Manage your computer using the Microsoft Management Console in Windows 7

Posted by scottstgelais

Microsoft Management Console (MMC) hosts and displays administrative tools created by Microsoft and other software vendors. These tools are called snap-ins, and they are used for managing the hardware, software, and network components of Windows. Several of the tools in the Administrative Tools folder, such as Computer Management, are MMC snap-ins.

For more information, open an MMC snap-in, and then read the Help topics that come with the snap-in. Typically, you can access the Help topics by clicking the Help menu, and then clicking Help Topics.

Snap-ins
Here is more information about the common administration and troubleshooting tasks and tools associated with Microsoft Management Console (MMC) and MMC snap-ins.

Common tasks
Some MMC snap-ins require elevated privileges to function properly.

To open MMC with elevated privileges, click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, right-click Command Prompt and then point to Run as administrator. In the command prompt that opens, type mmc.exe. When MMC opens, click File, click Add/Remove Snap-in, and select from the list of available snap-ins.

Some MMC snap-ins are only available after certain additional features have been installed.

To install additional features
Open Control Panel and click Programs.

In Installed Programs, click Turn on or off Windows features. If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Continue.

Select the checkboxes for features you want to install and clear checkboxes for features you want to uninstall.

Click OK.

Useful tools
The following MMC snap-ins are available by default in the Business Edition, Enterprise Edition, and Ultimate Edition of this version of Windows:

ActiveX Control
Authorization Manager
Certificates
Component Services
Computer Management
Device Manager
Disk Management
Event Viewer
Group Policy Management
Group Policy Object Editor
IP Security Monitor
IP Security Policy Management
Link to Web Address
Local Users & Groups
NAP Client Configuration
Performance Diagnostics
Print Management
Reliability Monitor
Resultant Set of Policy
Routing and Remote Access
Security Configuration and Analysis
Security Templates
Services
Shared Folders
Task Scheduler
TPM Management
Windows Firewall with Advanced Security on Local Computer
WMI Control

Additional MMC snap-ins may be available once you have installed certain additional features, such as Removable Storage and Network File System. You can install additional features using Control Panel.

The specific additional MMC snap-ins that are available as part of Windows Features may vary depending on the edition of this version of Windows that you are using. Some snap-ins that may be available include the following: