Windows 7 Starter - adding groups

[xwb]

I've got Windows 7 Stater and it does pretty much everything I want except telnet. I've added telnet using Add/Remove features, enabled the service and, like XP, it is now telling me I need to be in the TelnetClients group.

W7Starter does not allow me to look at or create groups - lusrmgr.msc doesn't work. Users and Groups is not available in compmgmt.msc either. So short of upgrading W7Professional, how do I add groups in W7Starter?

 

[flyboytim]

Telnet, as an old and insecure protocol, has been turned off in Windows versions since Vista.

The client and server can be turned on in Control Panel, Turn Windows features on or off, Telnet Client (and Telnet Server). These are available in Starter. When turned on, from the command prompt, if telnet is typed as a command, you should get:

Welcome to Microsoft Telnet Client
Escape Character is 'CTRL+]'
Microsoft Telnet>

You can download PuTTY

http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html

Or Hyperterminal PE

http://download.cnet.com/HyperTerminal-Private-Edition/3000-2155_4-10966768.html

if you want a GUI shell.

As far as groups are concerned, surely permissions elevated to Administrator should be ok?

http://www.fxxxingcomputers.co.uk

 

[xwb]

Yes, but if you type

telnet 127.0.0.1

or if you try to open a host port, you get

Access Denied: Specified user is not a member of TelnetClients group.
Server administrator must add this user to the above group.

Telnet Server has closed the connection


Connection to host lost.

Even administrators need to be added to the TelnetClients group to use telnet to connect to another PC. That has been the case since Windows XP. It was OK on 2K.

On W7 Starter, both admin users and the user called Administrator cannot use lusrmgr.msc to add the user to the telnet users group. It looks like there is a hole somewhere - you can install telnet, switch it on in services, but you can't use it. I'm just trying to confirm if that is the case.

It is not a problem on Prof, Ent and Ult: only on Home and Starter.

 

[flyboytim]

I don't know what I'm doing right and you are doing wrong, but if you go to my test site, I've put up a screendump of telnet running on starter:

http://sites.google.com/site/fxxxtest/telnet

Note the command is:

> o telnetaddress.com

with the o for 'open' before the address

http://www.fxxxingcomputers.co.uk

 

[xwb]

Nice telnet site.

The difference is that I can telnet out but I can't telnet in. Basically telnet 127.0.0.1 doesn't work. I can't telnet into a starter PC but I can telnet out.

I was only testing in: not out because that is normally how I test stuff.

Thanks for your help.

 

[flyboytim]

So you have both client and server for telnet open on the same machine - is your firewall opening the telnet port?

http://www.fxxxingcomputers.co.uk

 

[strongm]

The following used to work for Vista. May work for W7 Starter. You'll need a command prompt ...

net localgroup /add TelnetClients
net localgroup TelnetClients /add <Name>

 

[xwb]

There are no firewalls in place - I've switched off every one I can find.

I tried net localgroup before I did the first posting - got an access error.

I had a grope around the internet. Looks like it can only be done by the administrator user (not any old admin user). Only thing is, I know there is an administrator account (net localgroup administrators tells me that) and I know it hasn't got a password. There doesn't appear to be a login for it and because it doesn't have a password, I can't use runas. I need to somehow set a password for the administrator so I can use net localgroup.

 

[strongm]

By default the genuine really real administrator account is disabled on W7 (and with good reason). Still, here's how you enable it (from an elevated command prompt):

net user administrator /active:yes

Here's a slightly longer description:

http://www.petri.co.il/enable-the-windows-7-administrator-account.htm

 

[xwb]

Thanks: I found that shortly after posting the reply. I need to

1) Right click on the cmd prompt
2) runas administrator
3) give authorization from any admin user
4) then from that cmd prompt, I can do all the commands which end up with access denied

I've set a password on the admin user just in case I need it. The end result is I can now telnet and tftp in as well as out. My routers won't be pleased that I can talk to them again.