Windows 2000 Tips
The following are some tips for using and maintaining your Windows 2000 computer:
NOTE: These are tips that we have collected over time. Some of these tips require advanced user skills. Backup your system before attempting these tips, and use them at your own risk.
How to add a program to the Quick Launch bar
Using Personalized Menus
Check to see how long Windows 2000 has been up
How to add a submenu to the Start menu for a group of users
Using The Private Character Editor
Adding Themes to Windows 2000
Choosing recovery actions if Windows 2000 stops unexpectedly
How to change the password for a user
How To Back Up Default Recovery Keys To A Floppy Disk
How to Enable Auto-Complete Feature In The Command Prompt
How to add a program to the Quick Launch bar
In My Computer or Windows Explorer, click the icon for the program you want to add, and drag it to the Quick Launch portion of the taskbar.
The icon for that program appears next to the other Quick Launch icons on the taskbar.
Personalized Menus keeps the Programs menu clean by hiding items you haven't used recently, while keeping all of your programs easily accessible.
When Personalized Menus is turned on, Windows 2000 keeps track of which programs you use each time you use your computer, and hides the programs you have not used in a long time.
You can still gain access to hidden programs by clicking Start, pointing to Programs, and then clicking the down arrow at the bottom of the menu.
To turn on Personalized Menus, click Start, point to Settings, click Taskbar & Start Menu, and then select Use Personalized Menus on the General tab.
Check to see how long Windows 2000 has been up
Use the command line utility called UPTIME. You can also use it to check remote machines. To use it, click Start and then Run and type "uptime" into the Open text field.
How to add a submenu to the Start menu for a group of users
1. Make sure you are logged on as an administrator.
2. Right-click Start, and then click Open All Users.
3. Double-click the folder in which you want to add a submenu, usually the Programs folder.
4. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Folder.
5. Type a name for your new submenu, and then click an empty space on the desktop
Using The Private Character Editor
You can use Private Character Editor to create unique letters and logos for your font library.
To open Private Character Editor, click Start, click Run, and then type "eudcedit".
Use the Help menu in Private Character Editor to learn more.
Although there is no tool in Control Panel for configuring desktop themes in Windows 2000, you can use and configure desktop themes by using the Desktop Themes tool.
1. Click Start, and then click Run,
2. In the Open box, type themes, and then click OK,
3. Configure the theme you want, and then click OK.
Choosing recovery actions if Windows 2000 stops unexpectedly
Using the Recovery feature in System in Control Panel, you can configure Windows 2000 to do the following when a severe error (called a Stop error or Fatal system error) occurs:
- Write an event to the system log.
- Alert administrators.
- Dump system memory to a file that advanced users can use for debugging.
- Automatically restart the computer.
How to change the password for a user
1. Open Computer Management.
2. In the console tree, in Local Users and Groups, click Users.
3. Click the user account change.
4. Click Action, and then click Set Password.
How To Back Up Default Recovery Keys To A Floppy Disk
1. Click Start, click Run, type mmc /a, and then click OK.
2. On the Console menu, click Add/Remove Snap-in, and then click Add.
3. Under Snap-in, click Certificates, and then click Add.
4. Click My user account, and then click Finish.
5. Click Close, and then click OK.
6. Double-click Certificates - User (Administrator), double-click Personal, and then double-click Certificates.
7. Click the certificate that displays the words File Recovery in the Intended Purposes column.
8. Right-click the certificate, point to All Tasks, and then click Export.
9. Follow the instructions in the Certificate Manager Export wizard to export the certificate and associated private key to a .pfx file format. When the wizard asks for a file name, you can click the Browse button to point to a location on a floppy disk where you want to save the file. Be sure to store the floppy disk in a secure location.
How to Enable Auto-Complete Feature In The Command Prompt
This neat tip avoids headaches when using the command prompt console. It'll turn on the auto-complete feature so when you type 'cd d' and hit the tab key, the console will display the list of folders that begin with the 'd' letter, and you'll be able to choose the one you're looking for, right from the console instead of typing its path.
- Log on as Administrator,
- Click Start, and then click Run,
- Type Regedit and OK,
- Double click HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE,
- Double click SOFTWARE,
- Double click Microsoft,
- Double click Command Processor,
- In the right pane of Regedit, double click the 'CompletionChar' DWORD value,
- Type 9 click OK,
- Close Regedit,
- Click start/programs/accessories/command prompt,
- Type 'cd d' and hit the Tab key: the first folder that matches the 'd' letter is displayed (you can switch from folders pushing several times the Tab key).
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