Administrative tools have been included in most Windows operating systems. The tools that are included are Component Services, Data Sources (ODBC), Event Viewer, Internet Information Services, Local Security Policy, Performance Monitor, Computer Management, Server Extensions Administrator and Services. There were 11 programs introduced during the release of Windows 2000 beta and were trimmed down to these nine that are now found in Windows XP Professional. Component Services, represented by a metallic button with blue ornaments, launches the Microsoft Management Console. This is primarily used to configure and manage COM+ applications in Windows.

Computer Management, symbolized by an icon with a PC that has two dialog boxes on it, manages disks and provides access to other tools that manage local and remote computers. This application comes with an extensive amount of navigational tools and access to system monitoring and performance values, making it one of the most useful programs in the administrative tools bundle. Computer management can also be used to inquire about the file system that is being used on a workstation.

The Data Sources (ODBC) program, symbolized by a PC, Server and Spreadsheet, is used to define the ODBC drivers for databases on workstations relative to servers. I can define ODBC resources to track in the performance monitor. This is useful for defining relationships between databases and the applications that use them.

Event Viewer, which appears as a notebook with symbols on it, is used for tracking system activity. This includes Application, Security and System logs. Analyzing these log files is one of the most valuable tools for checking the performance of the operating system. The Security log is also invaluable in helping to determine if their has been any security breaches on a system.

Internet Information Services Manager, represented with a globe and a server, handles the task of managing the Internet Information Server. This is the web server for Internet and Intranet web sites. The interface is easy to use, with the servers appearing on the left hand side.

The Local Security Policy program, which has an icon consisting of a server and a padlock, is used to view and modify security policy, such as user rights. There are many tools available for managing Account Policies, Local Policies for security, Public Key Policies and IP Security Policies.

The Evaluation Performance Monitor is easy to use but does not have as much usefulness as third-party operating systems as those outside of the Microsoft products. If you are using several different operating systems, do not use this program too much. Get a tool that will scale across several operating systems instead.

The Server Extenstions Administrator is similar to the Component Services. The difference is that it is used to handle the FrontPage extensions for your web site.

Services, which looks like two gears, is used to define which operating systems start and stop and which class of users can access system resources for full control of events on the Windows XP Professional system. There is extensive support for customizing each login type on the system or giving access to 13 advanced permissions that can be applied to each class of user. The biggest benefit of the Services application is that it will list the name, description, status and startup type and logon of each service.