The Backup Operator

Before a user is allowed to back up or restore the system, he or she must be a member of the Backup Operators group. This group is the same as the Backup Operators group in Windows NT, but Windows 2003 has changed the procedures for adding users to the group and changing the group 's policies. Depending on whether or not you're running Windows 2003 with Active Directory, the steps involved in adding a user to the Backup Operator group will be slightly different.

By default, the Backup Operators group does not have any members . It's simply an empty container or a placeholder for when you need to assign backup and restore rights to users.

To modify the membership of the Backup Operators group when Active Directory is not installed (in other words, when your server is configured as a normal server instead of a domain controller), follow these steps:

1. Choose Start Administrative Tools Computer Management.

2. In the left pane, expand the System Tools icon and highlight the Local Users and Groups icon.

3. In the right pane, double-click the Groups option.

   At this point, all the groups that currently exist on your system are displayed in the right pane.

4. Highlight the Backup Operators group, right-click it, and choose the Add to Group option.

5. Click the Add button and choose the user or users that Operators group.

6. Click the Add button again.

7. Click OK, and then click OK again to close the Backup Operators Properties dialog box.

To modify the membership of the Backup Operators group when Active Directory is installed, follow these steps:

1. Choose Start Administrative Tools Active Directory Users and Computers.

2. In the left pane, double-click the tree to expand it.

3. In the right pane, double-click the Builtin folder.

4. In the right pane, right-click the Backup Operators group and choose Properties.

5. Click the Members tab.

6. Click the Add button to add users.