Windows 2000 Administration Tips
I have worked as the network administrator for a small office with 9 computers. Here are a few tips and tricks that I've learned.

Incomplete Add/Remove In Windows 2000

Edit C:\WINNT\inf\sysoc.inf - remove all occurrences of "HIDE"

Do not remove any commas. Example: Pinball=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,pinball.inf,,7

Remove Active Directory - Demote Fails

If using dcpromo to demote the server fails, try the brute force method

1. Use Regedt32 to navigate to:
2. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\ProductOptions
3. Edit the ProductType value name and change the data value from LanmanNT to ServerNT, using the exact case.
4. Shutdown and restart the server.
5. Delete the NTDS folder.

Use Adminpak.msi to Install a Specific Server Administration Tool in Windows 2000

msiexec /i adminpak.msi ADDLOCAL=Abbreviation /qb

where Abbreviation is the abbreviated name of the Server Administration Tool that you want to install.

You need to copy the Adminpak.msi file to a location on the hard disk that is included in the Windows path, or you need to include the path to the Adminpak.msi file in the command line.

Using Secedit.exe to Force Group Policy to Be Applied Again

To trigger Group Policy application for the local computer, type the following line at a command prompt:
secedit /refreshpolicy machine_policy

To trigger Group Policy application for the currently logged on user, type the following line at a command prompt:
secedit /refreshpolicy user_policy

Normally, if the GPOs that define the environment for the user have not changed from the last time Group Policy was applied, the GPO is skipped and not applied again. In either case, specifying /enforce on the command line re-applies the policy even if the GPOs that apply to the computer or user have not changed. An example of the command line in this case is:
secedit /refreshpolicy machine_policy /enforce

After Windows 2000 has accepted the request, the following text should be displayed to the user:
Group policy propagation from the domain has been initiated for this computer. It may take a few minutes for the propagation to complete and the new policy to take effect. Please check Application Log for errors, if any.

gpedit.msc - check local group policies

gpupdate /force - refresh User Policy and Computer Policy on Windows XP

Windows 2000 Compatibility Mode

regsvr32 %systemroot%\apppatch\slayerui.dll

New Compatibility tab for shortcuts

Opening a Command Prompt from Windows Explorer

1. Create a new text file and call it "command.reg" (select any appropriate name for the .reg file).
2. Right-click the file and select Edit.
3. Copy and paste the following code into the file.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00



[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\Command]

@="Command &Prompt"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\Command\command]

@="cmd.exe \\\"%1\\\""

4. Save and close the file.
5. To merge the file into the registry, right-click the file and select Merge.
6. When prompted to confirm your intended actions, click Yes.
7. When informed that your actions were successful, click OK.

To confirm your actions:

1. Right-click on a folder.
2. Confirm that an item labeled Command displays.
3. elect that item which will open a command prompt in that particular directory.

Event ID 2511 Is Logged After You Delete a Shared Directory

1. Run Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).
2. From the View menu, select the Tree and Data option.
3. Navigate to the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Shares
4. Select the Share that no longer exists.
5. From the Edit menu, click Delete.
6. Quit Registry Editor.
7. Shutdown and restart Windows NT.

Reset Secure Channel

C:\>netdom reset COMPUTER /domain:DOMAIN

The secure channel from COMPUTER to the domain DOMAIN has been reset. The connection is

with the machine \\COMPUTER.DOMAIN.COM.

The command completed successfully.