| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| byoshino |
Posted - 07/12/2006 : 9:30:00 PM
I've never seen this one before...
http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/07/07/weird-hidden-notepad-feature-create-a-log-file/
or the MS KB article:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=260563 |
| 27 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| sixdoubleo |
Posted - 02/25/2008 : 3:49:13 PM
Tim, I slapped something together and created a thread in scripting to discuss this.
http://web2.minasi.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=25917
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| sixdoubleo |
Posted - 02/25/2008 : 2:26:54 PM
Yeah, I got'cha Tim. Sort of a "Why in the hell are you logging into this server interactively when I constantly harp on you idiots about using proper console and admin tools!!" dialog. I like it :)
Reminds me of our shop. For the longest they were in to using community admin ID's. One account for 7 people...with the same password for years. Well, when I setup AD, I assigned every admin their own account. But we had to keep a "community" account for specific purposes. While everybody has adjusted well to having separate admin ID's, two of our staff still insist on using the community account. So I finally put a check in the login script that if that user logged in, it would throw up 10 consecutive system modal dialog boxes (meaning no getting around them) reminding them that use of that ID is discouraged....each with a different wording...each requiring them to click OK.
Anyway...yeah....I would just ditch the notepad ".LOG" trick at that point and write something. Just a VBScript or something else that throws up an input box asking for a reason for your login. If you hit cancel, it simply logs date time, user, server, ip, etc. If you click OK, it logs the reason along with that stuff. It would be super simple, but the only limitation I can think of is that VBScript doesn't have a memo style input box...just a one-line input. Or a somewhat more crude method would be to just have VBScript spit the date, time, user, server, ip into the file, then launch the file with notepad so you can provide a reason.
Hope we're not getting off-topic. |
| JSCLMEDAVE |
Posted - 02/25/2008 : 1:53:26 PM
Ok I have to apologize for not being clear.
The shortcuts already exist in the All User Desktop; so no matter who logs in they can have access to the existing shortcut.
All of the shortcuts are pointing to \\Servername\Share\HistoryFile.txt
The HistoryFile.txt file has the .LOG on the first line which adds the Date Stamp each time it’s opened.
1:53 PM 2/7/2008
12:39 PM 2/25/2008
Etc ect…
What I was wondering was, if there was a way to tweak each existing shortcut (or the .LOG txt file itself) on each servers desktop, to pass the local info when you opened the short cut?
1:53 PM 2/7/2008
Tbolton ServerB
12:39 PM 2/25/2008
Tbolton ServerA
Upon reading your answer I think it would be better to have a VBS script on each desktop that would append the file with a popup text window.
So – forgive me I am not a programmer – something like –
echo %date% %time% %username% %computername% “message here” >> \\Server\Share\HistoryFile.txt
Only in VBS. Then I could place that script onto all the Server Desktops.
This is so that when I – or anyone else for that matter – sits down in front of a server to perform maintenance or update a file or app etc. There is some sort of record for documentation purposes.
This is something that I use for myself more then anything else. How many times have you tried to remember what it was you were testing or looking at from three months ago on a particular server?
Of course if you don’t use it, it’s not going to be of any value…
I would almost explain it as being like the window that prompts you during a Restart, only this would be when sitting down at the server to make a change or update.
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| Xenophane |
Posted - 02/25/2008 : 1:18:21 PM
Damn beating to the punch again  |
| sixdoubleo |
Posted - 02/25/2008 : 1:10:49 PM
quote:
Originally posted by JSCLMEDAVE
Is there a way to place a shortcut on each servers desktop and tweak the shortcut to enumerate the userid and server name?
Something along the lines of echo %username, %computername% ?
So that along with the automated date stamp I could see the above.
i.e.
11:18 AM 2/25/2008
tbolton Server1A
Then if I wanted to look for a certain server, it would just be a search in the single .txt file.
Just do a logon script that echos the info into the text file.
echo %date% %time% : %username% - Logged on >> %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Desktop\ServerActivity.txt
EDIT:
Duh...you said single text file. Yeah, just modify the above to point to a central log file. This is what I do on our network actually.
As far as dropping a shortcut on the desktop, depends on whether you are doing a DOS or VBScript logon script. If DOS, use SHORTCUT.EXE from the NTRESKIT. Works great.
If VBScript,
Dim objLink, strLink
strLink = objShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%USERPROFILE%") & "\Desktop\Server Acitivty Log.lnk"
Set objLink = objShell.CreateShortcut(strLink)
objLink.TargetPath = "\\SomeServer\Admin\Logs\ServerActivity.log"
objLink.Description = "Server Acitivty Log"
objLink.IconLocation = "%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll, 103"
objLink.Save
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| JSCLMEDAVE |
Posted - 02/25/2008 : 12:29:01 PM
Is there a way to place a shortcut on each servers desktop and tweak the shortcut to enumerate the userid and server name?
Something along the lines of echo %username, %computername% ?
So that along with the automated date stamp I could see the above.
i.e.
11:18 AM 2/25/2008
tbolton Server1A
Then if I wanted to look for a certain server, it would just be a search in the single .txt file. |
| Mark Minasi |
Posted - 07/22/2006 : 08:14:48 AM
Is BGINfo great, or what? Clever lads, those Sysinternals guys. |
| danf |
Posted - 07/22/2006 : 02:15:15 AM
That Rocks! On each server we put a shortcut to the same .txt in the "all users" startup folder and set the shortcut to start minimized. I've been using "F5" to do a time stamp for each new log entry.
As well, we put BGInfo on each server, it sets the wallpaper (at login) to a set of predefined info., from system info, file versions even registry keys. |
| Lisa |
Posted - 07/21/2006 : 5:26:58 PM
Thank you, Mark. |
| Mark Minasi |
Posted - 07/21/2006 : 1:50:49 PM
Done, Lisa. |
| Lisa |
Posted - 07/20/2006 : 12:44:07 PM
Mark,
How about putting a sticky in this (Misc) category to list all of those "features" that everyone else thinks that everyone else knows about?
Example: I just recently found out about using Clip Board to paste Events in Word or Wordpad or Notepad from Event Viewer. Talk about a time saver! Someone showed it to me and I would have never noticed that button if it hadn't been pointed out. Probably all of you guys already know about it, but for me - WOW! I was excited. Before learning about Clipboard, I was using screen shots. |
| Lisa |
Posted - 07/20/2006 : 12:28:12 PM
At my new job, they use this exact thing on the servers. Not knowing it was a Notepad "feature", I thought someone created a script for it. Who knew Notepad had any features!  |
| clarinathan |
Posted - 07/14/2006 : 5:15:22 PM
Indeed it works.
That is pretty cool, didn't know that! |
| joe_elway |
Posted - 07/14/2006 : 11:19:33 AM
quote:
Originally posted by MarkMinasi
Worked for me, Aidan. Try this:
1) Open Notepad.
2) On the first line, type ".LOG" without the quotes but WITH the uppercase. I did not press Return.
3) Save as mytestlog.txt
4) Close Notepad.
5) Doubleclick on mytestlog.txt wherever you put it.
You will see a timestamp in the file.
That did the trick Mark. That's a simple but handy function. And there I've been, typing that stuff by hand like an idiot for the last 10 years.  |
| wobble_wobble |
Posted - 07/14/2006 : 10:18:11 AM
Sheer brilliance. Better than my excel sheets on a USB.
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| Mark Minasi |
Posted - 07/14/2006 : 09:14:40 AM
Worked for me, Aidan. Try this:
1) Open Notepad.
2) On the first line, type ".LOG" without the quotes but WITH the uppercase. I did not press Return.
3) Save as mytestlog.txt
4) Close Notepad.
5) Doubleclick on mytestlog.txt wherever you put it.
You will see a timestamp in the file. |
| joe_elway |
Posted - 07/14/2006 : 01:49:39 AM
Doesn't work for me. XP 64 sp 2. |
| Doug G |
Posted - 07/14/2006 : 12:15:33 AM
By the way, this feature is documented in the Notepad online help. |
| OscarVogel |
Posted - 07/13/2006 : 09:54:41 AM
I had heard that Doogie Howser M.D. used that .LOG feature in the epilogue of every show. You know, at the end when he sits down at his computer and sums up the moral of the story.
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| MorQ |
Posted - 07/13/2006 : 09:38:39 AM
Oops, it works for me now if I use .log as the extension. I did not read that so just used .txt. |
| JSCLMEDAVE |
Posted - 07/13/2006 : 09:34:17 AM
Works here... Thanks Bryan!
I am following Anthony's lead and am putting this on each server. Great idea! |
| netmarcos |
Posted - 07/13/2006 : 09:28:51 AM
Works fine over here on XP SP2 |
| MorQ |
Posted - 07/13/2006 : 09:00:41 AM
I have WinXP, used capitals and hit enter after the .LOG and I can not get it to work. Any thoughts, he asked humbly? |
| jaxdave |
Posted - 07/13/2006 : 07:12:08 AM
news to me. thanks for the tip! |
| kgbrisc1 |
Posted - 07/13/2006 : 04:38:24 AM
Make sure the .log is in capitals though - took a few goes to figure that out  |
| arek73 |
Posted - 07/12/2006 : 11:23:20 PM
It's true that we learn something new every day. Thanks for the tip! |
| anthony |
Posted - 07/12/2006 : 9:45:08 PM
I have been using this feature for years. It's wierd, how something that seems like everyone would know about, is a huge secret. It is another reason why this forum is great, and an even better reason to post things that you think are helpful. No matter how trivial they seem. I showed that feature to my assistant one day and he freaked.
My favorite use for this functionality is this:
I keep a text file on the desktop of each server I manage. Each time a logon and make a change to the server, I open the file and input what I did. It's an easy way to keep a record of the changes you make to your server.
Great post byoshino! |
