Run the UserAccountProperties file in the Demos folder on the CD-ROM accompanying this book for a demonstration of modifying user account properties.
Exercise 1: Setting User Account Properties
In this exercise you set and then test the User Cannot Change Password property.
To set the User Cannot Change Password property and the Account Is Disabled property 1. Log on as Fred or with a user account that is a member of the Administrators group.
2. Click Start, click Run, type mmc, and then click OK. MMC starts and displays an empty console.
3. On the File menu, click Computer Management Local. 4. Expand Local Users And Groups and then click Users.
MMC displays the user accounts in the details pane. 5. Right-click User1 and then click Properties.
6. In the User1 Properties dialog box, in the General tab, select User Cannot Change Password, and then clear all other check boxes.
At Next Logon option is unavailable.
7. Click OK to close the User1 Properties dialog box. 8. Right-click User2 and then click Properties.
9. In the User2 Properties dialog box, in the General tab, select the Account Is Disabled check box and clear all other check boxes.
10. Click OK to close the User2 Properties dialog box.
11. Close the Computer Management window, and if you are prompted about saving the console settings, click No.
12. Log off the computer.
Exercise 2: Testing User Account Properties
In this exercise you test the properties for a user account. To test User Account properties
1. On the Welcome screen, click User1.
2. In the Type Your Password dialog box, click the question mark icon for your password hint. Windows XP Professional displays the password hint you entered.
3. In the Type Your Password text box, type password, and then press Enter. 4. In the Control Panel, click User Accounts.
Windows XP Professional starts the User Accounts tool. 5. Click Change My Password.
6. In the Type Your Current Password text box, type password.
7. In the Type A New Password and Type The New Password Again To Confirm text boxes, Type
User1.
8. Click Change Password. What happens? Why? 9. Log off as User1.
Lesson Review
The following questions will help you determine whether you have learned enough to move on to the next lesson. If you have difficulty answering these questions, review the material in this lesson before beginning the next lesson. The answers are in Appendix A, "Questions and Answers."
1. When can you select the Account Is Locked Out check box for a user and why?
2. Which of the following statements about local user account properties are correct? (Choose all that apply.)
a. You can configure all of the default properties associated with each local user account using the User Accounts tool located in the Control Panel.
b. In Computer Management, the General tab in the account-name Properties dialog box for a user account allows you to disable the account.
c. In Computer Management, the General tab in the account-name Properties dialog box for a user account allows you to select the Account Is Locked Out check box to prevent the user from logging on to the computer.
d. You can use the Computer Management snap-in to configure all of the default properties associated with each local user account.
3. Which of the following statements about user profiles are correct? (Choose all that apply.) a. A user profile is a collection of folders and data that stores the user's current desktop
environment, application settings, and personal data.
b. A user profile contains all the network connections that are established when a user logs on to a computer.
c. Windows XP Professional creates a user profile when you create a new local user account. d. You must create each user profile by copying and modifying an existing user profile. 4. Which of the following statements about user profiles are correct? (Choose all that apply.)
a. Users should store their documents in home directories rather than in their My Documents folders.
b. The Profile tab in the account-name Properties dialog box for a user account allows you to set a path for the user profile, logon script, and home folder.
c. A user profile contains the My Documents folder, which provides a place for users to store personal files.
d. When users change their desktop settings, the changes are reflected in their user profiles. 5. What three tasks must you perform to create a home folder on a network server?
Lesson Summary
● Each local user account that you create has an associated set of default properties.
● The Computer Management snap-in allows you to easily configure or modify the local user account properties.
● The General tab in the account-name Properties dialog box allows you to set or edit all the fields from the New User dialog box, except for User Name, Password, and Confirm Password. In addition, it provides an Account Is Locked Out check box.
● The Member Of tab in the account-name Properties dialog box allows you to add the user account to or remove the user account from a group.
● The Profile tab in the account-name Properties dialog box for a user account allows you to set a path for the user profile, logon script, and home folder.
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Lesson 5: Implementing Groups
In this lesson, you will learn what groups are and how you can use them to simplify user account administration. You will also learn about built-in groups, which have a predetermined set of user rights and group membership. Windows XP Professional has two categories of built-in groups, local and system, which it creates for you to simplify the process of assigning rights and permissions for commonly used functions.
After this lesson, you will be able to
● Describe the key features of local groups and Windows XP Professional built-in groups
● Create and delete local groups
● Add members to and remove them from local groups Estimated lesson time: 40 minutes