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Exercise 8.1: Creating a User Account in Windows NT
Objective: Create a new NT User Account.

Estimated time: 10 minutes
1.Click on Start, Programs, Administrative Tools. Choose either User Manager (Windows NT Workstation) or User Manager for Domains (Windows NT Server).
2.User Manager opens (see Figure 8.2). If this is a new install, only two users appear in the top window. As you might expect, Administrator is the default administrative account for the machine, and Guest is the default account for anonymous access by users who do not have a username and password of their own. The Guest account is disabled by default and must be manually enabled before it is usable.
3.Click on Policies, Account to prompt the Account Policy dialog box to appear (see Figure 8.3). Observe that, by default, passwords must be changed every 42 days. In addition, no restrictions are made as to password length or uniqueness. Account Lockout is turned off. Here, you can set some of the default security information for your network. If you are concerned that someone might try to break into your network by stealing or guessing a user’s password, these settings should be set to restrictive levels. Leave the defaults as they are and click Close to return to the User Manager.
4.Click on File, New User. The New User dialog box appears (see Figure 8.4).
5.In the top field, type in a unique username (in this case, TestUser) for the new account. This name can be between 1 and 20 characters and cannot include spaces or any of the following characters:
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6.Two text fields enable you to identify the user for which the account is being created. The Full Name field generally defines the person, and the Description field defines the role they fill in the organization. Fill both of these fields with the values Test User and Training Department Manager.
7.In the password field, you may enter any combination of 1 to 14 characters of your choice, with the same exceptions that apply to the creation of user accounts. Enter PASSWORD in both the Password and Confirm Password fields. (Remember that all passwords are case-sensitive, so it matters whether you type PASSWORD or password.)
8.Examine the check boxes below the Confirm Password field. By default, the User Must Change Password at Next Logon field is checked. The first time that New User logs on, he is asked to provide a new password. This enables you to set an initial password but then transfer security over to the user by having him define his own access password.
9.The User Cannot Change Password option generally is used only for guest or multi-user accounts, thereby keeping one guest from changing the password and locking all other guest users out. Leave this box unchecked.
10.The Password Never Expires option is intended for system or guest accounts that require a static password. As you will see, system policies can be set by requiring occasional password changes by network users. This setting overrides such policies. Leave this box unchecked.
11.The Account Disabled option enables you to disable an account temporarily while a user is on vacation or after he no longer is allowed access to the network. Generally, this option is preferable to simply deleting the account, at least until it has been determined that the user definitely will not use the account again. Leave this box unchecked.
12.The row of buttons at the bottom of the window contains additional configuration options. You use the Groups button in the next exercise, but the other buttons contain options beyond the scope of this book. Ignore them for now, but it would be a good idea to return later to click on each of them in turn and investigate the windows they spawn. Close each without making modifications. This idea is good to follow in all exercises because the key to mastering any Windows-based product is to know where to click to find the option you need. You should get used to exploring all the tabs and buttons available, but don’t change anything unless you know what will happen.
13.Click the Add button. Notice that although all the fields clear, the Add User window remains open. This enables faster creation of multiple users.
14.Click Close to return to User Manager. You now see a third user, which is the TestUser account you just created.
  1. Click User, Exit