Appendix A

A Quick Guide to Interface Changes

Initially, both the Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional and Server interfaces look much like the Microsoft Windows NT 4 interface, but enough differences exist that you might find yourself periodically stymied by a "missing" function. This appendix lists some of the components that have been renamed, moved, or introduced since the first release of Windows NT 4. These components are listed by their Windows NT name if they have a new name in Windows 2000.

Clipboard Viewer

Clipboard Viewer has been renamed ClipBook Viewer. ClipBook Viewer shows any information you've copied to the clipboard. This information can be stored permanently in your Local ClipBook and shared with other users. The Local ClipBook opens when you start ClipBook Viewer. To open ClipBook Viewer, select Run from the Start menu, type clipbrd, and then press Enter.

Compression Agent

Windows 2000 doesn't include Compression Agent. You can compress NTFS drives by following these steps:

Open My Computer.
Right-click the drive you want to compress and choose Properties from the shortcut menu.
In the General tab, select Compress Drive To Save Disk Space. Click OK.

To compress a single file or folder, follow these steps:

Open Microsoft Windows Explorer. Right-click the file or folder to be compressed and choose Properties from the shortcut menu.
Click Advanced. Select the Compress Contents To Save Disk Space check box. Click OK twice.
If you're compressing a folder, you'll be asked whether you want changes to apply to only the folder or to subfolders and files as well. Select the option you want. Click OK again.

The compression option is available only on disks formatted with NTFS. When you add or copy a file into a compressed folder, it is compressed automatically. If you move a file from a different NTFS drive into a compressed folder, it is also compressed. However, if you move a file from the same NTFS drive into a compressed folder, the file retains its original state, whether it is compressed or uncompressed. Compressed files can't be encrypted, and encrypted files can't be compressed unless you first decompress or decrypt the files.

Computers Near Me

If your Windows 2000 Professional is a member of a workgroup, Computers Near Me appears inside My Network Places. Computers Near Me shows the computers and other resources that are accessible by members of the workgroup. Computers Near Me won't be created when Windows 2000 is installed on a machine that is a member of a domain.

Devices

Devices has been renamed Device Manager and is located in Computer Management. On a machine running Windows 2000 Server or Windows 2000 Professional, right-click My Computer and choose Properties from the shortcut menu. Click the Hardware tab. Click Device Manager. From a machine running Windows 2000 Server, an administrator can view Device Manager on a remote computer by following these steps:

Launch Active Directory Users and Computers.
In the console pane under the appropriate domain, click Computers.
In the details pane, right-click the computer name and select Manage.
In the new Computer Management window, click System Tools and then Device Manager.

Dial-Up Networking

You can find Dial-Up Networking in Network and Dial-Up Connections in Control Panel. You can also right-click My Network Places and choose Properties from the shortcut menu. Unless you're logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group, some features of Network and Dial-Up Connections won't be available.

Disk Administrator

Disk Administrator has been renamed Disk Management. Disk Management is a graphical tool for managing disks and volumes. It supports partitions, logical drives, new dynamic volumes, and remote disk management. To open Disk Management, right-click My Computer and choose Manage from the shortcut menu. In the console pane, click Storage and then click Disk Management.

Find

In Windows 2000, Find has been renamed Search and it is located on the Start menu.

MS-DOS Prompt

The MS-DOS prompt has been renamed the Command Prompt and is now located on the Accessories menu (actually Windows NT 4 calls it a command prompt as well, but Windows 9.x does not). The Command Prompt now comes with a number of functions, including file and folder autocompletion. See Chapter 10 for more information.

You set Command Prompt options such as color and font by right-clicking the Command Prompt title bar and selecting Properties; in the Apply Properties To Shortcut dialog box, select the Modify Shortcut That Modified This Window option. To set these options for a single session, right-click the Command Prompt title bar and choose Properties; in the Apply Properties To Shortcut dialog box, select the Apply Properties To Current Window Only option.

My Briefcase

You can now access My Briefcase, a default presence on the Windows NT 4 desktop, by right-clicking the desktop and selecting New and then Briefcase. A briefcase is created and placed on the desktop.

My Documents

My Documents is a new folder on every Windows 2000 desktop that serves as the default location for saved files. Inside My Documents is the subfolder My Pictures, the default location for graphics files. My Documents is one of the special folders that can be redirected to a location on the network. See Chapter 9 for information on using Group Policy for folder redirection.

Network Neighborhood

Network Neighborhood has been replaced by My Network Places. My Network Places shows the shared computers, files and folders, printers, and other resources on the network to which your computer is connected. Right-click My Network Places and choose Properties to view Network and Dial-Up Connections and Computers Near Me.

Personalized Menus

By default, Windows 2000 uses personalized menus for the Start menu and its offshoots. This means that Windows 2000 keeps track of how often you access items on each menu and places the most frequently used items at the top. Figure A1 shows a personalized Programs menu. Click the double arrowheads at the bottom of the menu—or just rest the mouse pointer on the double arrowheads for a few seconds—to see the rest of the menu items.

Figure A-1. A personalized Programs menu.

To return to menus where all items are shown, right-click the taskbar and choose Properties. Clear the Use Personalized Menus check box, and click OK.

Quick Launch Bar

The Quick Launch bar is a Microsoft Windows 98 feature that has been incorporated into the taskbar in Windows 2000. By default, shortcuts for Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Outlook Express, and the Desktop are on the Quick Launch bar. You can drag other shortcuts to the Quick Launch bar and drag off any of the default ones. The Desktop icon is particularly handy because it allows you to minimize all open windows with a single click. Click the Desktop icon a second time and the windows you just minimized all reopen.

Start Menu

The Start menu isn't new, but it has changed somewhat from Windows NT 4. For example, the Logoff command is no longer on the Start menu by default, and the Control Panel can now be expanded in its own menu. To add these, use the following steps:

Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Taskbar & Start Menu.
Click the Advanced tab.
In Start Menu Settings, select Display Logoff and Expand Control Panel (you might want to poke around with the other settings here as well).

In the Advanced tab, note the other additions you can make to the Start menu. You can still drag and drop shortcuts on the Start button to add items to the menu. Now you can also click and drag those items on the menu to change their order and right-click any of the added items to rename them.

System Information

System Information displays your system configuration data. To see System Information, right-click My Computer and choose Manage from the shortcut menu. In the console pane, click System Tools and then System Information. From a machine running Windows 2000 Server, you can view System Information on a remote computer by following these steps:

Launch Active Directory Users and Computers.
In the console pane under the appropriate domain, click Computers.
In the details pane, right-click the computer name and select Manage.
In the new Computer Management window, click System Tools and then System Information.

TCP/IP

To install, remove, or configure TCP/IP in Windows 2000, open Network and Dial-Up Connections. Right-click the connection and choose Properties.

User Manager

In Windows 2000, User Manager has been renamed Local Users and Groups and is located in Computer Management. Right-click My Computer and choose Manage from the shortcut menu.

User Manager for Domains

Most of the functions of User Manager for Domains have been replaced by Active Directory Users and Computers. On Windows 2000 Server, Active Directory Users and Computers is on the Administrative Tools menu. Active Directory Domains and Trusts is used for creating and managing trust relationships.

View Options

In Windows 2000, View Options has been renamed Folder Options and is on the Tools menu in many places, including My Computer, My Documents, My Network Places, and Control Panel. Use Folder Options to change the appearance of your desktop and folder content and to specify how folders open. You can also specify whether folders open with a single click or a double click, and you can set how folders display.

Windows NT Explorer

Windows NT Explorer has been renamed Windows Explorer and is located on the Accessories menu.

Appendix A - A Quick Guide to Interface Changes