Section 1.1-1.3: Windows Commands/OS

- released on July 29, 2015
- skips Windows 9

- Integration with Microsoft account, Microsoft OneDrive backup
- Cortana, talk to your operating system

- business version of windows, additional management features
- remote desktop host, remote control each computer
- BitLocker, full disk encryption(FDE)
- join a windows domain, group policy management

- an edition for high-end desktops, enhanced performance and storage options
- up to 4 physical CPUs
- supports up to 6TB of RAM
- support for Resilient File System(ReFS), same as windows server

- built for large implementations, volume licensing
- AppLocker, control what applications can run
- BranchCache, remote site file caching
- Granular User Experience(UX) control, define user environment, useful for kiosk and workstation customization

- 1GHz processor or faster
- 1GB RAM(x86) and 2GB RAM(x64)
- 32GB or larger free disk space
- Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with Windows Display Driver Model(WDDM), minimum of 800 x 600

- large-scale support, thousands of devices
- security concerns, mobile devices with important data and local file shares
- working on a spreadsheet, watching a movie
geographical sprawl, cache data between sites

- Active Directory Domain Services, large database of your network
- everything documented in one place: user accounts, servers, volumes, and printers
- many servers, not suitable for home use
- authentication, centralized management

- Windows Workgroups, allows you to connect multiple devices in the same network and access resources across multiple systems
- Windows Domain, business network, centralized authenitcation and device access, supports thousands of devices across many networks

- work: standard desktop, common UI, customization very limited, can work at any computer
- home: complete flexibility, background photos, colors, UI sizing

- Remote Desktop Protocol, view and control the desktop of a remote device
- RDP client, connects to Remote Desktop Service, clients available for almost any OS
- Remote Desktop Service, provides access for the RDP client, available in Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise, but not available in Windows 10 Home

- data confidentiality, encrypt important information
- Encrypting File System, protect individual files and folders, built-in to the NTFS file system
- BitLocker, Full Disk Encryption(FDE), everything on the drive is encrypted - even the OS
- home and business use, especially on mobile devices

- centrally manages users and systems, policies can be part of Active Directory or a local system
- Local Group Policy, manages the local device, gpedit.msc
- group policy management console, integrated with active directory, powerful system management, gpmc.msc

- upgrade vs install, upgrade will keep files in place and install will start over completely fresh
- maintain consistency, customized configurations, multiple local user accounts
- upgrades save hours of time, avoid application reinstall, keep user data intact, get up and running quickly

- in-place, upgrade existing OS, keep all apps/documents/settings, start the setup from inside the existing OS
- clean install, wipe everything and reload, backup your files, start the setup by booting from the installation media

- upgrade from the Windows installation media, includes a media creation tool
- cannot upgrade x86 to x64 or vice versa, applies to all Windows version, you have to migrate instead
- to upgrade, you will have to back up your files and do a clean install

- many upgrades are between similar editions or higher-level Windows editions
- check microsoft documentation to confirm if upgrade path is available
- inplace upgrade paths to Windows 10 available if Windows 7/Windows 8.1 but not Windows 8.0 (upgrade to 8.1 first)
- inplace upgrade paths to Windows 11 available only if Windows 10

- command prompt allows you access to the OS through a CLI (command line interface)
- not all users can run all commands, some info and tasks are for admin only
- standard privileges allow you to run apps as a normal users
- admin privileges mean you must be a member of the admin group, cmd, Ctrl+Shift+Enter

- "help" if you're not sure
- "help dir", "help chkdsk"
- can also use "[command] /?"
- close prompt with "exit"
- "cls" clear screen

- "dir" list files and directory in current directory
- "cd" or "chdir" change directory, use "\" to specify folder
- ".." to change folder above current folder

- "mkdir" or "md", make directory
- "chdir" or "cd", change directory
- "rmdir" or "rd", delete directory

- each partitions is assigned a letter, primary storage drive is usually "C"
- reference drive with letter and a colon, "C:"
- combine with the folder, folder names are separated with backslashes, "C:\Users\professor"

- view the name of the device, this is the Windows Device name

- formats a disk for use with windows
- be careful, you can lose data

- "/v" verifies that new files are written correctly
- "/y" pre-confirms yes for any y/n prompts

- copies files and directory trees
- "/s", subdirectory

- "robocopy", a better Xcopy
- included in Windows 10/11

- "shutdown /s", shutdowns a computer
- "/s /t nn", wait nn seconds then shutdown
- " /t nn", wait nn seconds then shutdown and restart
- "shutdown /a", abort countdown to shutdown

- creates partitions from an available disk
- manage disk configurations, be careful as you can lose data

- view about Windows dialog, quick check
- useful when troubleshooting, checks if you are running the latest version

- group policy, manage computers in an active directory domain, usually updated at login
- "gpupdate", force a group policy update
- "gpresult", verify policy settings for a computer or user

- most of your troubleshooting starts with your IP address, ping your local router and gateway
- determine TCP/IP and network adapter information
- view additional configuration details: DNS servers, DHCP servers, etc

- test reachability, determine round-trip time, uses ICMP(Internet Control Message Protocol)
- one of the primary troubleshooting tools, can you ping the host?

- network statistic, many different OS
- "netstat -a", shows all active connections
- "netstat -b", show binaries(Windows), requires elevation - run as administrator
- "netstat -n", does not resolve names, all IP addresses

- name server lookup, lookup information from DNS servers
- canonical names, IP addresses, cache timers, etc

- windows network commands
- "net view \\<servername>", view network resources
- "net use drive:", map a network share to a drive letter
- "net user <username>", view user account information and reset passwords

- determine the route a packet takes to a destination, map the entire path
- takes advantage of ICMP Time to Live Exceeded error message, time in TTL(time to live) refers to hops, not seconds or minutes, TTL=1 is the first router, TTL=2 is the second router, etc
- not all devices will reply with ICMP Time Exceeded messages, some firewalls filter ICMP, ICMP is low-priority for many devices

- combine ping and traceroute, included with Windows NT and later
- first phase runs a traceroute, build a map
- second phase, measure round trip time and packet loss at each hop

- non-interactive applications, hundreds of background processes
- manage from one screen, start, stop, restart

- manage which programs start with a Windows login, easily toggle on and off
- multiple reboots, enable and disable, you'll find it

- view all running processes, interactive and system tray apps, view processes from other accounts
- manage the view, move columns, add metrics
- combine all apps, processes, and services into a single tab, easy to view and sort

- view whats happening, CPU, memory, etc
- statistical views, historical and real-time
- current versions include CPU, memory, disk, bluetooth, and network in the performance tab

- network performance, integrated into the performance tab nowadays
- view utilization, link speeds, and interface connection state

- check who's connected and what they are doing
- other options include disconnecting a user and managing user accounts

- build your own console, mmc.exe
- handy starting point includes: event viewer, local users and groups, disk management, task scheduler, etc

- central event consolidation, shows what happened
- application, security, setup, system
- information, warning, error, critical successful audit, failure audit
- eventvwr.msc

- manage disk operations, individual computers and file servers
- diskmgmt.msc
- you can erase data, always have a backup

- schedule an application or script, plan your future
- includes predefined schedules
- organize, manage with folders
- taskschd.msc

- the OS doesn't know how to talk directly to most hardware
- device drivers are hardware specific and OS specific
- devmgmt.msc

- view user and trusted certs, add and remote
- certmgr.msc

- users: (admin, windows super-user), (guest, limited access), or regular users
- groups: administrators, users, backup operators, power users, etc
- lusrmgr.msc

- gather long-term statistics
- perfmon.msc
- OS metrics: disk, memory, CPU, etc
- set alerts and automated actions
- store statistics, analyze long-term trends
- built-in reports, view the data

- system overview, msinfo32.exe
- hardware resources: memory, DMA, IRQs, conflicts
- components: multimedia, display, input, network
- software environment: drivers, print jobs, running tasks

- detailed real-time view of performance, separated by category
- categories: overview, CPU, memory, disk, network
- resmon.exe

- manage boot processes, startup, services, etc
- msconfig.exe

- find unused or unneeded files, quick way to free up space, can select categories
- cleanmgr.exe

- disk defragmentation, moves file fragments so they are contiguous, improves read and write time
- not necessary for SSD, windows won't defrag an SSD
- graphical version in the drive properties
- requires elevated permissions, command line: "defrag <volume>" or "defrag C:"

- windows registry editor, big master database, hierarchical structure
- used by almost everything: kernel, device drivers, services, SAM(Security Account Manager), user interface, apps
- backup your registry (built into regedit)