Quick Tips for Windows NT (July 1999)

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These time-saving tips on a variety of topics are contributed by experienced IT Pros, and take just a few minutes to learn and implement.

On This Page

Installing TCP/IP Without an NIC
Creating a Stripe Set
Recreating a Stripe Set After Disk Failure
Removing a Stripe Set
Using a Batch File to Check for File Existence
Calling a Batch File from Within a Batch File
Compact Your Database
If a Service or Driver Fails to Start

Installing TCP/IP Without an NIC

By Troy Thompson, MCSE+Internet

Microsoft has included a loopback adapter that allows you to test TCP/IP without having a network interface card (NIC) installed. To install the Loopback Adapter, do the following:

• Start the Control Panel (Start, Settings, then Control Panel)

• Double-click the Network icon

• Click the Adapters tab, click Add Select MS Loopback Adapter, and then click OK

You will then need to configure the TCP/IP parameters.

Creating a Stripe Set

By Troy Thompson, MCSE+Internet

To create a stripe set with parity, follow these instructions:

• Choose Start, Programs, Administrative Tools, and then click Disk Administrator

• Select three or more areas of free space on different physical disks

• From the Fault Tolerance menu, select Create Stripe Set With Parity

• Fill in the size of the drive, and click OK

Keep in mind that a stripe set will use only the lowest common disk space on each physical drive. If you create a stripe set with three disks with 200 MB, 100 MB, and 50 MB of free space, each part of the stripe set would only be 50 MB with a maximum of 150 MB partition in total. In addition to this, you would lose one-third of your drive to parity information leaving you with only 100 MB for data storage.

Recreating a Stripe Set After Disk Failure

By Troy Thompson, MCSE+Internet

To recreate a stripe set with parity after a member of the set fails, follow these instructions:

• Replace the faulty disk and start Windows NT®

• From the Start menu, choose Programs, Administrative Tools, and then click Disk Administrator

• Select the stripe set to be repaired and an area of unpartioned space on the new physical disk

• Select Regenerate from the Fault Tolerance menu

It's important to note that when a member in a set fails, you do not receive a warning. You must check the Event Log or run Disk Administrator.

Removing a Stripe Set

By Troy Thompson, MCSE+Internet

To remove a stripe set, do the following:

• From the Start menu, choose Programs, Administrative Tools, and then click Disk Administrator

• Select the stripe set you wish to delete

• From the Partition drop-down menu, select Delete

• Confirm to Delete the Partition

It is important to note that when you remove a stripe set, you will lose all data in the set.

Using a Batch File to Check for File Existence

By Troy Thompson, MCSE+Internet

You can use a batch file to check for the existence of a file and then perform a routine when it arrives. Here's a sample routine:

:check for file existence
if exist c:\ftp\ftpfile.txt goto perform
sleep 200
goto perform
:perform

This routine checks for ftpfile.txt every 200 seconds. The sleep.exe program is necessary and is supplied with the Windows NT resource kit. This type of routine is very handy when you need to run a program once a file has been sent via FTP to your computer.

Calling a Batch File from Within a Batch File

By Troy Thompson, MCSE+Internet

To call a batch file from within another batch file, it is best to use the Call command so that control is returned to the original batch file. For example, the file below is name Batch.bat:

Batch.bat
@echo off echo Running First.bat
first.bat
echo Return control to First.bat
call second.bat
echo Running Second.bat

Once first.bat finishes, second.bat will be called. After second.bat finishes, control will be turned over to Batch.bat to continue with further instructions.

Compact Your Database

By Brien M. Posey, MCSE

Is your WINS database getting too big? If so, you can compact it by running the following case-sensitive commands from an MS-DOS prompt:

NET STOP WINS
JETPACK WINS.MDB TEMP.MDB
NET START WINS

These commands stop the WINS service and copy the WINS database to a file called TEMP.MDB. The TEMP.MDB file is then compacted. Once the file has been compacted successfully, it's copied to WINS.MDB and the temp file is deleted. Finally, the WINS service is restarted.

If a Service or Driver Fails to Start

By Brien M. Posey, MCSE

When Windows NT boots, have you ever seen a message indicating that at least one service or driver failed to start? You can find out which service or driver is causing the problem by opening the Control Panel and looking under the Devices and Services dialog boxes. The device or service causing the problem will be the one that has a startup type of Automatic, but isn't started. Once you know which device or service is causing the problem, you can use the Event Viewer to get more information.

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