you can turn it on or off at your will.Continue Reading
Seven steps to troubleshoot server access problems
IDS options: Signature databases and heuristics
This tip details the differences between two defining IDS product features -- signature databases and heuristics -- and offers advice for choosing IDS solutions.Continue Reading
When to use Remote Desktop over VPN
When providing remote users protected access on a server, determine if they need it for connectivity or management purposes -- then you will know when to use Remote Desktop or VPN.Continue Reading
KillPol helps debug policy problems
It's not always easy to figure out the cause of a policy problem. KillPol, a utility, makes the debugging process less tedious and a whole lot less painful.Continue Reading
Can a power user install software and allow Windows Updates?
Why is our mapped drive reverting to previous mapping?
Use VBScript to monitor drive space
Use this script to monitor free space on systems or shares.Continue Reading
Checklist: How to configure the audit policy
A properly-configured audit policy can lead you to a goldmine of information in Windows event logs. Get help configuring the audit policy in this checklist.Continue Reading
Setting auditing policies in the registry
Finding the CLSID for ActiveX controls in IE
Null session attacks: Who's still vulnerable?
Null session vulnerabilities have fallen off the radar for many Windows shops, but at what price? Kevin Beaver explains which Windows machines are still at risk.Continue Reading
Bypassing the logon password on Windows 2000 Pro
Roberta Bragg explains that, while you cannot bypass the login password in Windows 2000 Pro, there are tools that help assist you crack passwords and/or replace them.Continue Reading
Guarding against malware infection from remote users
Learn how securing your telecommuters can fortify your network against malicious code attacks.Continue Reading
Using "netstat" to display open ports on a Windows XP computer
Ways a virus can enter a system
How can I prevent users from uploading files using IE?
Remove shortcut arrow from desktop icons in Win XP
Remove shortcut arrow from desktop iconsContinue Reading
How can I set up a BIOS password on my PC?
Using Windows XP/Windows 2003 Server's SYSTEMINFO utility
XP and Win2003's SYSTEMINFO utility allows an admin to query a local or remote system for detailed system configuration information.Continue Reading
Where is the 'User Profile' file, and how can I access and view its contents?
What are TCP/UDP ports 9, 11 and 13 used for?
Can I allow users to modify but not delete?
DOS printing from Windows XP
Allow DOS apps printing access on networked printers that do not use LPT1, such as IP printers.Continue Reading
How does decryption work?
Exactly how is a SID created?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of patch management?
How can I bypass the password to Windows 98?
What is SAM in network security?
Create ODBCs from a command line
Create ODBCs from a command lineContinue Reading
Windows XP's built-in administration tools
Take a look at the various administration tools built into Microsoft's latest desktop OS.Continue Reading
Using GPO to give power user rights
Speed up GPO processing during logon
How logons get bogged down by the synchronus policy application. And how you can change that.Continue Reading
What is the function of the SID?
How can I restrict access to a DNS server?
Cut and paste to/from a DOS window
Using cut-and-paste in the command prompt is easy. Here's how you do it for Win2k Pro and Win2k server.Continue Reading
Default and predefined security templates
What's in the Windows-supplied templates.Continue Reading
How can we restrict the ability to edit group policies to a subgroup of domain admins (just senior a
How do I restrict access to certain sections of our company's intranet?
How do I set up a DMZ?
How do I set audit permissions to a folder by command prompt in NT 4.0?
When I execute Netstat, I see over 20 unidentifiable ports connected or listening.
What are elevated privileges and why do they make my systems vulnerable?
The difference between hackers and crackers
The difference between hackers and crackers.Continue Reading
Group policy won't let me delete disk quota entries for old users
Can a password be changed remotely through a VPN?
Disable the caching of SSL sites
By default, Internet Explorer will cache all sites in your temporary Internet folder -- but you can prevent this.Continue Reading
EFS benefits and limitations
How can we restrict user installs but still allow certain programs to write files to the registry or
How can I determine who created or modified a file on Win2k server without using detailed auditing?
What is the difference between an ACL Router and a firewall?
AutoCAD will only work if users are given Power User permissions
Find those missing Control Panel icons
How to solve the disappearing icon bug.Continue Reading
Antivirus hardware?
Here's a look at antivirus appliances.Continue Reading
Is there an alternative bypass for AutoAdminLogon than using Shift at startup?
What is the purpose of 'Restricted Group' in Group Policy?
Using honeypots to fake out an attacker
Honeypot systems attract hackers like bees to honey. If implemented correctly, they offer the network administrator a way to discover unwanted activity on a network.Continue Reading
What is C2 certification and what does it mean?
How can I find and print a company's digital certificate?
What is CHKNTFS?
Most admins are familiar with CHKDSK, but what about it's lesser known cousin, CHKNTFS?Continue Reading
Can I leave PC on overnight to receive faxes without leaving network vulnerable?
How to prevent a Smurf attack
A Smurf attack is a very unique but popular method of attack. This member-submitted tip tells how to guard against them.Continue Reading
Access logs in Excel format
Obtain an Exce-readable, comma-delimited security logon/logoff/lockout log file (.csv) of a server.Continue Reading
Benefit from Windows file encryption
What you can do with file encryption.Continue Reading
Create a shortcut to lock your computer
Create a shortcut to lock your workstation.Continue Reading
Disable or restrict Internet access
Settings to disable or restrict Internet access with Internet Explorer.Continue Reading
Connect Mac to Windows 2000
How to connect Mac to Windows 2000Continue Reading
What are the advantages and disadvantages to having users logon to the domain vs. the local machine?
Access was denied to pagefile.sys
Local Security Authority or LSA basics
Remove a user or a group from the Everyone group
File system security
This tip describes some basics of the Windows 2000 file system security apparatus.Continue Reading
Bypassing password logon in Windows 2000
Access
is for IT professionals, business leaders and developers who want to take a strategic approach to end-user computing. We cover the forward-thinking tactics and technologies needed to provide users with the tools they need to do their jobs.Continue Reading