Other Problems

Certainly, startup and shutdown problems are the most important ones. However, while doing everyday work using Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003, you may encounter other problems, some of which may be solved only by editing the registry.

Enabling Debug Logging for User Profiles and System Policy

If you experience problems with user profiles or group policy processing, the debug logging will help troubleshooting efforts. In Windows NT 4.0, this required the user to have a debug build of the Userenv.dll file. In Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003, this functionality is built into the operating system. However, it is not enabled by default. If you need to troubleshoot user profiles and system policy processing, you can enable it by editing the registry as follows:

  1. Start Registry Editor and open the following registry key:

       HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\   Winlogon

  2. Add the REG_DWORD registry value named UserEnvDebugLevel (or simply modify the value if it already exists). Set the value to 10002 (Hex).

  3. Restart the computer. The log file is written to the %SystemRoot%\Debug\UserMode\Userenv.log file.

Configuring the Backup Utility

If you back up your system on a regular basis, you've already noticed that the Backup utility supplied with Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 excludes certain files from the backup and recovery processes. To view the list of these files, start the Backup program, select the Options command from the Tools menu, and go to the Exclude Files tab (Fig. 12.9).

click to expand
Figure 12.9: The Exclude Files tab of the Options window of the built-in Backup utility

By default, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 support the files and folders excluded from the backup and recovery processes preformed using Backup (Ntbackup.exe) and other compatible backup software.

Normally, the exclusion of these files is necessary. However, in some situations the system administrator or advanced user may need to include these files in the backup copy.

The files excluded from the backup and recovery processes are listed in the registry under the following registry key: HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\BackupRestore\FilesNotToBackup.

Microsoft provides an interface for editing the list of files excluded from backup and recovery processes. The Exclude Files tab of the Options window in the Backup program has buttons such as Add new, Edit, and Remove. However, all changes entered here will be written into the registry under HKEY_CURRENT_USER, affecting only the user who performed this modification. To change the list of files excluded from backup and recovery procedures for the whole system, the registry must be edited manually.

Default settings listed under the FilesNotToBackup key (they're all REG_MULTI_SZ values) are listed in Table 12.5.

Table 12.5: The List of Default Settings Under the FilesNotToBackup Key

Setting

Data


ASR error file[*]

%SystemRoot%\repair\asr.err

ASR log file[*]

%SystemRoot%\repair\asr.log

Digital Rights Management (DRM) folder[*]

%SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings\All Users\DRM\*/s

Catalog database[*]

%SystemRoot%\System32\CatRoot2\*/s

Client Side Cache

%SystemRoot%\csc\*/s

ComPlus

%SystemRoot%\Registration\*.crmlog/s

Internet Explorer

%UserProfile%\index.dat/s

Memory Page File

\Pagefile.sys

Microsoft Writer (Bootable state)[*]

%SystemRoot%\Registration\*.clb\*.crmlog/s

Microsoft Writer (Service state)[*]

%SystemRoot%\system32\NtmsData\*

MS Distributed Transaction

%SystemRoot%\System32\DTCLog\MSDTC.LOG

Netlogon[*]

%SystemRoot%\netlogon.chg

Netlogon[*]

%SystemRoot%\netlogon.chg

NtFrs

%SystemRoot%\ntfrs\jet\*/s

%SystemRoot%\debug\NtFrs*

%SystemRoot%\sysvol\domain

\DO_NOT_REMOVE_NtFrs_PreInstall_Directory\*/s

%SystemRoot%\sysvol\domain

\NtFrs_PreExisting_See_EventLog\*/s

%SystemRoot%\sysvol\staging\domain\NTFRS_*

Power Management

\hiberfil.sys

VSS Default Provider

\System Volume Information\*{3808876B-C176-4e48-B7AE-04046E6CC752}/s

Temporary Files

%TEMP%\*/s

[*]Introduced with Windows XP

Note 

The HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\BackupRestore registry key in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 contains a new subkey, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\BackupRestore\AsrKeysNotToRestore, which holds a list of keys that should not be restored by the ASR process (Fig. 12.10). It points to the database of critical devices, which should not be edited because they need to be re-enumerated by the Setup program during ASR process.

click to expand
Figure 12.10: The contents of the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\BackupRestore\AsrKeysNotToRestore registry key (new in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003)

Some registry keys are excluded from the backup procedures by default. These keys aren't listed on the Exclude Files tab of the Options window; consequently, you can't edit this list using the user interface. This list is stored in the registry Under KLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\BackupRestore\KeysNotToRestore.

The list of default settings present under this key is shown in Table 12.6.

Table 12.6: Default Settings Stored Under the HKLM\SYSTEM\Current ControlSet\Control\BackupRestore\KeysNotToRestore\Registry Key

Setting

Value


Active Directory Restore

CurrentControlSet\Services\NTDS\Restore In Progress\CurrentControlSet\Services\NTDS\Parameters\New Database GUID

ASR Information[*]

CurrentControlSet\Control\ASR\

Fault Tolerance

Disk\

Installed Services

CurrentControlSet\Services\*

LDM Boot Information

CurrentControlSet\Services\dmio\boot info\

LDM Boot Information (dmboot)[*]

CurrentControlSet\Services\dmboot\

Mount Manager

MountedDevices\

Pending Rename Operations

CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\PendingFileRenameOperations

Plug and Play

CurrentControlSet\Enum\CurrentControlSet\Control\CriticalDeviceDatabase\

Removable Storage Manager[*]

CurrentControlSet\Control\NTMS\ImportDatabase

Session Manager

CurrentControlSet\Control\Session

Windows Setup

Setup\SystemPartition

[*]New in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003

Removing Invalid Items from the List Displayed by the Add/Remove Programs Wizard

The Add/Remove Programs applet in Control Panel is intended for adding, removing, or modifying the applications installed in your system. Starting with Windows 2000, this wizard has significantly improved and has a better user interface.

Despite the improvements, there may be some problems with the wizard. For example, if an application isn't removed correctly and completely, the removed correctly and completely, the reference to the application continues to appear in the Currently installed programs list. Any attempt to use the Add/Remove Programs wizard to remove the application (by clicking the Change/Remove button) results in a series of system messages. These messages say that because some files necessary for the correct removal of the application weren't found, the removal procedure can't be completed. The non-existent application remains in the list.

How can you solve this problem? To remove a non-existent application from the Currently installed programs list:

  1. Start Regedit.exe and open the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall key.

  2. Within this key, find the subkey created by the application you want to remove from the list. If the name of that key isn't evident, browse all the keys and view the DisplayName value. This specifies the strings displayed by the Add or Remove Programs wizard in the list of installed applications.

  3. When you find the key whose DisplayName value specifies the name of the application you want to delete from the list, delete this key with all its contents. Warning: Never try to delete the whole Uninstall key!

  4. Close Registry Editor. Verify that the Add and Remove Programs wizard no longer displays the incorrectly deleted application.

Note 

If you proceed according to this recommendation, you'll delete only the reference to the string displayed by the Add and Remove Programs wizard. However, it's possible that some files installed by the incorrectly deleted application will remain in your system. To remove the application completely, you'll need to delete all of its files and all registry entries used by the program. Only an advanced user should do this operation manually. (If you do this, don't forget to backup the registry before proceeding any further.)

Configuring Disk Quota Event Logging

Most advanced users and system administrators have noticed the useful Disk Quota capability, introduced with Windows 2000 and present in later versions. Disk Quota events are written to the event log (if enabled) through the logging option in Quota properties for a drive using the NTFS file system (Fig. 12.11).

click to expand
Figure 12.11: The Quota tab of the NTFS drive Properties window

By default, Disk Quota event logging occurs asynchronously (once per hour). If you need to configure the system to log Disk Quota events as soon as a user exceeds one of the threshold values, you must edit the registry. Start Registry Editor, open the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem key, and create the REG_DWORD value named NtfsQuotaNotifyRate. By default, this isn't present in the registry. Specify the required rate of the Disk Quota event logging. (Specify the value in seconds.)



Windows Server 2003 Registry
Unicode Explained
ISBN: 1931769214
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 129

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