[Editor's Note: Solve this month's Windows NT problem and get the chance to win $100 or a copy of one of the author's books about NT. Email your solutions (don't use an attachment) to challenge@win2000mag.com. Include your full name, mailing address, and connection to the OS (e.g., administrator, user). Because of the number of entries, we can't reply to all respondents. Look for the solution to this month's problem in the August issue.]
Peggy, a Help desk worker, received a call from a user who complained that a certain application ran every time the user booted her Windows NT computer. To solve the user's problem, Peggy checked for the application in the Startup folder in the Programs menu, but the folder was empty. She then checked the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run Registry key, but it didn't list the persistent program. Next, Peggy checked HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run, but it also didn't list the program she was looking for. She searched the entire Registry for the keyword run and found nine Registry keys, none of which listed the persistent program.
Problem
Peggy gave up and told the user to close the program after it opened. Privately, Peggy thought that the user must have been clicking a desktop shortcut that caused the pesky application to run at startup. However, Peggy failed to check an obvious place that might list the program. What place did Peggy overlook in her search?
FEBRUARY WINNERS
Congratulations to Allin Penfound, a Windows NT administrator in Indianapolis, and to Sandra-Jane Purins of Minnetonka, Minnesota. Allin won first prize of $100 for the best solution to the February Reader Challenge. Sandra-Jane won second prize of a copy of Kathy's new book, Managing Windows NT Logons (O'Reilly & Associates, 2000).
Problem
Herman, an enthusiastic employee in his company's research department, wants to be a member of the IT department. He convinced Melinda, the IT director, to let him help in her department. Yesterday, Melinda gave Herman a list of easy-to-accomplish chores that she wanted him to perform on one of the company file servers that runs Windows NT Server 4.0 with NTFS. After he finished the work Melinda had assigned him, Herman decided to tweak the server to tighten security.
Today, the server's D drive, which holds software and data files for six departments, is configured for No Access, and nobody can access the server. Herman is distraught and is cowering in the corner of the cafeteria. Quick—tell him how to undo the damage to the D drive.
Solution
To repair the D drive, you need to take ownership of the drive, a situation that requires you to have administrative rights. Taking ownership automatically changes permissions to Full Access. Right-click the D drive in Windows Explorer, select Properties, and select the Security tab. On the Security tab, click the Ownership button and select Take Ownership. The system responds with a message that notifies you that you don't have access and asks whether you want to change the protection to Full Access. Choose Yes, and don't forget to reset the permissions to the way they should be.