Windows NT4 Tips & Tricks

Viewing Who's Logged On to Your Windows NT Server

If you want to know who's currently logged on to your Windows NT Server, you can find out quickly by using Server Manager. Click "Start", "Programs", "Administrative Tools (Common)", and "Server Manager " . When Server Manager starts, double-click the server you want to check. When the Properties window appears for the server, click the Users button. You'll then see who's logged on to your server and what files they're using.


What Service Pack Am I Running?

Windows NT tells you what Service Pack version you're running when you boot your server. But if you don't want to reboot to find out, you can use Windows NT Diagnostics instead. Select Start | Programs | Administrative Tools (Common) | Windows NT Diagnostics. You'll see your current Windows NT version number and Service Pack level in the Version window.


Sharing SCSI Devices

You can share a single SCSI device between two or more Windows NT computers. Simply boot each computer with the SCSI device attached. After the first computer boots, connect it to the next computer and boot it. Continue this process for as many computers as necessary. When you need the SCSI device on one of the computers, shut off the device, switch it over to the system you want, and turn it back on. Switching is not advisable for a device that is in the middle of a SCSI change.


Retaining Windows NT 4.0 Settings when Rebooting a Computer with an ASUS Motherboard

Q: I have a clone computer with an ASUS motherboard running Windows NT 4.0. Every time I change a setting and reboot my computer, I receive a message that the system can't start NT as configured and is using a previous working model instead. Can you provide any insight?

A: ASUS motherboards use Award BIOS and the problem you are experiencing typically occurs with Award Modular BIOS 4.50G, 4.50GP or 4.50PG (the PG version supports Plug and Play--PnP). If you are using the Award Modular BIOS 4.50G or 4.50GP, Award suggests that you change the following CMOS settings one at a time until the problem goes away:


Windows 95 Clients Dial In but can't Browse the Network

Q: I'm having trouble getting my Windows 95 clients to browse the network when they call in using Dial-Up Networking (DUN) and register with only TCP/IP running. The network is present and I can access machines using Uniform Naming Convention (UNC) names, but this terminology is not acceptable to my users. Any suggestions?

A: Clients who dial in but can't browse the network are often not part of the workgroup or domain of the remote network. You need to take the following steps to configure the remote dial-in so that a DUN client can browse a remote network with only TCP/IP running:

  1. Make certain that the DUN client's workgroup name matches the workgroup or domain name of the remote network that the client is attempting to connect to. You can change the workgroup name by selecting the Identification tab in the Network applet in Control Panel and clicking Workgroup.
  2. Be certain that the remote network has Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS) installed.
  3. On the Remote Access Service (RAS) server, be certain that you've registered TCP/IP with the WINS server. You can adjust this setting in the Network applet in Control Panel by selecting TCP/IP, Properties and WINS address from the Protocols tab. You must register all systems with the WINS server that you want to browse remotely.
  4. Set the DUN client to use server-assigned name server addresses by default.