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Q. How do I disable MSN Messenger using group policies? - Brian Cunliffe

To use group policy to remove messenger. First go to Start - Run - type “gpedit.msc”
Then drill down to :
- Computer ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsWindows Messenger(Set both items to Enabled)
This will disable it for you.

You can also use the registry (Start - run - regedit) to achieve similar results.
Drill down to:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftMessengerClient]

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Windows Update is great for getting the latest fixes; however, you probably want to control change roll-outs, so it’s a good idea to stop users from connecting directly to Windows Update. You can do so via a Group Policy:

Start the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in (Start, Programs, Administrative Tools, Active Directory Users and Computers).
Right-click the container of the users (a site/domain or organizational unit–OU), and select Properties.
Go to the Group Policy tab.
Select the policy and click Edit.
Expand User Configuration, Administrative Templates, Start Menu & Taskbar.
Double-click “Disable and remove links to Windows Update.”
Set this policy to Enabled and click OK.

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Backup—XP Pro has the standard Win2K backup program; XP Home has no backup program.
Dynamic Disks—XP Pro supports dynamic disks; XP Home doesn’t.
IIS—XP Pro includes IIS; XP Home doesn’t.
Encrypted File System (EFS)—EFS debuted in Win2K and lets you encrypt files on an NTFS partition, a very useful feature for mobile machines. XP Pro includes EFS; XP Home doesn’t.
Multiple Monitors—XP Pro supports up to nine monitors; XP Home supports only one monitor (Windows Me/Win98 supported multiple monitors).
Multiprocessor—XP Pro supports up to two processors; XP Home supports only one (as did Windows Me/Win98).
Remote Assistance—Both editions support Remote Assistance, which lets someone from a Help desk connect to the client desktop to troubleshoot problems.
Remote Desktop—XP Pro adds to Remote Assistance by letting any machine running a Terminal Services client run one Terminal Services session against an XP Pro machine.
Domain Membership—XP Pro systems can be domain members; XP Home systems can’t, but they can access domain resources.
Group Policy—XP Pro supports group policies; XP Home doesn’t.
IntelliMirror—XP Pro supports IntelliMirror, which includes Microsoft Remote Installation Services (RIS), software deployment, and user setting management; XP Home doesn’t support IntelliMirror.
Upgrade from Windows Me/Win98—Both XP Pro and XP Home support this upgrade.
Upgrade from Win2K/NT—Only XP Pro supports this upgrade.
64-bit Support—Only XP Pro will have a 64-bit version that supports the Itanium systems.
Network Support—XP Pro includes support for Network Monitor, SNMP, IP Security (IPSec), and the Client Services for NetWare (CSNW); XP Home doesn’t.

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When you use the Recovery Console (RC), the system uses the account passwords in the local SAM file. But if a system is a domain controller (DC), it doesn’t use the local SAM file, so changing the Administrator password changes the Active Directory (AD) account and not the local SAM password. To modify the SAM password, perform the following steps:

Shut down the DC on which you want to change the password.
Restart the computer. When the system displays the selection menu during the restart process, press F8 to view advanced startup options.
Select Directory Service Restore Mode.
After you successfully log on, to change the local Administrator password, at a command prompt, type the following command:

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You usually configure Group Policy update times under the Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Group Policy and the User Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Group Policy branches; however, you can also directly set the registry to configure Group Policy update times by performing the following steps:

Start regedit.exe.
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System to set Computer refresh. Or, alternatively, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System to set User refresh.
Create a DWORD value with a name of GroupPolicyRefreshTime, and set it to a number between 0 and 648000 minutes.
Create a DWORD value with a name of GroupPolicyRefreshTimeOffset, and set it to a number between 0 and 1440 minutes. (You specify an offset value to prevent many clients from trying to refresh at the same time.)
Close regedit.

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Windows XP will typically remind you to activate the product (most users will have 30 days to activate XP after installation). To activate XP manually, you can use the Start menu shortcut in the System Tools Accessories folder. At the command prompt, type

oobe/msoobe /a
In case you’re wondering, msoobe stands for “Microsoft Out of Box Experience.”

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When you install a service pack, the installer activates the Print Spooler service if it’s not already running. However, if you’ve disabled the start-up type for this service, the service will fail to start and the computer will display the following error message:

Cannot install the Service Pack.
The Print Spooler service is not started.

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To display which process ID is using a certain TCP port or UDP port, you can start by using the Netstat command with the n (display in numeric form), o (display the owning process ID–this works on Windows XP only), and a (display all connections and listening ports) switches as follows:

netstat -noa

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