Run IPCONFIG /ALL from a CMD prompt to view network address settings of a computer.
Run wuauclt.exe /DetectNow from a CMD prompt to force Windows Updates to start immediately.
Clear Stuck Print Jobs
Print jobs sometimes fail to start, blocking any further printing. Do the following steps to clear the print spooler.
Open a CMD prompt (Start -> Run - CMD)
Type NET STOP SPOOLER
Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the C:\Windows\System32\Spool folder.
Delete any .shd and .spl files, but do not delete any sub-directories
In the CMD prompt window type NET START SPOOLER to restart the spooler.
Updated 01/15/08
DirectX
DirectX is Microsoft's system for handling graphics in games. To determine which version is installed, do the following: Start -> Run -> DXDIAG -> Enter. The version will be listed in the System Information section. You can also test DirectX if you've noticed problems displaying graphics.
Updated 01/15/08
Group Policy
Networks using Windows 2000 or 2003 Server with Active Directory can manage users and computers with Group Policies. If your network has a user named 'public' you can create a separate group in Active Directory for this user, and create a set of policies that will disable access to many Windows desktop features. For example, you can restrict access to drives and disable context-menus (ie., right-clicking). Sometimes you need to trouble-shoot group policies. Here are some places to look for help, and few tools.
Gpupdate is a command-line program that refreshes Active Directory-based Group Policy settings on a Windows XP desktop. You can use Gpupdate to force a PC running XP to update policies. For Windows 2000, Secedit performs a similar function.
The Active Directory console for creating and managing policies is awkward and incomplete. But Group Policies provide so much flexibility and security, that its worth the trouble. Perhaps the biggest annoyance in Group Policies is the lack of a easy way to see and print out all of the policies that are in effect in an Organizational Unit.
But there is a tool that runs under Windows XP that offers enhanced policy management. Its full name is "Group Policy Management Console with Service Pack 1" (GPMC). You can run GPMC on a Windows XP system, or directly on a Windows 2003 server. If you have a Windows 2000 server, you can run the GPMC on a Windows XP computer. GPMC requires the .Net framework. Some of GPMC's features:
For a good overview of managing Group Policies with the new GPMC, take a look at this
tutorial by USC Berkely.
Updated: 6/16/05
Tweak UI
Tweak UI is an unofficial Microsoft tool for adjusting many aspects of the Windows user interface. Version 1.33 of Tweak UI supports Windows 95, 98, ME and 2000 Professional.
If you've never used Tweak UI before, this is a great time to start. You can use Tweak UI to do neat things like removing the arrows on desktop shortcut icons.
NOTE: Make sure you un-install any previous version of Tweak UI before installing this new version. Download Tweak UI 1.33
There is a separate version of Tweak UI for Windows XP. It is one of the collection of "PowerToys for Windows XP." Download Tweak UI 2.10 for Win XP here. As of January 2008, there are now PowerToys or TweakUI for the Vista operating system.
Updated 1/15/08
Patch Tools
Keeping up-to-date with software patches to Microsoft operating systems is a sisyphian job. You can wind up checking several web pages regularly and subscribing to security alert e-mails to find all of the latest patches and hotfixes. Here are three command-line tools that adminstrators can use to get a thorough check on system status, and make installing hotfixes easier.
MBSA works with Windows NT, 2000 and XP.
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer is an enhanced graphical version of HFNetChk. MBSA can be used assess a computer or group of computers for the absence of security patches.
Qfecheck is tool that can be used to track and verify installed Windows 2000 hotfixes. Read Knowledge Base article Q282784 for instructions on how to obtain and use Qfecheck.
Qchain alleviates an annoyance that happens when you install several hotfixes to Windows NT or 2000. Many hotfixes require a system reboot after installation. Qchain enables you to defer the reboot until after the last hotfix has been applied.
Read Knowledge Base article Q296861 for instructions on how to obtain and use Qchain.
Tweak UI is an unofficial Microsoft tool for adjusting many aspects of the Windows user interface. Version 1.33 of Tweak UI supports Windows 95, 98, ME and 2000 Professional.