OK, it's Official. The ice has melted sufficiently from the mailbox to get those books in the mail to the lucky winners of the fabulous free book giveaway. I've just returned from the Postal Orifice, where I've given the US government a princely sum to handle them with care and deliver them through rain, snow, sleet, Acts of God, and raging 'roo infestations in the Australian Outback.

Why the big delay? Well, the dog ate my homework! OK, so I don't have a dog. I was waiting for the rest of the books to arrive from the publisher (yes, I could have bought them from Amazon but I'm cheap). To compound problems, one of my kids was in the hospital for about 3 weeks and it was a 90-mile round trip each day. (All turned out well, however, and thanks to everyone who offered well wishes and prayers!) Then, my office flooded after a big rain. But the best part of the story has yet to be told. I'll keep that close to the vest until a later date, but you'll howl, you'll hurl, you'll go mad with laughter. I promise.

On the book front, the Rational Guide to Small Office / Home Office Networking is done and should be out by about mid-June. Then, it's on to an update of the Windows Server 2003 Bible for Wiley and the Windows XP Visual Encyclopedia, also for Wiley.

Spring is mostly sprung here in the Land of Almost Perpetual Ice and Snow. The temperature is up to 70 today and I'm debating the virtues of work. I'm sure work will lose out!

Hasta luego,

Jim

Featured Windows Tip
Using the Last Known Good Configuration

When Windows 2000/XP boots you can choose between two configurations: the default registry configuration or the Last Known Good Configuration (LKGC). The default configuration represents the system’s configuration from the previous session just prior to shutdown. Any changes to the system’s configuration in the previous session are applied in that configuration. The LKGC represents the system’s configuration from the past boot prior to any changes. Both configurations are stored as control sets in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SYSTEM.

The advantage offered by the LKGC is that it represents the configuration at the last successful boot. If you made changes in the previous logon session that hosed the system’s configuration, you can boot from the LKGC to bypass those changes and recover the system. For example, perhaps you installed a device driver or service and the system stopped responding. Booting from the LKGC restores the registry to the way it was before the installation. The LKGC can also overcome problems with a new video driver. If you have problems with the display after installing the new driver, reboot without logging on to restore the registry from the LKGC.

If you need to boot from the LKGC, press F8 when Windows starts to boot. You’ll find Last Known Good Configuration as an option in the advanced boot menu. If booting from the LKGC doesn’t fix your problem, replace the registry from a backup (such as the copy in the %systemroot%\ Repair folder) and reboot.

Featured Office Tip #1
Use a custom form in place of a distribution list

You're certainly familiar with distribution lists. These Outlook and Exchange Server items let you send a message to multiple recipients with just one address. However, a distribution list is just that--a list. You can't allocate some addresses in the list to the To field and other addresses to the Cc or Bcc fields. You can, however, place the distribution list address in either the Cc or Bcc fields, if needed. Placing it in the Bcc field prevents members of the group from seeing the addresses of others in the group.

If you need to separate addresses into different address fields, there is no alternative to entering the addresses individually, rather than as a group. There are, however, a couple of techniques you can use to simplify the process for situations in which you need this ability often.

First, consider splitting the distribution list into two or three separate lists. This approach works well if the To, Cc, and Bcc fields generally receive the same addresses each time. A second approach is to create a custom form with the address fields already filled in with the appropriate individual addresses:

1. Choose Tools | Forms | Design a Form.
2. Choose the Message form and click Open.
3. If you need the Bcc field in the form: in the Field Chooser, select All Mail Fields from the drop-down list, then drag the Bcc field to the form. Resize and reposition controls as needed to allow it to fit.
4. Double-click the text field for each and add the addresses as needed.
5. Choose Tools | Forms | Publish Form, select a location available to the users, and click Publish.
6. Click Yes when prompted to save the form definition.

When you need to send a message using the form, just choose Tools | Forms | Choose a Form, and select the form. You can add any additional addresses, text, or attachments, and send the message as usual.

Setting up a form or multiple distribution lists like this makes it easier for users to send messages to multiple recipients, but perhaps more important, it helps ensure that the right recipients are listed in each field.

Featured Windows Server Tip
View and manage permissions for a console

Windows Server provides several mechanisms within its interface to enable administrators to view and manage permissions. In many situations, however, it's useful to be able to manage permissions from a console. Two Windows Server tools, Showacls.exe and Cacls.exe, are extremely useful for viewing and managing Access Control Lists (ACLs)—which control permissions—from a console or a batch file/script.

Showacls.exe, included with the Windows 2000/2003 Resource Kits, is a console tool that enumerates access rights for files, folders, and folder trees. The syntax is:

Showacls.exe /S /U:(domain)\ (user) [path]

The /S switch causes Showacls to include subdirectories, and the /U switch lets you specify a user. Replace [path] with the file or folder path for which you want to view permissions. You can redirect Showacls' output to a file for archival purposes.

The Cacls.exe tool, included with Windows Servers, lets you modify ACLs. You can use Cacls.exe to modify permissions for a single user or multiple users, change ACLs for a single file or folder, or change them for an entire folder tree. Cacls.exe can add or remove permissions, as needed.

For the Cacls.exe syntax and usage, execute the command CACLS /? at a console prompt.

In the News:

Internet worms a thing of the past? HAH!!! Story.

Gesundheit! Seems appropriate for a story about viruses and German spam. Story

Open source Yoga? Give me a break! Story

Microsoft want to keep your PC healthy. Sorry, I don't see anything funny about that. Story

New version of Windows XP on the horizon. Where does Microsoft get these goofy code names for new products? Story

Oooh, don't get me started! Real border security involves actually guarding the borders! At least the illegals will have to walk back to the border when they are done here. Story

Microsoft plans to survive in the cell phone space. Why do I care about this? Story

Better just give up and scream for help. More 911 fodder . Story

Webcam spies! Wish I could think of someone to spy on. http://www.pysoft.com

My living room isn't big enough for a pool table. Billiards for the space challenged. http://www.terragame.com

Free Office tips. Check out the latest free edition of the Office Letter for some handy Office tips. www.officeletter.com

Baby you can drive my boat. The source code for the wave generation made my eyes glaze over, but the game looks fun. http://www.d-grafix.com/software.html

Great CD burning tool. One of the best programs for burning CD and DVD formats. www.nero.com

Enhance your Windows desktop. 12 handy tools for Windows www.12ghosts.com

Recipe:
Honey raisin cookies

Amazing what you can do with a standard sugar cookie recipe!

Soak raisins in water and set aside. Cream together butter and sugar. Combine and beat the egg, milk, and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour and milk mixtures alternately to the sugar mix. Drain the raisins and add to the dough with the honey and cinnamon. Drop with a spoon or cookie scoop on a cookie sheet and then bake about 12 minutes at 375 degrees F.