How do I enable what my SysAdmin turned off?...

[CJSnet]

Hi, I have been issued a laptop as a fieldworker, which was preconfigured.
I have since been told what I do with it now is up to me. However the
SysAdmin has changed a few things that I would like to put back to normal.
Please advise

1) User Accounts
I do not see the usual User Accounts window when I open it from Control
Panel. Instead it brings up the userpasswords2 window. My user account has
a domain associated. Can I still revert to the original, friendlier User
Accounts setup screen, and if so how?

2) Login
I have to type my password from the older Win2000 style login box. How can
I get back the nicer WinXP login screen where I click my username or
picture, and can see outstanding e-mails etc?

3) Network Connections
I do not seem to have the option to connect to a LAN when I add a new
connection. How can I get this back.

Better still, is there a way to just revert to all default settings for
security and admin, preferably without a clean install?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Wesley Vogel]

1) Start | Run | Type: control userpasswords | OK

 

[Andre Da Costa]

that should actually be:-

control userpasswords2

Andre

 

[CJSnet]

Both are wrong

Have a look at what I actually said When I go to Control Panel it opens
control userpasswords2. On a normal XP system it would bring up
userpasswords (not 2).

If I type Run>control userpasswords, it still brings up userpasswords2's
window! :-S

 

[Dave]

i don't think on a domain machine that the plain userpasswords control will
work. no can you change to the pretty xp login screen since that doesn't do
domains. one thing you don't want to do is to change from the domain to a
workgroup on some other lan, this will effectively disable your current
domain account and you will be back asking how to login again.

 

[Wesley Vogel]

control userpasswords = nusrmgr.cpl = Windows User Manager = Users Acounts

Try this...

Start | Run | Type: nusrmgr.cpl | OK

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Andre,

Did you type it in to see what opens?

control userpasswords & control userpasswords2 are completely different.

 

[Guest]

Your laptop is member of an Active Directory domain.
You cannot have the usual User Account windows when you are member of an
Active Directory domain.

You must un-join the domain and you will have back the WinXP User Account
window.

Hope this can help you

 

[Dave]

WARNING! if you un-join the domain your current login won't work! be sure
you know the local machine administrator account password and/or create a
new local machine user account before you do this!

 

[CJSnet]

Nah, that still brings up userpasswords2 strangely. Any other suggestions,
or can I definitely not use this type of account manager for a user with a
domain, as the other poster in this thread said?

 

[CJSnet]

Thanks. Looks like I can't do it. Never mind.

All I really need now is to get back the feature in Network Connections to
allow me to connect to a home or office network. I want to connect this
laptop to my desktop using the two Ethernet connections on each PC. I hope
this can be done with an Active Directory domain?
--
Thanks.

CJSnet

(Remove TEETH to reply by e-mail.)

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Hi, I have been issued a laptop as a fieldworker, which was
preconfigured. I have since been told what I do with it now is up to
me. However the SysAdmin has changed a few things that I would like
to put back to normal. Please advise

1) User Accounts
I do not see the usual User Accounts window when I open it from
Control Panel. Instead it brings up the userpasswords2 window. My
user account has a domain associated. Can I still revert to the
original, friendlier User Accounts setup screen, and if so how?

2) Login
I have to type my password from the older Win2000 style login box. How can
I get back the nicer WinXP login screen where I click my
username or picture, and can see outstanding e-mails etc?

3) Network Connections
I do not seem to have the option to connect to a LAN when I add a new
connection. How can I get this back.

Better still, is there a way to just revert to all default settings
for security and admin, preferably without a clean install?

You are in a domain.
Your "sysadmin" joined you to the domain for a reason - I don't know your
situation, so I don't know their reasoning. This one step is what changed
the look and feel of your Windows XP machine.

You can, however - if you are an admin on the local workstation - create a
LOCAL user and log on as them instead of using the (likely) cached logon you
may be using now. When you logon, do you see three options, one for Domain?
If not - do you see a OPTIONS>> button? Click it so you see all three.
When you pull down the domain list, it should have the domain list and the
local machine name in there. If you create a local user, you can change it
to the machine name and logon locally.

What does that do for you? Not much - you would have to leave the domain to
gain the control you seem to want (the prettifications.) However, if you
left the domian, you better have your local administrative user created
first and know the password - otherwise, you will be going back to your
system admin to get you back into the laptop. I never recommend anyone
dis-join their domain - as it can cause a whole slew of other issues - and I
definitely wouldn't recommend it for some prettifications.

Your #3 is confusing to me.. Can you expand on what you are asking?

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Thanks. Looks like I can't do it. Never mind.

All I really need now is to get back the feature in Network
Connections to allow me to connect to a home or office network. I
want to connect this laptop to my desktop using the two Ethernet
connections on each PC. I hope this can be done with an Active
Directory domain?

Are you an Admin on this laptop?
If so, you could setup a script to switch you between home and work network
using NETSH. First use NETSH to dump the current settings to a file, change
what you need to connect to your home network. Use NETSH to dump these
settings to a DIFFERENT file. Then you could have two scripts - one to
import the WORK file and one to import the HOME file.

ie: http://kisssolutio.web102.discountasp.net/KB/article.asp?ID=6

 

[CJSnet]

Your #3 is confusing to me.. Can you expand on what you are asking?

Thanks for the other answers.

3) Network Connections
I do not seem to have the option to connect to a LAN when I add a new
connection. How can I get this back.

If I click Start>Network Connections the option on the left to Set up a home
or small office network is absent. If I Create a new connection, the option
is also absent from there.

How then can I connect my laptop to my desktop to transfer files via a
Ethernet cable?
--
Thanks.

CJSnet

(Remove TEETH to reply by e-mail.)

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Thanks for the other answers.


If I click Start>Network Connections the option on the left to Set up
a home or small office network is absent. If I Create a new
connection, the option is also absent from there.

How then can I connect my laptop to my desktop to transfer files via a
Ethernet cable?

Right-click on the network connection and manually configure it for your
home network..

 

[CJSnet]

Ok, here's the weird thing. The laptop's network connection itself has a
red X by it and it says disconnected. The same on the desktop PC.

The laptop is a Dell Latitude with a built-in Ethernet socket, and the
desktop a Sony Vaio with the same. Both have worked fine when connected to
another LAN or cable modem.

I have connected one end of the RJ cable to each PC, but no lights flash on
the Ethernet socket, and both still say 'disconnected'. :-S

What am I missing to get these two to talk to each other?
--
Thanks.

CJSnet

(Remove TEETH to reply by e-mail.)

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Ok, here's the weird thing. The laptop's network connection itself
has a red X by it and it says disconnected. The same on the desktop
PC.
The laptop is a Dell Latitude with a built-in Ethernet socket, and the
desktop a Sony Vaio with the same. Both have worked fine when
connected to another LAN or cable modem.

I have connected one end of the RJ cable to each PC, but no lights
flash on the Ethernet socket, and both still say 'disconnected'. :-S

What am I missing to get these two to talk to each other?

Straight through (normal) ethernet cable?
That won't work without a switch/hub between them.

You need a "crossover cable" to connect two PCs directly like that.

 

[CJSnet]

Thanks.

I thought any network cable would work. When I used to have a network at
home with 2 desktop PCs, I had just a BNC cable running between then - no
hub.

So basically, the Ethernet cable I was using between my cable modem and
desktop PC will not work to hook up two PCs on a peer-to-peer basis?

What's a crossover cable look like and how can I identify one in the shop?
--
Thanks.

CJSnet

(Remove TEETH to reply by e-mail.)

 

[David Candy]

It looks the same, the wires are reversed at one end in the plug.

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Cables That Are Compatible with Direct Cable Connection
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;310576

HOW TO: Set Up a Direct Cable Connection Between Two Computers in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=305621

How to Create a Direct Cable Connection
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/itpro/networking/cablecon.asp

How to Configure a Direct Cable Connection with Windows XP Home Edition
(PART 1)
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;814981