Microsoft Windows XP Illustrated Complete

1
Microsoft Windows XP Illustrated Complete
Administering

• Your Computer

2
Objectives

• Explore Windows administrative tools
• Monitor activity with Event Viewer
• Manage an event log
• Create a performance chart
• Set up an alert

3
Objectives

• View Computer Management tools
• Understand disk file systems
• Manage disks
• Monitor local security settings

4
Unit Introduction

• If you have purchased a computer and set it up in
  your home, you are the administrator
• Computers on a network in an institution, such as
  at a university, are called clients and are
  managed by one or more administrator
• An administrators role is to ensure that the
  network and its services are fast, reliable, and
  secure
• Although most administration takes place on the
  server end, clients must also be administered
• Windows XP includes administrative tools that
  make it easy to administer individual computers

5
Exploring Windows Administrative Tools

• Windows XP has a set of administrative tools that
  ensure smooth operation of your computer
• The Administrative Tools window is available from
  the Control Panel
• Provides tools that allow you to configure
  administrative settings for local and remote
  computers
• If you are working on a shared or network
  computer, you might need to be logged in as an
  administrator in order to access these tools
• To check your status, open the User Accounts
  window from the Control Panel

6
Exploring Windows Administrative Tools (cont.)

• To open the Administrative Tools window
• Open the Control Panel in Classic View
• Double-click the Administrative Tools icon

This tool Available only with Windows XP
Professional
Your list of tools may differ
7
Exploring Windows Administrative Tools (cont.)

• Administrative tools

8
Accessing Administrative Tools from the Start Menu

• If you frequently use administrative tools, you
  might want to put them on the Start menu for easy
  access
• To add them to the start menu
• Right-click the Start button, then click
  Properties
• Click the Start menu tab in the Taskbar and Start
  Menu Properties dialog box, then click Customize
• Click the Advanced tab in the Customize Start
  Menu dialog box, click the Display on the All
  Programs menu and the Start menu option buttons
  under System Administrative Tools, then click OK
  twice
• Click the Start button on the taskbar, then click
  an item on the Administrative Tools menu in the
  right-column

9
Network Security

• A networks security is measured by the degree to
  which data and resources are protected form
  system failure or unauthorized access
• One security measure is to assign rights to
  different groups or individuals
• To check membership in a group in Windows XP
  Professional
• Double-click Computer Management in the
  Administrative Tools window
• Click the Expand indicator next to Local Users
  and Groups in the left pane, then double-click a
  group icon in the right pane of the Properties
  dialog box to display its members
• Click Add in the Properties dialog box to open
  the Select Users dialog box in order to add new
  members

10
Monitoring Activities with Event Viewer

• When you start Windows, an event-logging feature
  notes any unusual event, such as a failed logon
  or network interruption
• For some critical events, a warning message
  appears on your screen, but most events are
  logged in an event log file
• The Event Viewer tool allows you to access logs
  for
• System (events logged by Windows operating
  system)
• Security (for security and audit events)
• Application (for program events)

11
Monitoring Activities with Event Viewer (cont.)
System Event log icon indicates event type

• To open Event Viewer
• In the Administrative Tools window, double-click
  the Event Viewer icon
• In the left pane, click the event type to display
  the log for that event type in the right pane

12
Monitoring Activities with Event Viewer (cont.)

• To view additional details about an event
• In the Event Viewer, double-click an event in the
  right pane to open the Event Properties window
• Click the up and down arrows to display
  additional event descriptions

13
Monitoring Activities with Event Viewer (cont.)

• Event Viewer columns

14
Managing an Event Log

• Event Viewer provides tools that help you view
  just the information you need and store what you
  need to save for later
• A filter will display only events showing
  specific criteria
• You can also search for a specific event
• You can also archive, or save, your log
  periodically and then clear the events

15
Managing an Event Log (cont.)

• To filter a log
• In the Event Viewer window, click View on the
  menu bar, then click Filter
• On the Filter tab of the System Properties dialog
  box, select the appropriate check boxes, then
  click OK
• To undo the filter, click View on the menu bar,
  click Filter, click Restore Defaults, then click
  OK

16
Managing an Event Log (cont.)

• To search in a log
• In the Event Viewer window, click View on the
  menu bar, then click Find
• On the Find tab of the System Properties dialog
  box, specify the criteria, then click Find Next

17
Managing an Event Log (cont.)

• To archive a log
• In the Event Viewer window, right-click the log
  in the left pane, then click Save Log File As
• In the Save Log As dialog box, select a
  filename and location, then click Save

18
Changing Log Settings

• You can control how any log in the Event Viewer
  collects data by defining a maximum log size and
  instructing Event Viewer how to handle a log that
  reaches its maximum size
• Options for a full log include that new events
  can overwrite the oldest ones or ones older than
  a certain date, or that the log must be cleared
  manually
• To change log settings
• Select the log in the left pane of the Event
  Viewer window
• Click the Properties button on the toolbar
• In the Properties dialog box, change the
  appropriate settings, then click OK

19
Creating a Performance Chart

• Your system generates a variety of performance
  data, such a memory or processor use
• As the administrator, you can use the Performance
  tool to create charts that enable you to observe
  how your computer behaves over time
• The types of performance data you monitor and
  record are called performance objects
• Each performance object has a set of counters
  that provide numeric information
• The Performance tool charts numeric data and
  provides graphics to analyze data

20
Creating a Performance Chart (cont.)

• To create a performance chart
• In the Administrative Tools window, double-click
  the Performance icon, then click the View Graph
  button
• The Performance window starts charting the
  default counters in the right pane
• Click the Delete button to delete a counter
• To add a counter, click the Add button, select a
  counter in the Add Counters dialog box, then
  click Add

Performance chart
Counters list
21
Baseline Charts

• Performance charts include statistics about each
  counter you select
• A baseline chart is made when the computer or
  network is running at a normal level
• Charts made when a computer is having problems
  can be compared to a baseline chart to make a
  diagnosis

22
Setting Up an Alert

• An alert is a warning generated when a counter
  value exceeds or falls short of a specified
  threshold
• When an alert condition is met, the date and time
  are recorded in the Application log, which you
  can view from Event Viewer
• Your system can record up to 1000 alert events,
  after which the oldest are discarded as new
  events occur

23
Setting Up an Alert (cont.)

• To set up an alert
• In the Performance window, click the Performance
  Logs and Alerts icon in the left pane, then
  double-click Alerts in the right pane
• Click Action on the menu bar, then click New
  Alert Settings
• Type a name for your alert, click Ok, then click
  Add in the Alert Test dialog box
• In the Add Counters dialog box, select the
  counters, then click OK
• In the Alert Test dialog box, select a threshold,
  then click OK

24
Managing Your Computers Performance

• Changing the way XP manages system processing and
  memory can improve your computers performance
• Foreground process refers to the processor time
  used by the program with which you are currently
  working
• Background processes, including printing, run
  while you are working on other things
• Balancing foreground and background can adjust
  your performance

25
Managing Your Computers Performance (cont.)

• To optimize performance
• Double-click the System icon in the Control
  Panel, then click the Advanced tab in the System
  Properties dialog box
• Click Settings in the Performance section, click
  the Advanced tab, then click the Programs or
  Background services option button as appropriate
• When your computer is low on RAM and more is
  needed to complete a task, XP uses hard drive
  space, called virtual memory, to simulate RAM
• For processes that take a lot of RAM, you can
  optimize virtual memory use by allocating more
  available space on your hard disk drive

26
Viewing Computer Management Tools

• Computer Management consolidates administrative
  tools into a single window
• The Computer Management window uses a two-pane
  view similar to Windows Explorer
• The hierarchy of tools is called the console
  tree, and each main category of tools is called a
  node
• The three nodes allow you to manage and monitor
  system events and performance and to perform
  disk-related tasks and are
• System Tools, Storage, and Services and
  Applications
• Each node contains snap-in tools, which come in
  two types
• Stand-ins are independent tools
• Extensions add-ons to current snap-ins

27
Viewing Computer Management Tools (cont.)

• To view a log
• In the Administrative Tools window, double-click
  the Computer Management icon
• In the Computer Management window, click a node
  in the console tree in the left pane
• Click the Expand indicator as necessary to
  display the appropriate tool, then double-click
  an item in the right pane to display more
  information about it

28
Understanding Local Users and Groups

• Windows XP Professional users can manage the
  access privileges and permissions of local user
  and group accounts
• A local user account is an individual account
  with a unique set of permissions, and a group is
  a collection of individual accounts with the same
  set of permissions
• You can change local and group accounts in the
  Computer Management window using the Local Users
  and Groups tool
• You can limit users from accessing and deleting
  files, using programs such as Backup, or making
  system-wide changes

29
Understanding Disk File Systems

• A disk must be formatted with a file system that
  allows it to work with the operating system to
  store, manage, and access data
• Disks on DOS, Windows 3.1, or Windows 98
  computers use FAT
• Disks on computers running Windows NT or higher
  (including XP) can use either NTFS or FAT
• NTFS is a newer system that improves on FAT
  disks, especially when used on a network

30
Understanding Disk File Systems (cont.)

• FAT systems are different because
• When you format a disk with FAT, a formatting
  program divides the disk into storage
  compartments
• First it creates a series of rings, called
  tracks, then the tracks are divided into equal
  parts to form sectors

31
Understanding Disk File Systems (cont.)

• FAT systems are different because (cont.)
• A file is stored in clusters, also called
  allocation units, that are one or more sectors of
  storage space
• Each cluster has a unique number
• The operating system maintains a file allocation
  table (FAT) on each disk that lists the clusters
  and their status
• Each cluster remembers its order in the chain,
  and points to the next one, until the end of the
  file

32
Understanding Disk File Systems (cont.)

• NTFS systems are different because they
• Feature a built-in security system that doesnt
  allow users to access the disk unless they have a
  user account and password with the necessary
  rights and permissions
• Protect disks from damage by automatically
  redirecting data from a bad sector to a good
  sector
• Rarely require maintenance because of their
  built-in repair mechanisms, which is an example
  of fault tolerance, the ability of a disk to
  resist damage

33
Understanding Disk File Systems (cont.)

• NTFS improvements on the FAT file system

34
Selecting a File System

• All floppy disks are formatted with FAT
• In most cases, a hard disk has already been
  assigned either FAT or NTFS by the person who set
  up the computer or the manufacturer
• If your computer is a client on a network, you
  probably have NTFS

35
Managing Disks

• The Storage node in the Computer Management
  window provides you with tools to help manage
  disks
• Disk Management is a graphical tool that allows
  you to partition unallocated portions of disks
  into volumes, which are fixed amounts of storage
• A single disk can have more than one volume, or a
  volume can span across several disks
• Each volume on a disk has its own letter
• Each volume can use a different file system
• A disk with multiple volumes has been partitioned

36
Managing Disks (cont.)

• To view storage tools
• In the Computer Management window, click the
  Expand indicator next to the Storage node
• In the console tree, click the appropriate disk
  management tool to display information in the
  right pane

37
Partitioning a Disk

• Before you partitioning a disk, check to make
  sure there is enough free space that is not yet
  part of a partition
• Right-click an allocated region of the disk in
  the Disk Management pane, click Create Partition,
  then follow the wizard

A hard disk, partitioned two ways
38
Monitoring Local Security Settings

• Monitoring local security settings with the Local
  Security settings tool in Windows XP Professional
  ensures users are adhering to the networks
  security policies
• For example, you can set user account and
  password options to require users to create
  complex passwords and change them regularly
• A complex password contains characters from at
  least three of the four categories uppercase
  letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and
  nonalphanumeric
• You can also monitor, or audit, the success or
  failure of security-related events

39
Monitoring Local Security Settings (cont.)

• To view local security settings and change
  password settings
• In the Administrative Tools window, double-click
  the Local Security Policy icon
• In the Local Security Settings window, click the
  Expand indicator next to Account Policies, then
  click the Password Policy folder
• In the right-pane, double-click the appropriate
  policy or setting, make any changes, then click OK

40
Monitoring Local Security Settings (cont.)

• To audit local security settings
• Click the Expand indicator next to Local
  Policies, then click the Audit Policy folder
• In the right-pane, double-click an event to open
  its Properties dialog box, make any changes, then
  click OK