Remove unused services

Open the Control Panel, double-click the Add/ Remove Programs icon, and then click the Add/ Remove Windows Components button.

Create a security template

Open the Security Templates MMC snap-in, right- click the folder for the new template, and select New Template.

Apply a security template

Open the Security Configuration and Analysis MMC snap-in, import the desired template by right-clicking the Security Configuration and Analysis node and selecting Import Template. Apply the imported template by right-clicking the Security Configuration and Analysis node and selecting Configure Computer Now.

Change the blank sa password of a default install of MSDE

Use the osql command-line utility to run the sp_password stored procedure. You can also add logins, remove logins, and perform many other tasks with osql and the system stored procedures.

Enable logging for a Web site

Open the Internet Services Manager, navigate to the site you want to configure, right-click, and then select Properties. In the Properties dialog box, click the Web Site tab and ensure that the Enable Logging check box is checked.

Enable SSL communications for a site

Use the Web Server Certificate Wizard to create a certificate request (or follow the procedures recommended by the certification authority of your choice). Once you have received and installed your certificate, open the Internet Services Manager, navigate to the site to be configured for SSL, and access the Properties dialog box for the site. On the Directory Security tab, click the Server Certificate button and use the Assign An Existing Certificate option in the Web Server Certificate Wizard to assign the newly installed certificate to the site. You can require SSL communications by using the Edit button on the Directory Security tab.

Enable ASP.NET to use Windows authentication

Set the mode attribute of the <authentication> element in Web.config to Windows.

Enable ASP.NET to use Passport authentication

Set the mode attribute of the <authentication> element in Web.config to Passport. Install the Passport SDK and follow the instructions to configure. You must also acquire a license to use Passport authentication.

Enable ASP.NET to use Forms authentication

Set the mode attribute of the <authentication> element in Web.config to Forms. Add the <forms> element with the desired attributes, such as loginURL and timeout.

Lock down authorization settings

Wrap the <authentication> tags in a <location> element pair with the allowOverride attribute set to false.