Changing Multiple User Accounts using CNTL

by Wayne Maples [Published on 20 April 2004 / Last Updated on 20 April 2004]

To change a large number of accounts, one must use command line utilities, many of which are available in the NT Server Resource Kit or you can use a scripting language such as PERL which has access to NTs API set. NTs User Manager for Domains GUI interface does provide a method for changing the attributes of a set of users in one stroke.
  • Click on the first account you need to change.
  • Holding down the CNTL key, click on the other accounts you need to change in the same way.
  • Click on the User Properties menu option.
  • Make the account property change(s) and click OK.
This closes the User Properties dialog box and updates the properties for all the accounts selected. This is much better than making the change account by account by account ... If you need to make different changes for a couple of hundred different groupings of accounts, ouch! Then you need tools which can be programmed or scripted.

I use Perl, nt command line tools, awk, sed, and many other unix-ported-to-nt utilites (artifact of my past as a unix administrator). I am studying the new scripting built into win2000 and available for download for NT4. If you have knowledge of VBasic or Javascript, you are a long way down the road. The real power in the scripting host is the ability to use any or all of the scripting languages. See my Scripting text recommendations for starting points.

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