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More About Removing Most Recently Used Items
In "Removing Most Recently Used Items from Windows NT, Windows 95, and Internet Explorer" (Reader to Reader, January 1999), Mark Norton presents a template file for removing document entries. To expand on Mark's script, I found a trick that prevents new items from appearing under the Documents menu. Start a Registry editor, and go to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ Explorer\User Shell Folders\Recent subkey. Then, redirect this subkey to a directory that the user doesn't have write permissions on. This trick works with NT and Novell NetWare back-end servers.
—Marcus Bluestein
bluestei@kkl.com
A Solution to NT Backup Stalling Out
I encountered the same problem that Jim Moore wrote about in "NT Backup Stalls Out" (Reader to Reader, January 1999): If a scheduled backup fails, the process hangs without notifying you. To solve this problem, I used the At command's /interactive switch (e.g., AT 23:00 /interactive ntbackup.exe #backup# c:). This switch causes the scheduled job to run in a visible window that closes after the backup completes successfully but remains open and waits for a response if the process stalls. The next person who logs on to the server sees this window and receives the Windows NT Backup error message. Responding to the error message closes the process and prevents the backup from tying up the machine.
—Martin Carman
mcarman@csc.com
Restoring a Print Server Quickly
When a print server crashes, restoring multiple printer shares and accompanying permissions can take hours. To restore a print server quickly, back up the \winnt\system32\spool\drivers directory or copy the directory to another server. This directory contains all the printer drivers for your installed printers. Next, save the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\ Control\Print Registry key to a 3.5" disk. Then, copy the files in the \winnt\system32\spool\drivers directory to the correct subdirectory, and restore the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSet\Control\Print Registry key. Your print manager will list all your printers, with the proper permissions. You can use a logon script to map the printers for users. If you copied the files and Registry key to a new server, users can add printers from the new print server.
—Steve Larson
slarson@nai.com
WinExit Screen Saver Policy
I agree with Mark Minasi's sentiment in "WinExit" (December 1998): You need to solve the problem of users leaving their machines unsecured. As a systems administrator of a large WAN, I've noticed that many users stay logged on to Web sites all day or leave their email programs open and unattended. This practice not only wastes network bandwidth but also threatens system security. In my organization, I used Windows NT's System Policy Editor (SPE) to implement the WinExit screen saver from the Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Resource Kit. Listing 1, page 28, shows the template I used to deploy the screen saver. For this screen saver to work, you need to give all your users Set Value and Create Subkey permissions on the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\ CurrentVersion Registry key. When the screen saver activates the first time, users' screens are blank. You must reboot the system for the screen saver to operate properly. For information about the Registry permissions that the screen saver requires, see the Microsoft article "Logoff Screen Saver Does Not Function in Windows NT" (http://support .microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q156/ 6/77.asp).
—MarQuis L. Knox
knox@tmed.tatrc.org
Virus Logging
I recently created a Windows NT security document and performed some systems tests on my event logs. I was surprised to find that the Application log was documenting virus occurrences as errors. I did some experimenting and discovered that this feature isn't restricted to a particular virus scanner; it seems to work with most 32-bit antivirus applications. Security professionals who tend to review only the Security log will find this feature useful because you can see an audit trail of virus activity and determine which systems suffer from infections without having to consult various antivirus logs.
—John Walker
jw@ads-derby.u-net.com
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