Finding workgroup user

[Guest]

I would like to send messages to other users/computers logged on i my LAN.
They all are members of the same workgroup as displayed in the explorer (
under "My network places"). Can someone give a walkthrough in the procedure
how to set a group policy so i can admin the other users/computers from my
computer and send messages to them. In "administrative tools/computer
management" i can only se local users on my computer and not workgroup users.
Thanks

 

[Guest]

You can only do this kind of thing in a domain.

When you join a domain, you effectively give the Domain Administrator
carte-blanche to modify the software and settings on your computer. Outside
of this environment, these tools don't work.

There are various ways to send messages to other computers, though. The
Messenger service will do this, albeit at the risk of spam if you don't
firewall it carefully.. Skype is one other possibility, it performs several
other useful functions too. Or, http://www.realpopup.it/ for simple popup
messages.

 

[Steven L Umbach]

If the messenger service is enabled on those computers and the Windows
Firewall is no blocking traffic used for the messenger service [138 UDP]
then you can do that. However most organizations disable the messenger
service because it was the original LAN chat program and as such can caused
problems but that is your call. If your logged on account name/password is
the same as a local administrator on the other computers or you know the
credentials you can use Computer Management to manage much on the other
computer. This requires the other computers be XP Pro [with simple file
sharing disabled] or Windows 2000. Open Computer Management and go to
action - connect to other computer and enter the computer's name or IP
address to use Computer Management on it. If the Windows Firewall is enabled
it will require the exceptions for remote management and file and print
sharing be enabled for your network. You can use the net command line tool
or Computer Management/action/all tasks - send console message to send
messages to the other computers that have messenger service enabled and
access allowed through any firewall. FYI when a message is received via
messenger an event will be recorded on the system log of the computer that
will show the source of the message.

Steve