One of the tools for managing Microsoft Windows XP Professional is the Microsoft Management Console (MMC). The MMC provides a standardized method for creating, saving, and opening administrative tools. The MMC doesn't provide management functions itself, but it hosts management applications called snap-ins that you use to perform one or more administrative tasks.
The MMC allows you to do the following:
● Administer tasks and troubleshoot problems locally. You can perform most of your administrative tasks and troubleshoot many
problems using only the MMC.
● Administer tasks and troubleshoot problems remotely. You can use most snap-ins for remote administration and troubleshooting.
Windows XP Professional prompts you with a dialog box when you can use a snap-in remotely.
● Centralize administration. You can use consoles to perform most of your administrative tasks from one computer. Each console can
contain one or more snap-ins, including third-party snap-ins, so you can create one console that contains all the tools you need to perform your administrative tasks.
When you add snap-ins to an empty console, you create a customized console. One of the snap-ins that you can add is the Computer Management snap-in, shown in Figure 3.6. The Computer Management snap-in is another Windows XP Professional tool for creating, deleting, modifying, and disabling local user accounts and changing passwords.
Figure 3.6 The Computer Management snap-in
Creating a Customized MMC Console
To create a customized MMC console containing Computer Management, complete the following steps: 1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open text box, type mmc and then click OK. MMC starts and displays an empty console. 3. Maximize the Console1 window.
4. Maximize the Console Root window.
5. On the File menu, click Add/Remove Snap-In. MMC displays the Add/Remove Snap-In dialog box. 6. In the Standalone tab, click Add.
Figure 3.7 The Add Standalone Snap-In dialog box
7. In the Available Standalone Snap-Ins list, select Computer Management, and then click Add.
MMC displays the Computer Management dialog box (shown in Figure 3.8), which allows you to specify which computer you want to administer. The Local Computer: (The Computer This Console Is Running On) option is selected by default.
Figure 3.8 The Computer Management dialog box
You can add Computer Management for the local computer on which you are working or, if your local computer is part of a network, you can add Computer Management and point to a remote computer. To add Computer Management for a remote computer, in the Computer Management Snap-In dialog box, select Another Computer and then click Browse. In the Select Computer dialog box, in the Enter The Object Name To Select text box, type the name of the remote computer that you want to administer with Computer
Management and then click OK. There is also a check box that allows you to change the selected computer when you launch the MMC console from the command line.
9. In the Add Standalone Snap-In dialog box (see Figure 3.7), click Close.
10. In the Add/Remove dialog box, click OK to place the Computer Management snap-in in an MMC console.
The MMC console you created is named Console1. To save this console to use again, go to the File menu and click Save As. In the File Name text box, type Computer Management Local, and then click Save.
Creating a Local User Account Using the Computer Management Snap-In
To create local user accounts using the Computer Management snap-in complete the following steps: 1. Expand the MMC console containing the Computer Management snap-in.
2. In the console pane of the Computer Management window, click the Computer Management plus sign (+) icon to expand the tree. Computer Management contains three folders: System Tools, Storage, and Services And Applications.
3. In the console pane, double-click System Tools, and then click Local Users And Groups. 4. In the details pane, right-click Users, and then click New User.
5. Fill in the appropriate text boxes in the New User dialog box (Figure 3.9), click Create, and then click Close.
Figure 3.9 New User dialog box
Table 3.3 describes the local user account options shown in Figure 3.9.
Table 3.3 Local User Account Options
Option Action
User Name Type the user's logon name. This field is required.
Full Name Type the user's full name. You can include the user's first and last names, but you can also include the middle name or initial. This field is optional.
Password
Type the account password that is used to authenticate the user. For greater security, always assign a password. As an additional security measure, the password appears as a string of asterisks as you type it.
Confirm Password Confirm the password by typing it a second time. This field is required if you assign a password.
User Must Change Password At Next Logon
Select this check box if you want the user to change his or her password the first time that he or she logs on. This ensures that only the user knows the password. This option is selected by default.
User Cannot Change Password
Select this check box if more than one person uses the same user account (such as Guest), or if you want only administrators to control passwords. If you have selected the User Must Change Password At Next Logon check box, this option is not available.
Password Never Expires
Select this check box if you never want the password to change-for example, for a domain user account that a program or a Windows XP Professional service uses. The User Must Change Password At Next Logon option overrides this option, so if you have selected the User Must Change Password At Next Logon check box, this option is not available.
Account Is Disabled Select this check box to prevent use of this account-for example, for a new employee who has not yet started working for your organization.
Always require new users to change their passwords the first time they log on. This forces them to use passwords that only they know. For added network security, use a combination of letters and numbers to create unique initial passwords for all new user accounts.