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If you work with Windows NT Server long enough (for the ambitious, this may be only a few minutes), you will find yourself in a dilemma when you try to accomplish what should be a simple task. For example, let’s say you want to modify the taskbar to include specific program groups for all users of the local computer. The problem is, when you follow the instructions outlined in the Help file, you wind up exploring the Start menu. The Start menu only includes the applications you installed to your local version of the Start menu rather than a global version. So, how can you change your global program groups when you don’t know where they are stored on your computer?
It is the little things, like changing the Start menu, that can make you want to scream in frustration because you know there must be a way to accomplish the task. And there is a way, but it requires knowledge of where Windows NT stores the information on your hard disk. In other words, you need to understand the Windows NT directory structure. This is your first step on the road to learning where Windows NT stores system files and how you can modify specific directory trees to suit your special needs.
The next step entails learning how to examine executable files and dynamic link libraries to resolve version conflicts. A version conflict usually occurs when someone installs an outdated system or application file. When a system or application program attempts to use an outdated file, an error occurs. Sometimes, it is a fatal system error, and your entire server crashes, leaving you in a very foul mood as you try to resolve the problem.
So, let’s look at the Windows NT directory structure, where you will learn how to modify the Start menu and many other items, as well.
Prior to version 4 of Windows NT, there were two root directories: SystemRoot and WIN32APP. The SystemRoot directory is where you installed Windows NT (default C:\WINNT), and WIN32APP is where certified Windows NT applications were to be installed. However, with version 4, Microsoft dropped the WIN32APP directory in favor of the Program Files directory tree introduced with Windows 95. The Program Files directory is now the default installation directory for all certified Windows NT and Windows 95 applications.
Using the same directory structure in this fashion provides a more common interface, but it also causes a few problems. Why? Simply because Windows 95 and Windows NT applications are not always compatible. As an example, the basic version of Windows NT includes Internet Explorer 2, and the basic version of Windows 95 includes version 2 in the Plus! Pak. Both versions install to the Program Files\Plus!\Microsoft Internet directory. When you install both operating systems on a dual boot computer, you usually have problems trying to get Internet Explorer to run, because Windows 95 dynamic link libraries (DLLs) are replaced with Windows NT versions.
The good news here is that version 3.x of Internet Explorer is more compatible. It is possible to install dual versions of Internet Explorer on a single computer. But you can still run into complications when you install additional ActiveX controls. In order to keep both versions working properly, you have to install the ActiveX controls under both operating systems to keep them in sync. You can run into similar problems with third-party applications that scan your hard disk to determine the installation directory automatically, or those that do not let you choose an installation directory. This is a case of a developer assuming that he knows what is best for you—even when it is not true. I don’t know about you, but I hate developers that do this to me. I always want to have the choice to choose where an application should be installed.
Even when you can choose an application’s installation directory, however, there are always certain common files placed in a specific directory. Under Windows 95 and Windows NT, the Program Files directory includes the following subdirectories:
TIP: You can access the Plus! components under Windows NT from the Control Panel Display applet. Just click on the Plus! tab to display the Plus! property sheet. Within this property sheet, you may change default icons and various visual settings. I’m particularly fond of the high color options (font smoothing and displaying icons with all possible colors) and the ability to stretch the desktop wallpaper.
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