Performing User Configuration for a Workgroup

User roles and activities change as a user spends more time in an organization. A promotion may mean providing additional access to sensitive resources or adding the user to other groups. When a user forgets a password, you have to provide a temporary password so that the person can get into the system. The following sections describe two techniques for performing user configuration within a workgroup.

Using the User Account window

The User Account applet in the Control Panel provides access to user account information. The Tasks list on the left side of the window shows the various tasks you can perform, such as changing user environmental variables.

The User Account applet always opens your personal account. However, as an administrator, you normally want to manage someone else's account, so the first thing you do is click Manage Another Account. Windows displays the dialog box, where you can manage an existing account or create a new account. When you select another account, you see that user's account information - as long as you're an administrator with the correct security rights.

When you choose a different account, you see the limited choices. The User Account applet lets you change just about anything for your own account, but you can still change the account name, password, picture, or account type or simply delete the account.

Modifying users with the Computer Management console

When you need to perform tasks other than the limited set offered by the User Account applet, you need to work with the Computer Management console. To change a user account, right-click the user entry in the Computer Management\System Tools\Local Users and Groups\Users folder and choose Properties from the context menu. You see a user Properties dialog box.

The General tab contains basic user information that you create in this tutorial, such as name and description. You can also configure the user's password requirements on this tab. Notice that you can't reset the user's password on this tab - you must use the User Account applet to perform this task.

The Member Of tab contains a list of the user's group memberships. You can use the Add and Remove buttons to add or remove groups as needed. The remaining tabs in this dialog box configure user network connectivity or Terminal Services settings.