Using MMC consoles

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Using MMC consoles

You might need to use preconfigured MMC consoles (commonly called "saved consoles") that are part of your operating system or an application and never need to build custom consoles of your own. Typically, preconfigured consoles are available in the Administrative Tools folder in Control Panel or from the Start menu. If you save a custom console to a per-user Administrative Tools folder (located at \\systemdrive\Documents and Settings\user\Start Menu\Programs\Administrative Tools), it is then available in the Administrative Tools folder on the Programs menu for that user.

It is likely that any preconfigured consoles that came as part of your operating system are configured to open in one of the three user modes. The default mode is User mode - limited access, single window. For more information about default console mode settings, see Console access options.

Customizing the view for MMC and saved consoles

You can use the Customize View dialog box on the Customize command on the View menu to hide or display elements for a console. One of the elements that you can hide is the View menu itself. If you do this, but then want to reconfigure the view, you can also access the Customize View dialog box from the Customize View command on the System menu. For more information, see Hide or display features of a saved MMC console and Hide or display menus and toolbars for snap-ins.

Working with columns in saved consoles

In saved consoles that display columns in the details pane, you can customize how the columns and rows appear. For instance, you can reorder or hide columns. You can also reorder rows alphabetically or chronologically by clicking the column heading. In addition, with certain snap-ins, you can filter columns based on additional attributes. If this feature is enabled, a row of drop-down list boxes that contain options for filtering is displayed beneath the column headings. For more information, see Reorder columns in an MMC console, Hide or display columns in an MMC console, and Filter rows in an MMC console.

You can also export the contents of columns to a text file. For more information, see Export columns in an MMC console to a text file.

If you customize the columns in a console, your settings are saved from session to session.

Using consoles from older versions of MMC

Consoles which have been created with older versions of MMC (versions 1.1 and 1.2) can be read by MMC version 2.0. However, saving these files in MMC 2.0 automatically converts them, and the older format cannot be restored. For further information, see Using files created with earlier versions of MMC with MMC 2.0.