Internet Resources

Overview

Since operating systems are regularly changed to newer versions and various Service Packs are constantly released, practically every book has one common drawback: Once it has been written, revisions and corrections can be made only in a new edition. While writing this book, I faced some difficult conditions with respect to beta versions and Release Candidates of the Windows Server 2003 family of operating systems. I tried to carefully test all the tips and recommendations provided in this book, but…

The best source of information on Windows NT/2000/XP and Windows Server 2003 is the Internet. A list of the most informative and reliable links is provided below. At the time of publication, there were no dead links in this list.

• http://www.wugnet.com

  The site of the Windows Users Group Network (WUGNET) contains lots of information on Microsoft Windows, including Windows 9x/ME and Windows NT-based operating systems. On this site, you can find technical support information on various aspects of Windows operating systems, Internet, e-mail, shareware, hardware, games, software development, help authoring, multimedia, Microsoft products, and more.

• http://www.winsupersite.com

  This comprehensive set of resources and breaking news focuses on the newest releases of Windows operating systems. This site covers Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and even Windows "Longhorn"—the next major desktop Windows release, which will follow Windows XP. You'll find news, FAQs, Tech Showcases, and more concerning current and upcoming Microsoft operating systems and related technologies. This site contains information on exciting new products such as Windows XP Media Center Edition (code-named Freestyle), Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, Windows Media 9 Series (code-named Corona), and so on. Interested in Windows 2000 or Windows ME FAQs? No problem; you'll find them under "Retired FAQs". This site is supported by Windows expert Paul Thurrott, the author of many bestsellers covering Windows operating systems, software development, Web programming, and other computing topics.

  This site is recommended for advanced Windows users who are interested in new and upcoming versions of Windows operating systems. The author concentrates on new Windows functionality and illustrates how to use most features with practical examples.

• http://www.microsoft.com/

  Windows users certainly know this site; it's among the most reliable and informative sources of information concerning all Microsoft products, including Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. Search the Knowledge Base, and perhaps you'll find the answers to your questions. For assistance with the registry, go to Microsoft's Download Center (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/search.asp), select the operating system you are working with, and search using the Registry keyword. You'll find a log of registry patches, tools, and utilities. (Some of them are supplied with the source code.) If you want to understand the working principles of all Windows NT-based operating systems, do not miss Microsoft's Windows Hardware Development site (http://www.microsoft.com/hwdev/). This is the most reliable source of hardware information; it provides tools, recommendations, and services for driver developers and hardware designers who create products that work with the Microsoft Windows family of operating systems. The site is updated constantly with the latest news on topics including OnNow design, devices, and drivers. It also provides valuable downloads, such as specifications, white papers, and the newest versions of Windows Driver Development Kit (DDK). I wouldn't call DDK documentation easy reading, especially if you're reading it for the first time. However, there's no other way to become a professional. If you really care about the security of your Windows-based network, you must regularly visit Microsoft Security Advisor (http://www.microsoft.com/security/default.asp). This official source of information contains tons of security-related data for IT professionals, software developers, and consumers.

• http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag

  MSDN Journal is the most interesting resource for Windows NT/2000/XP and Windows Server 2003 internals. You'll find articles written by Matt Pietrek, Jeffrey Richter, and other popular authors.

• http://www.ntfaq.com

  This site provides a large collection of FAQs related to contemporary Windows NT-based operating systems. Topics include backup and recovery, Active Directory, registry, security, Windows Script Host, and more. This is an excellent resource if you need to find answers to your questions.

• http://www.winplanet.com/winplanet/

  This site contains a variety of Windows-related news, reviews, tips, tutorials, and downloads, as well as a free weekly Windows newsletter.

• http://www.jsiinc.com/reghack.htm

  This site provides a large variety of registry tips, tricks, and hacks, applicable to practically all existing versions of Windows NT-based operating systems, including Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003. If you are looking for such things, this is the place for you. It is updated constantly, and hacks arrive daily. No book can compare to it!

• http://www.windowsitlibrary.com/

  As its name implies, this is the Windows IT professional's free online technical reference library. This excellent resource covers nearly all topics related to Windows NT-based operating systems.

• http://www.swynk.com/

  SWYNK.COM is the largest independent resource for Microsoft .NET Enterprise and Windows Server technologies. On this site, you'll find the latest information on Windows NT/2000/XP and Windows Server 2003, SQL, SMS, and Exchange Servers. It provides lots of Windows NT/2000/XP-related resources, including technical articles, Web-based discussion boards, and Windows scripts.

• http://www.osr.com

  This is a site for true professionals! Open Systems Resources, Inc. (OSR) has devoted this entire site to Windows NT/2000/XP customized software development, including the development of file systems and device drivers. You can subscribe to the NT Insider magazine here (free of charge). If you're an NT-programmer, or plan to become one, this site's for you.

• http://www.sysinternals.com

  The Systems Internals site is supported by Mark Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell. These names speak for themselves. In addition to the Regmon and NTFSDOS utilities mentioned in Chapter 14, you'll find lots of handy utilities here for Windows 9x and Windows NT-based operating systems (most with the source code), as well as valuable technical information. This is my favorite site.

• http://www.winnetmag.com/

  Windows & .NET Magazine is intended for IT professionals specializing in Windows NT-based operating systems, including Windows NT/2000/XP and Windows Server 2003. Subscribers have unlimited access to all materials and archives published in the last five years, but even guest access will give you lots of valuable information.

• http://www.labmice.net/

  LabMice.net offers information on Windows 2000, Windows XP, and more. Visit it, and you won't be disappointed. This portal contains useful links related to all aspects of running Windows 2000 or Windows XP. It holds a large collection of resources on the registry, security, and scripting, including resource centers, online tutorials, and code examples.

• http://www.winguides.com/

  The WinGuides Network provides technical resources and support for tweaking, managing, and securing the Windows operating system using the registry, scripting, and security. It contains a series of technical guides, including Security Guide, Scripting Guide, Driver Guide for Windows, and Windows Registry Guide (formerly Regedit.com), which provide a range of registry tricks and tweaks for optimizing, enhancing, and securing your Windows OS.

• http://www.aelita.com/

  Aelita Software offers of technical information and utilities for Windows NT/2000/XP and Windows Server 2003, including ERDisk for Windows NT/2000 (or simply ERDisk) and ERDisk for Active Directory. ERDisks deliver automated backup and fast, remotely managed recovery of your Windows NT/2000 or Windows Server 2003 enterprise system's configuration and Active Directory. They bridge the gap between native disaster recovery tools, which have limited functionality, and full network backups, which can take hours to retrieve and restore. These utilities are not shareware, but you can download trial versions.

• http://www.radium.ncsc.mil/tpep/library/rainbow/

  This is the "Rainbow Series". In my humble opinion, it doesn't require any comments.

• http://www.windowssecurity.com/default.htm

  This security-related site contains reviews, documents, advisories, and more. It also provides a lot of useful links to other security-related sites, so don't forget to bookmark it.

• http://[e-mail]

  @stake has assembled the best minds in digital security, including the LOpht Heavy Industries group, to help you understand and mitigate security risks. The LC4 (the latest version of the award-winning password auditing and recovery application L0phtCrack), mentioned in Chapter 9, can be downloaded from http://[e-mail]/research/lc4/index.html. You can also download L0phtCrack 1.5, an unsupported command-line version for researchers (not intended for production password auditing). If you want dictionary files, don't forget to download them from http://packetstormsecurity.org/Crackers/wordlists/indexsize.shtml.

• http://www.iss.net

  This site is not specific to Windows NT/2000/XP. Still, it offers tons of valuable security information. (Don't forget to visit its security library at http://xforce.iss.net/security_library/.) Evaluation versions of security tools are also available for download. They are quite large, so don't forget to free up at least 120 MB of disk space.

• http://www.easydesksoftware.com/

  This is the site dedicated to developing Windows Registry and file system utilities. Here you'll find information and tools required to repair a corrupted registry in practically all Windows operating systems, including Windows 9x/ME and Windows NT-based operating systems.