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I'm 19 and doing the MCSE program was one of the best things I've ever done. Sure, people can go and do their computer science degress which don't get me wrong, are awsome for them. I have a few friends with computer science degrees in their late 20's, and it's an awsome thing to go get. But for me in the Network Administration and Security field, it's all about what certifications you have. Network Administration requires very different certification levels than most other jobs. Some people have asked me in the past "do you need a degree?" and honestly, you don't for what a lot of us here at the forums do. I read an article recently on TechRepublic about the top certifications that are most recognized worldwide, and MCSE was at the top next to some Cisco management certifications. I used to go through PearsonVue for my exams actually, but as you posted, it's true, they no longer offer it. It was nice where I was. My University campus had a Pearson testing center in our IT building. So to take an exam and book it, we walked about 10 feet outside our class and we were at the testing center. As for books, the Microsoft Press ones are excellent. I personally have the "Microsoft Official Academic Course" textbooks, slightly different from Microsoft Press covers. But they help a ton. Each book comes with an accompanying Lab Book. They all include copies of Evaluation versions of Windows Server 2003 Enterprise [180 Day] so you can complete the course and "play-a-long" MCSE style Really though, even after I was certified, where I learned most of what I know is always through practicing on an actual network and working on it day to day. Best of luck!

From what I've seen, it can take a few seconds for the policy to load. I've tested it and hit control+alt+delete to login and it's the local machine. I try again 5 seconds later [literally] and it's set to our domain. So what I'm going to try to do is just set the GPO to wait until all policies are loaded until the login window comes up.

Thanks for everyones replies! I always just put the home.fc file in All Users and hoped it worked, and it worked, but only about 25 percent of the time. With really odd results. I never even thought of program files. I'll give that a try. EDIT: One question about putting it in program files, I noticed that there's only 4 files in the Program Files>First Class folder with no folder architecture. Just 2 DLL's, a text file, and the executable. Do I just drop the home.fc file in there with the rest? EDIT 2: Apparently yes. I copied the generated "settings" folder with the home.fc file in it from My Documents [after I saved the settings the way I like them for all staff] over to the Program Files folder for FirstClass, and it works perfectly.

FirstClass E-Mail: How Do You Fill In Server Field On Domain Login? I'm working for a school district that uses FirstClass as their email server/client. I've noticed that one of the main questions I hear from people is "My email won't connect, I need help". I go to their computer, and it turns out they've just logged into a different machine and needed the Server field filled out with our districts FirstClass server entered into the field so the client knows where to connect. My question is, to eliminate confusion, how can I edit that from the Domain Server at our school? Is there a way I can apply a group policy or login script to automatically fill in the server field at login? I've tried just creating the home.fc file that FirstClass uses for settings and putting it into the All Users folder under Documents and Settings so any user will get the home.fc file, but that doesn't always work. Again, has anyone who uses FirstClass found a way or know of a way to fill in that server field at login? Either by a script doing the filling in when the program starts or during domain login, or by uploading a fresh copy of home.fc every time. If someone knows an easier way, please do let me know. Thanks a lot!

WOW... just WOW... lol. That worked perfectly. Thanks Excellent call on that, I like it.

So lets admit it. Probably a good number of us have had someone come up to us saying "I can't login" and it turns out they're trying to login to the local machine and didn't change the drop down box to your domain. What I'd like to do, is have a default domain appear in that box. I found a good article on Microsoft on how to do this: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/abouttn/flash/tips/tips_080305_2.mspx There's only one problem. The simple 8 line script they use errors out on line 8 when you try to import it as a template in a GPO. It says that it's expecting CATEGORY, and it found CATEGOR...doesn't make any sense. The two places that script says category, both say category in my script. I didn't miss a letter. Anyways, if anyone has a better idea on how to do this, or have come across that error before while trying to create that GPO, please let me know! Thanks!

What kind of stuff? I was just about to implement this.

Dude! Thanks! I'll definitely give that a try. I never knew about that feature.

Hmm, thinking to my home machine, you said you use Backup Exec? If I'm not mistaken that's a Symantec product, and I use Norton SystemWorks Premier at home. I have no idea if this is connected, but with Norton SystemWorks, it uses the "Norton Protected Recycle Bin" and it keeps copies of everything you delete either for a certain period of time, or until you right click the recycle bin and select "Empty Norton Protected Files". That gets rid of all the files that were being held, and for me, those files are held in a hidden System Volume Information folder. Check if you're running a Norton Protected Recycling Bin.

I tried posting at TechRepublic and they said I should use IEAK. Any other ways would be much appreciated. ------------------------ I run a high school network here and have different computer labs, a library with 30 computers, and a career center with 15 computers. What I'd like to do, is have the computer labs all come up with the home page of the school, the career center come up with the home page of the school, and the library to come up with the library home page for the school. When I looked through the Group Policy settings, I see that I can set it using User Configuration and Internet Explorer Maintenance and then using the URL settings to change the Home Page. But I couldn't find anything under Computer Configuration to change it. I need it under computer configuration so it can be location specific. I have all the computers in the library for example, in a Library OU under computers. But when I apply the User Configuration to the Library computers, it only looks for a user object to affect, and therefore, the policy does nothing and isn't applied. I can't make it per user either. Because the User settings don't have a clue where the user is logging in. The library and computer labs won't make a difference to a User script. So to sum everything up, I need a solution to set URL's Computer specific instead of users. So no matter who logs in, a teacher or a student, they get the right page depending on where they are. Thanks!

That's a good call on the updates being installed, I never knew that. But sure enough, all computers have Office SP3 and all updates installed from Microsoft Update [so all office updates included]. I'm in the middle of building new images as well, and the last thing I installed was the 2007 and Works converters. So we'll see if these images work! Hoping to get them rolled out beginning of christmas holidays. Hasn't been done in a long time here.

Thanks for the tips everyone. That's what I originally had in mind, to share the printers and have 4 connections as dhicks pointed out, and share those from the server (having the server shared printers show in the directory, and the Windows XP server shares not listed in directory by unchecking the checkbox). The problem is that when I try to list them in the directory from the server, the server automatically checks that box on the windows xp shares, and they become shared again out of Windows XP. So I'll connect to the Windows XP computer from the server, add those printers. Remote connect to the Windows XP server, leaving those printers shared I uncheck the show in directory box, and then I go back to the server and make sure they're added, and go back to the windows xp box, and the box is checked again. Sure enough, upon add printer>network printer>search active directory, a list of all the printers comes up, and in that list is the 4 from the windows xp server, listed as shared on that box, not the server. So I'm not sure how I can get around that. I may be missing something or doing something in the wrong order. Thanks again for all your help.

So we only have so many Server 2003 licences here at the school, and I've used them all up with the domain controllers and file servers. I've got a lab that has 4 printers in it. It's the new art lab, and none of the printers are network printers. So what I did, was built a simple Windows XP Professional machine, and had the printers installed on that under the printer desk in the corner of the room at the back. Nobody knows it's there. It has no monitor, just a network cable so it can talk to the domain and so I can control it through RDC remotely. The problem of course, is that there are now far more than 10 computers in that lab and that use those art printers, and we all know here that Windows XP only supports 10 connections at once over the network to the machine. So as soon as the 11th computer comes on and tries to connect to the printers, the connection fails. So at the moment, I'm wondering if anyone knows a way to have more connections allowed to Windows XP Professional, or if someone knows some simple Windows print server that's free. Normally I'd just buy a print server box that attaches to the network so I can manage the printers from the Print Server in the server room, but I don't know of any that does 3 USB printers and a parallel printer at once. Do I build a linux server? What distro is the best and how easily can I manage print jobs remotely? I'd like to preferably keep them on that machine, and the district doesn't have any more server licences. I asked them if they had any spare Windows 2000 licences They said they didn't. Thanks!

In our school we have 290 or so Windows XP machines on a Windows server 2003 Domain. Many students are beginning to get machines with Vista and Office 2007 at home, and so I've installed the Office 2007 Compatibility pack on the machines [since we use Office 2003 here]. Many MANY office 2007 documents can't be opened. I'd say a good 99% of them students come to me saying "word says it can't open the file" even after the compatibility pack is installed. Anyone had any luck? Thanks!

Faronics DeepFreeze.

That's what I thought too, and it's selected, but does Windows care? Nope. Now it's added My Music as a bonus. lol. the life of Windows. I've turned it off for now, if anyone can think of a simple way just to make the My Documents folder redirect to the H drive with no special my documents folders being created inside of it as soon as its redirected, that would be great and much appreciated! I just have kids once in awhile doing the obvious save to the My Documents, going back to the same computer the next day and finding its not there because they don't know what Deep Freeze is.

What's been everyones experience with allowing only a certain set of software? I'd like to make it so that only school applications can be run. No matter how much I try to restrict IE, students are always going to bring in more applications. They'll keep downloading their exe's and their iso's and their vb scripts and running them, but what I'd like to do is make it so only select software applications can be run. I tried to block other web browsers etc. and make every user not a local administrator so they didn't have access to installing software, but then they go ahead and either install it to their network drive, or install it to the desktop, and it works perfectly. Is there a way to use software restriction policies to only allow a certain set of applications to be run? For example only the preinstalled applications that I install with each image? My only concern is how well software restriction policies work. If they're as good as Apple's parental controls where you click the app you don't want them to run and your good to go, or if you have to hash every single DLL and system file required by each program. For a program like Adobe Premiere or Microsoft Office, that's a few hundred seperate hashes for each program that have to be fed through software restriction. Is it smart enough to just pick up the exe that's allowed, like WinWord.exe for Microsoft Word, realize Word is allowed, and use all features of Word? Or is there a better way that my mind is too busy to think of? Thanks!

All I did was install the drivers for the wireless network cards that were either in the wireless laptops, or a few wireless desktops which aren't near a wall and don't have a drop down cable line. I didn't install the utility cause I find making Windows manage the connections is easier and one less thing running in your system tray to tinker with and in RAM. Then what I did was just connected to the wireless network and entered any key if neccessary. I then clicked the favorites star type icon next to the option to manage the different wireless connections along the side [this is all under the window to view wireless networks, the one you want should now show as connected], and set it as an automatic network. Click ok, and you're done. Make sure you're logged in as the local administrator of that machine. I haven't had a single problem since.

none EDIT after a few more tries, I finally did get an error in event viewer. It said "This security ID may not be assigned as the owner of this object." But it also was able to transcode the name from %username% to the correct folder share. EDIT 2 that was a simple fix actually, I just unchecked the grant user exclusive rights checkbox and itw as good to go. But does anyone know how to get rid of the My Pictures link? I don't know why that's always there at the beginning by default. theres a shortcut for my pictures under each user that really doesn't need to be there. thanks!

I run a high school network here and have different computer labs, a library with 30 computers, and a career center with 15 computers. What I'd like to do, is have the computer labs all come up with the home page of the school, the career center come up with the home page of the school, and the library to come up with the library home page for the school. When I looked through the Group Policy settings, I see that I can set it using User Configuration and Internet Explorer Maintenance and then using the URL settings to change the Home Page. But I couldn't find anything under Computer Configuration to change it. I need it under computer configuration so it can be location specific. I have all the computers in the library for example, in a Library OU under computers. But when I apply the User Configuration to the Library computers, it only looks for a computer object to affect, and therefore, the policy does nothing and isn't applied. I can't make it per user either. Because the User settings don't have a clue where the user is logging in. The library and computer labs won't make a difference to a User script. So to sum everything up, I need a solution to set URL's Computer specific instead of users. So no matter who logs in, a teacher or a student, they get the right page depending on where they are. Thanks!

At our school we use a login script that maps each user to a share drive. Share drives are located under \\server1\staff\staffname, and \\server2\students\studentname. The shares are hidden of course with a $ after it, and the login script map's each drive to H:. So I guess what they did when the network was setup, was make that their kind of "home drive" but without using the Home Drive feature in Active Directory user profiles. So what I would like to do, since many students and staff still save data to their My Documents folder, is to redirect the My Documents folder to their H drives [their share]. Since each user is different and since the data already exists in their H drives, I made the Folder redirection set to "Basic: Redirect everyone's folder to the same location" and then set the path as \\server2\students\%username% for the students. I cannot get it to work for the life of me, and I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong or not. The other reason I want to implement it is because the district uses First Class email, which I'm sure some of you are aware of, and First Class requires a server address to be set in the home.fc file within the First Class settings folder, which resides in My Documents. However, My Documents is different for each user that logs in, and the computers are all frozen by Deep Freeze. So sure, I might go and set the server field to the district First Class server the first time, but I still get a call for that problem regularely. I'd like that settings file to travel with each staff member, so the My Documents folder would redirect to their share drive, and the settings file for First Class will then be transfered there instead. If anyone knows how to make Folder Redirection work and could let me know how it would work in my current configuration, please let me know. Thanks!

Or if you're REALLY feeling into the christmas spirit and ready to heat the school from all the processors running at max... http://www.soft32.com/download_10951.html

Ya I'm workin on creating software restriction policies. But I've never got them to work in the past. I'll keep working on it:) Ya we have some clever kids around. Finding interesting ways to do things. Even after I blocked out the registry and restricted users access via group policy and locked down the user interface a ton, even if you couldn't go Start>Run>Regedit, I had one or two users write a VB script to inject data into the registry. We're using ISA 2000 as our proxy server and website blocker, and it hardly works at all Users simply change the proxy setting to something other than the ISA server, and they're done. They can access whatever they want. It's ISA 2000 as well so the security technologies are quite old in it. But I've just ordered a new unit from Barracuda. The web filter 320. http://www.barracudanetworks.com/ns/products/web-filter-overview.php I like the fact it works directly with Active Directory so I can prevent students from certain sites, and allow teachers to others. ISA tried to do that but failed missurably.

I completely understand the need for setting users as local Administrators. Makes sense. The reason I had them turned off so fast is because kids here frequently install a lot of software to play games etc. and I wanted to lock them down as much as possible. But of course even with security settings in Active Directory and setting them as just local users, users are still able to install software to a place other than program files. They can install software directly to the desktop with no problem, or their network storage drive. Is there any easy way to prevent this?

Sounds good. I've done that as well but figured I'd try as many places as I could. Thanks!