Linux Lovers? Keep a lookout for Windows.....

Windows is a most powerful OS, but many users of Windows are quite noobs or in good words, simple amateurs. That is why Windows is still getting a backout when comparing the power of Linux. Windows can do all that Linux can do....I swear since I use Windows after learning to use it. I am an MCP, and so I can guarantee reliability.

Coming to basics,

1. Users and Accounts :

Windows has the most advantageous User management in any OS. Currently Win Users can be broadly classified into 3. Mainly, Administrators, Limited Users and Inbuilt Users. Basically Inbuilt users are taken into account as those created during the installation, namely Administrator and Guest. Guest is a disabled User. I hereby am going to approach the functions in methods A and B where A is the usual noob approach and B is a pro one.

Method A: Usually people goto Control Panel>User Accounts for creating, deleting and modifying users which has the least level of functionality

Method B: Goto Run>lusrmgr.msc>Local Users and Groups>Users; Now you have the facility to create, modify and delete users. The advanced features are shown in the figure and explained below.

User must change password at next logon: Prompts user to change their password at their next logon. Usually needed by accounts that are created by admins and then handed over to local users

User cannot change password: Disables the feature of changing password by associated user

Password Never Expires: There is a standard password expiry time (42 days) for accounts created in this method. This is a security measure but is disabled by this option

Account is disabled: Creates an account but disables it

Other advantageous features:

Goto Run>gpedit.msc>Computer Configuration>Windows settings>Security settings>Account policies>Password policy

You will see 6 options as listed below.

1. Enforce password history: remembers 'n' no. of passwords per user that the user has used. The user cannot change back to the passwords in the history list. which means if the option is set to 1 and the password now using is "test", I can change it to "test1" but then after I cannot change it to "test" until I change it to something else.

2. Maximum password age: The password is used for 42 days default which can be changed after which the user is prompted to change password in accordance with the first option.

3. Minimum password age: No of days after which the user can change the password again after a recent change. 1 means I cannot change the password more than once a day.

4. Minimum password length: Length of charecters in a password as a security measure.

5. Password must meet complexity requirements: Passwords must be complex enough for a user to use them. An example is 123!@#iii

6. Store Passwords for reverse encryption for all users in the domain: If enabled, passwords are reversed and then encrypted as a secuity measure.

Goto Run>gpedit.msc>Computer Configuration>Windows settings>Security settings>Account policies>Account Lockout Policy

You will see 3 options as listed below.

1. Account lockout duration: When an unknown user tries to break into your account with combinations of password, after a distinct number of tries, the account gets locked automatically to this time duration. Only an administrator can unlock the account in this time period.

2. Account lockout threshold: Defined the number of false attempts before an account is locked.

3. Reset account lockout counter after: After this period of time, the number of false attempt counter is reset to zero.

I will be adding more Windows usage methods soon. Thanks for reading