Interface and Tool Improvements

Interface and Tool Improvements

One of the first things you'll notice when you work in Windows Server 2003 is that the interface is more Windows XP–like. That is, the interface has been changed so that the two operating systems have a more consistent look and feel.

Simple and Classic Start Menus

As in Windows XP, in Windows Server 2003 you can choose to use either a newer Start menu (the default) or the older Classic Start menu of Windows 2000. The newer Start menu gives you direct access to commonly used programs and allows you to execute common tasks directly. In the default configuration, it also contains menus for Control Panel and Administrative Tools, making it easy to access the tools you want to use. As much as I hate to say it, now that I've been working with the newer Start menu for a while, I actually like it. Once you start working with this default Start menu, you'll probably get used to it and—gasp!—you might even like it.

Tip

Switch to the Classic Start menu

Not everyone wants to be (or should be, for that matter) a convert to the kinder, gentler ways of the newer Start menu. Hey, that's why they give you the option of using a different Start menu. If you prefer the classic look, you can easily change the Start menu appearance by right-clicking the task bar and then selecting Properties. In the Taskbar And Start Menu Properties dialog box, select Classic Start Menu in the Start Menu tab, and then click OK.

At the end of the day it makes little difference which Start menu you use—it really comes down to personal preference. However, you should be aware of some important navigation differences between the two. As previously mentioned, with the newer Start menu, you have direct access to commonly used tools and tasks. These tools and tasks include the following:

  • Control Panel

  • Administrative Tools

  • Printers And Faxes

  • Recently used programs

  • Any program you've pinned to the Start menu

Tip

Pin programs to the simple Start menu

Tired of navigating through multiple menus to get to a program you want to use? I was, too, which is why I started using the Pin To Start Menu feature a lot. Here's how it works: Navigate the menu system until you get to the program you want. Right-click the program, and then click Pin To Start Menu to create a program shortcut on the Start menu. This technique works only with the newer Start menu. You can't pin shortcuts to the Classic Start menu.

On the newer Start menu, you access other programs by using the All Programs option. On the Classic Start menu, you use the Settings option to access Control Panel and Printers And Faxes, and you use the Programs option to access other programs.

Improvements for Active Directory Tools

In addition to user interface (UI) changes, Windows Server 2003 includes many interface improvements for the key Active Directory administration tools: Active Directory Domains and Trusts, Active Directory Sites and Services, and Active Directory Users and Computers. The improvements are as follows:

  • Drag and drop You can now select objects with the mouse and drag and drop them in a new location. This is a big change from Windows 2000 in which you had to right-click an object, select Move, and then use a shortcut dialog box to specify the destination.

  • Cut and paste You can right-click an object, select Cut, navigate to the new location for the object, right-click, and then select Paste. This is, of course, similar to drag and drop, but some people prefer to cut and paste. Sometimes one technique is easier than the other for whichever task you are trying to accomplish.

  • Multiple object selection You can select multiple objects in a series or individually so that all the selected objects can be managed as a group. To select multiple objects individually, hold down the Ctrl key, and then click each object you want to select. To select multiple objects in a series, hold down the Shift key, select the first object, and then click the last object.

  • Edit multiple objects You can select multiple objects for editing and then perform tasks or set their common properties all at once. To do this, select the objects you want to work with, right-click and then select the operation, such as Add To Group, Disable Account, or Properties.

Note

For more information about planning, managing, and implementing Active Directory, see Part 7. Using Active Directory tools is covered in this part of the book, as well as other chapters throughout the book as appropriate.

Other Tool Improvements

Other administration tools got face-lifts, too, including the Configure Your Server Wizard. As in Windows 2000, the Configure Your Server Wizard continues to be the primary tool for configuring server roles, such as whether a server is used for file services, DNS, DHCP, or all three. In Windows Server 2003, the wizard provides quick access to Add Or Remove Programs and the Configure Your Server Logs option. It also gets a role maintenance complement called Manage Your Server.

You can access Manage Your Server from the Administrative Tools menu. Click Start, point to Programs or All Programs, click Administrative Tools, and then select Manage Your Server. Manage Your Server provides quick access to the management tools and common configuration tasks for each configured role a server has.

Note

For more information about server roles, see Chapter 2. To find discussions of configuring server roles, look in the section entitled "Planning for Server Usage", as well as in Chapter 10. DHCP, Windows Internet Naming System (WINS), and DNS services, and the related management of these server roles, are covered in Chapter 25 through Chapter 28.

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