Windows 7 : Working with User Accounts (part 1)

To set up and manage your local user accounts, you use the Local Users And Groups utility or the User Accounts option in Control Panel. With either option, you can create, disable, delete, and rename user accounts as well as change user passwords.

1. Using the Local Users And Groups Utility

There are two common methods for accessing the Local Users And Groups utility:

• You can load Local Users And Groups as a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in.

• You can access the Local Users And Groups utility through the Computer Management utility.

In Exercise 1, you will add the Local Users And Groups snap-in MMC to the Desktop.

Exercise 1: Adding the Local Users And Groups Snap-In Select Start and in the Search box, type MMC and press Enter. If a warning box appears, click Yes. Select File => Add/Remove Snap-In. Scroll down the list and highlight Local Users And Groups, and then click the Add button. In the Choose Target Machine dialog box, click the Finish button to accept the default selection of Local Computer. Click OK in the Add Or Remove Snap-in dialog box. In the MMC window, right-click the Local Users And Groups folder and choose New Window From Here. You will see that Local Users And Groups is now the main window. Click File => Save As. Name the console Local Users And Groups and choose Desktop under the Save In pulldown box. Click the Save button. Close the MMC snap-in.

You should now see the Local Users And Groups snap-in on the Desktop. You can also open the Local Users And Groups MMC from the Computer Management utility, which you'll do in Exercise 2. Complete the following exercise for opening the Local Users And Groups utility from the Computer Management utility.

Exercise 2: Using the Local Users And Groups Snap-In Select Start, and then right-click Computer and select Manage. In the Computer Management window, expand the System Tools folder and then the Local Users And Groups folder.

If your computer doesn't have the MMC configured, the quickest way to access the Local Users And Groups utility is through the Computer Management utility.

Now let's look at another way to configure users and groups. You can also use the User Accounts option in Control Panel to configure users.

2. Using the User Accounts Option in Control Panel

The User Accounts Control (VAC) Control Panel option provides the ability to manage user accounts in addition to configuring parental controls. To access the User Accounts Control Panel option, click Start => Control Panel => User Accounts. Table 1 shows the configurable options in the User Accounts option in Control Panel.

Table 1. Configurable user account options in Control Panel

Option	Explanation
Change Your Password	This link allows you to change a user's password.
Remove Your Password	This link allows you to remove a password from a user's account.
Change Your Picture	This link allows you to change the account picture.
Change Your Account Name	This link allows you to rename the account.
Change Your Account Type	This link allows you to change your account type between the standard user and administrator account type.
Manage Another Account	This link allows you to configure other accounts on the Windows 7 machine.
Change User Account Control Settings	This link allows you to set the level of notification of when changes are made to your computer. These notifications can prevent potentially hazardous programs from being loaded onto the operating system.
Manage Your Credentials	With this link, you can set up credentials that allow you to easily connect to websites that require usernames and passwords or computers that require certificates.
Create A Password Reset Disk	This link allows you to create a disk that users can use when they forget their password.
Link Online IDs	This link allows you to link an online ID with your Windows account. This makes it easier to share files with other computers.
Manage Your File Encryption Certificates	This link allows you to manage your file encryption certificates.
Configure Advanced User Profile Properties	This link brings you directly to the User's Profile dialog box in Control Panel => System => Advanced => System Settings.
Change My Environment Variables	This link allows you to access the Environment Variables dialog box directly.

Once Windows 7 is installed, you must create user accounts for users who will be accessing the machine. Let's now take a look at how to create new user accounts.

3. Creating New Users

To create users on a Windows 7 computer, you must be logged on as a user with permission to create a new user, or you must be a member of the Administrators group. In the following sections, you will learn about username rules and conventions, usernames, and security identifiers in more detail.

3.1. Username Rules and Conventions

The only real requirement for creating a new user is that you must provide a valid username. To be valid, the name must follow the Windows 7 rules for usernames. However, it's also a good idea to have your own rules for usernames, which form your naming convention. The following are the Windows 7 rules for usernames:

• A username must be from 1 to 20 characters.

• The username must be unique among all the other user and group names stored on the computer.

• The username cannot contain any of the following characters:

  */\[]: ;I=,+?<>"@

• A username cannot consist exclusively of periods or spaces.

Keeping these rules in mind, you should choose a naming convention (a consistent naming format). For example, consider a user named William Panek. One naming convention might be to use the last name and first initial, for the username WillP or WilliamP. Another naming convention might use the first initial and last name, for the username WPanek. This is the naming convention followed by many mid-size to larger organizations.

You could base usernames on the naming convention defined for email names so that the logon name and the name in the email address match. You should also provide a mechanism that would accommodate duplicate names. For example, if you had a user named jane Smith and a user named John Smith, you might use a middle initial for usernames, such as JDSmith and JRSmith.

It is also a good practice to come up with a naming convention for groups, printers, and computers.

Real World Scenario: Naming Conventions As an IT manager, I don't recommend using first name, first initial of last name (WilliamP) as a naming convention. In a mid-size to large company, there is the possibility of having two WilliamPs, but the odds that you will have two WPaneks are rare. If you choose to use the first name, first initial of last name option, it can be a lot of work to go back and change this format later if the company grows larger. Choose a naming convention that can grow with the company.

Now let's take a look at how usernames get a special ID number associated with the account and how that number affects your accounts.