My experience with HP printing software (for both NT and Windows 95) has
taught me to stick with drivers included with the operating system (OS) if
possible. Even if HP wrote the native drivers, the software that ships with the
OS is typically more reliable because Microsoft performs compatibility testing.
HP's first-level technical support staff isn't well informed about the
20-page plus problem, so you'll likely need to talk with a second-level
technical support staff member. HP admits that the 20-page plus problem exists
but doesn't currently have a firmware update. However, HP let me replace the
150EX models with the High Performance models.
—William Bonner
william@bonner.mv.com
Magazine Needs a Hotfix Column
In "NT in Hackers' Crosshairs" (NT News Analysis, June 1998), Craig Barth raised an important point: As Windows NT 4.0 is maturing, Microsoft is generating an increasing number of hotfixes. One aspect of the hotfixes is worrisome. Some fixes correct problems, but Microsoft posts them with the disclaimer that, because the hotfixes aren't fully tested, you might want to wait for the next service pack. However, years can pass between service pack releases.
The inclusion of a hotfix column in Windows NT Magazine would be extremely useful in the interim between service packs. A column similar to Mark Minasi's "This Old Resource Kit" could provide insight into available hotfixes, what problems they correct, and any prerequisites or other important information you need to know before you apply them.
—Brian E. Rockett
brockett@commercial.fraser-williams.com
An Easy Connection
In my company's Windows NT environment, users log on to the network with a regular user ID to get to their home directories on the server. This ID doesn't give them administrative privileges to the server hosting their home directories. Certain users, however, need to connect to an administrative share (e.g., c$) on that server. Typically, these users first have to disconnect the existing mapping to the home directories on that server and then make a Uniform
Naming Convention (UNC) connection to the administrative share using an administrator account and password. If they don't disconnect first, they get the error message The credentials supplied conflict with an existing set of credentials.
I recently found an easier way to connect to an administrative share
without having to disconnect the existing connection: Use the server's IP
address (e.g., 110.10.2.3) instead of the UNC path (e.g., \\myserver\c$). The
users simply type \\110.10.2.3\c$ to connect to the server's c$ share without
having to disconnect first.
—Darshan Doshi
darshan_doshi@ml.com
Customize Your Screen Savers
While I was working as an MCSE and systems engineer for Sarcom, a user at a client site requested that I set up a screen saver on every desktop. (Users did not have access to Display in Control Panel.) I wrote a system policies template to implement a standard screen saver. Listing 2 contains an excerpt from this template. (You can find the entire script on Windows NT Magazine's Web site at http://www.winntmag.com. Enter 3799 in the instaNT Doc text box.)
This template lets you select and customize any standard Windows NT screen saver. The interface is simple. The Screen Saver tab in Display provides options for setting up the screen saver. You select the screen saver you want to run (under Settings, you can customize each screen saver), timeout period, whether to make the screen saver active, and whether to make it secure. I recommend that you try the screen saver on a desktop before you implement the policy settings.
—Rob Edwards
redwards@sarcom.com
More on FOR
After reading Shawn Bayern's tip on how to use the FOR command to "Automate Repetitive Tasks in NT" ("Reader to Reader," April 1998), I want to share a trick I often use. Between Windows NT 3.51 and NT 4.0, Microsoft added many features to the FOR command. One new feature is the command's ability to read in lines from a delimited file and use the various fields to populate a
command-line program's arguments. I often use this feature when I must add many new user accounts.
For example, Listing 3 contains a delimited file (users.txt) that uses a comma (,) as a delimiter. This file lists the user IDs, usernames, locations, and passwords of several users. You can simultaneously create user accounts for these users with the users.txt file and this command script:
FOR /F "delims=, tokens=1,2,4" %I in (users.txt)
do net user %K password add /fullname:"%I,%J"
This script reads in the users.txt file line by line and populates the
variables %I, %J, and %K with the values from the first, second, and fourth
fields, respectively. If you want to include the location information in the
comments field of the user accounts, you can use this command script:
FOR /F "delims=, tokens=1-4" %I in (users.txt) do
net user %L password add /fullname:"%I,%J" /comment:"%K"
Because this script uses all four fields, the variables %I, %J, %K, and %L
will get the first, second, third, and fourth fields, respectively. You can
create home directories for these users and modify the access control lists
(ACLs) on those directories using a similar command script:
FOR /F "delims=, tokens=4" %I in (users.txt) do
mkdir \\server\homes\%I
NT 4.0's FOR command is a powerful tool. These examples illustrate only a
few of the many ways you can use this command. FOR is a tool that many people
tend to overlook.
—Carlos Tronco
cars@colltech.com
A Good Tool Could Be Made Better
TechNet is an important tool in my work as an MCSE because it often has
solutions to the operating system (OS) problems I encounter. However, Microsoft
has not integrated all the great TechNet support information into its OSs. After
viewing an error in the Event Viewer, I have to open up the TechNet CD-ROM
application, perform a keyword search, and wade through the references the
search produces.
This situation reminds me of when word processors and spell checkers
weren't integrated. To find and correct spelling errors, you had to run a
separate spell checker program. Eventually, vendors integrated the spell checker
program into their word processing applications.
Microsoft should follow suit by integrating the TechNet CD-ROM application
into its OSs. Then, for example, you could directly access related TechNet
support information while viewing an error in the Event Viewer. This integration
would reduce downtime for customers and reduce technical support costs for
Microsoft.
—Neal R. Noble
nrnoble@jps.net
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