CertiGuide to A+ (A+ 4 Real)  9  Chapter 1: What are Operating Systems and How Do They Work?       9  System Configuration Tools            9  Computer Management Console (Windows 2000 and XP)

Adding an MMC Snap-In 1 The Event Viewer

Each of these objects represents a configuration tool for an installed component – both operating system and third party application related. Select the “Computer Management” item, and click the Add button. You will be prompted to select the target for this management snap-in.

The available options are self-explanatory; if you are part of a network, you can remotely manage other machines from your computer. In this case, we will manage the local machine, so the default setting of “Local Computer” is fine. Click the “Finish” button to add the snap-in to the console. Note that the window does not close when you do this, which is actually a feature of the MMC console. Once an item has been selected and “Add” has been clicked the item is added to the previous “Add/Remove Snap-ins” window, and you are able to select further items. The benefit of this approach is the ability to add multiple snap-ins to the same console. For example, if you regularly find yourself using both the Computer Management snap-in and the Fax Management snap-in, you can add them both to the console to reduce the number of configuration screens you swap between.

After selecting the Computer Management snap-in, click the “Close” button in the “Add Standalone Snap-in” window, and click the “OK” button in the “Add/Remove Snap-ins” window. You will be returned to the main MMC console window, and the Computer Management snap-in will appear. Expand the snap-in tree by clicking the small + symbol to the left of the snap-in in the left hand pane, and take note of the options that appear.

Now exit the MMC console, and do not save the configuration from this example when prompted. Now that you have seen how to create a custom MMC console, we will access Computer Management the “correct” way. To do so, right click the My Computer desktop icon and select “Manage” from the pop-up menu⁷. The following window will appear.

As you can see, this is identical to the MMC console we just created, with two small exceptions. Firstly, there is no “Console Root” folder in the left hand pane, and secondly the “Console” menu bar has vanished. This is because we have loaded a published, “user mode” console. The major difference is the ability to add and alter snap-ins has been removed.

Adding an MMC Snap-In 1 The Event Viewer