Avoid Active Directory Pain
Learn how to solve AD problems such as time synchronization after hardware replacement, cross-forest authentication, usability of the least privilege model, and 64-bit Windows challenges. Guido Grillenmeier
Castaway on Command-Prompt Island
Curt Spanburgh relates the tale of a Windows administrator who, after patching his company’s servers, couldn't access a server using the Windows GUI tools. The admin’s solution: Use the SC command-line tool to troubleshoot the problem and restore service. Curt Spanburgh
Problems with Permissions
Administrators express annoyance at Microsoft settings for File Sharing permissions. Mitigate the risks of assigning Full Control or Modify, of too much access control for file Creators, and of being unable to customize Contributor and Editor settings. Dan Holme
PowerShell Script Lets You Check Patches' Status
Wanting to experience the "power" in Windows PowerShell firsthand and to learn how to use PowerShell to solve problems, one reader rewrote in PowerShell a VBScript script that checks for patches. James Lim
Exchange’s Evolving Strategy
The IT community is awaiting the arrival of Exchange 14 in 2009. Exchange authority Tony Redmond muses on the recent past and possible future of Microsoft’s messaging and collaboration platform. Tony Redmond
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 SP1: An Overview
If you’ve been waiting for the first service pack before you deploy, now’s the time. New functionality includes a new method of replication and improvements to unified messaging, Outlook Web Access, public folder management, and many other features. Kieran McCorry
Windows Vista and Server 2008 Group Policy Enhancements
New Vista and Server 2008 Group Policy features include the client service replacing system Winlogon, using NLA to improve slow-link detection, new settings for multiple local GPOs, ADMX format for Administrative Templates, improved logging and security. Darren Mar-Elia
Windows Server 2008 Password Policies
Windows Server 2003 and Windows 2000 Server let you define only one password policy. Windows Server 2008 introduces fine-grained password policies that let you define different password policies for different domain account categories in a single domain. Jan De Clercq
Ask the Experts
Learn how to manage POP3 and IMAP4 settings in Exchange 2007, find out how to enable additional SMTP addresses for an Exchange organization, follow along as Mark Russinovich troubleshoots a file copy failure, and more. Various Authors
Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager
SCCM identifies and resolves common configuration and deployment problems, affording IT the freedom to focus on strategic goals. Have we mentioned that SCCM 2007 also simplifies the upgrade to Windows Server 2008? Karen Forster
Protect Your Data with Cipher
To get a real sense of EFS's file-protection power, you need to be using the command-line encryption/decryption tool Cipher. Here's an overview of Cipher's syntax and options. Mark Minasi
Windows Vista Annoyances
User Account Control isn't the only thing frustrating users of Windows Vista. You've also got to worry about software and hardware incompatibilities and a system that doesn't always remember your preferences. Michael Otey
letters@windowsitpro.com
Readers respond to Eric Rux, Paul Thurrott, and Karen Forster; take issue with our November cover illustration; and discuss the many facets of gender in IT. Editors
PRODUCTS AND REVIEWS
New & Improved
Check out the latest products to hit the marketplace. PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: Microsoft's Virtual Server 2005 R2 Resource Kit Jeff James
Paul's Picks
HP's MediaSmart Server is truly innovative, and home users and SMBs will want to check it out; however, you might want to mull over whether you really must have an Ultra-Mobile PC at this time. Paul Thurrott
Continuous Data Protection
Compare CDP products from CA, SonicWALL, Microsoft, and TimeSpring Software to determine which is right for your environment. John Green
Review: Lenovo ThinkPad X61
The ThinkPad X61 isn't the smallest or lightest ultraportable avilable, and its general usability is somewhat lackin. But it boosts dual-core power and extreme portability. Jason Bovberg
iSCSI SANs for SMBs
If you're looking to buy a network storage solution, take a look at iSCSI SANs, which consolidate storage for multiple servers into one resource. Jeff James
Readers Review Hot Products
Readers highlight favorite products: Promisec Spectator Professional 3.2, Varonis Data Governance, and SourceAnywhere Standalone. Jeff James
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