Logon Script Synchronization
Windows NT 4.0 lets you synchronize logon script and shell loading so that Windows Explorer doesn't start until the logon script finishes. To delay Windows Explorer's startup, open a Registry editor and go to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon Registry entry. Select RunLogonScriptSync, and change the value from 0 (the default) to 1. Close the Registry editor, log off, and log on again.
This procedure works for one user, but synchronizing logon scripts for all your users is more complicated. I recently set up a terminal server for multiple single-program users and needed to prevent the initial program from starting until the user's logon script finished mapping the data directory that the initial program used. Under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon, I created the DWORD value RunLogonScriptSync and assigned it a value of 1. Now, when a user logs on to the server, no applications run until the logon script finishes mapping all the necessary drives.
—Vladimir Tankhimovich
vtankhim@tdc.com
Foolproof Service Pack Installation
I do technical support over the phone, and I have a foolproof method for installing service packs that I share with users each day. My instructions also include information about installing Compaq support software (i.e., Support Software Diskette—SSD) on a Compaq machine.
First, download the latest SSD from Compaq's Web site (http://www.compaq.com) and the latest service pack from Microsoft's Web site (http://www.microsoft.com). Then, generate a WinMSD report, which you'll use to compare services. To generate this report, click Start, Run, and enter
WinMSD
Select the All and Complete tabs, then select the option to print the report to a file. Open the Control Panel Services applet, turn off all the services except the six that Windows NT requires to run—i.e., Net Logon, Plug and Play, Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator, Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Service, Server, and Workstation. You might not be able to turn off EventLog or TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper, which is OK. Next, run the service pack with the z switch (e.g., NT40_SP4.exe z, update.exe z), which stops the automatic reboot after installation. After you install the service pack but before you reboot, run the SSD to update your Compaq drivers, such as your hal.dll. Then, reboot. Finally, use the WinMSD report to compare the services that you turned off previously and to ensure that all the services started as the report indicates.
—James O'Beirne
jimiob@rcn.com
UNC Tracking on Shortcuts
In "Managing Desktop Shortcuts" (Reader to Reader, August 1999), Jim Holt offered a solution to John Fitzpatrick's problem with a failed shortcut. I've also encountered the problem of Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 (SP3) requesting a username and password with shortcuts that NT creates that contain the Uniform Naming Convention (UNC) path to the machine you originally created the shortcut on.
To solve this problem without using the Microsoft Windows 95 Resource Kit's shortcut.exe utility, simply remove the shares, including administrative shares, from the machine on which you create the shortcuts. You need to remove the share on the NT install directory (i.e., ADMIN$) and the shares on the drives where your applications reside (e.g., C$ and D$). Removing the shares prevents NT from including the UNC path to the program when you create a new shortcut.
After you remove the shares, copy the shortcuts that you create to populate the desktop and Start menu folders for mandatory user profiles. Be careful not to subsequently open or edit the shortcut properties from another machine, or you might reintroduce the UNC path into the shortcut. Finally, recreate the administrative shares if you need them.
—Stuart McConnachie
stuart.mcconnachie@boots.co.uk
Stopping a Shutdown in Progress
How many times have you accidentally shut down Windows NT 4.0 when you only meant to log off? This mistake is common because the radio button on the confirmation dialog box that NT displays defaults to your previous selection (i.e., to shut down, restart, or log off). If you use the keyboard instead of the mouse, pressing Enter too quickly can easily result in the wrong action. However, you can stop the action if you're quick enough.
To stop a shutdown in progress, press Ctrl+Alt+Del. The computer will then log off rather than reboot. To ensure that the shutdown stops, press Ctrl+Alt+Del three or four times, with a 0.5-second delay in between each action.
To prevent unwanted shutdowns, you can use NT's System Policy Editor (SPE) to remove the shutdown command from the Start menu. You can still press Ctrl+Alt+Del to shut down the machine. However, you'll need to use Ctrl+Alt+Del, log off, log on as Administrator, then shut down.
—Akis Fotakelis
afotakel@itc.auth.gr