Command Prompt Settings Unavailable After Membership Change

• Microsoft Windows NT operating system version 3.1
• Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server version 3.1

SYMPTOMS

If you create a user account and assign it to be a member of the Administrators group, custom settings for Command Prompt under this account will not be accessible if the user account is later removed from the Administrators group.

CAUSE

If you start Command Prompt (CMD) from Task Manager, a command prompt window with the title CMD.EXE is created. Any custom settings that you make to this window (such as size, position, or colors) are saved to a key in the Registry with the same name as the command prompt window's title. This key can be found under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Console. The permissions on this key grant Full Control to Administrators and System only if you are a member of the Administrators group. Your user name is not given direct permissions to the key. Consequently, if you are removed from the Administrators group, you no longer have the necessary rights to access or change the custom settings key for Command Prompt.

RESOLUTION

In order to get permission to access or change the settings for a command prompt again, follow this procedure:

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious, system-wide problems that may require you to reinstall Windows NT to correct them. Microsoft cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use this tool at your own risk.

1. Make the user name in question a member of the Administrators group again. Then log on as that user.

2. Start Registry Editor.

3. Go to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Console key. All the keys that have been created to hold custom settings for Command Prompt are under this key.

4. Highlight the key the user needs access to and choose Permissions from the Security menu. Remember the custom settings are stored in the key name that is the same as the Command Prompt window title.

5. Add the user name to the permission list with Full Control access.

6. Close Registry Editor.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT and Windows NT Advanced Server version 3.1. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.