Updated 3 Apr 2001: The major changes between the 1.6 and 1.91 version of AKA are included in the ZIP in the .PDF file which contains the application revision history. However, significant changes include:

1. It is no longer called the Alias Kleenup Apparatus, it is now the Alias Katharsis Application.
2. The application now works properly on Windows NT. Specifically, it programmatically will load every registry key identified in the SAM of the local workstation regardless of the user that has logged in to update the entire registry.
3. When running as a scheduled action as System privilege, there is no logged in user, therefore aliases cannot be evaluated. This version provides a command line option to login as a particular user for running under the NT or ZENworks scheduler.
4. Corrected some limitations on Windows 95 OSR 2
5. When running in simple Search and Replace mode, an NDS client is no longer required.

The 8/28 version of AKA had a problem if it were run on a Windows 95 workstation with the ZENworks client (2.5) which had the Novell ActiveX controls v2 installed. Certain formats of messages could cause the utility to log the user out of the server. This could result in a variety of errors including a GPF within the utility.

This new version (10/13) corrects that problem and adds support for an optional custom user message on the splash screen. The look of the splash screen has also been updated. This does now require the latest ActiveX controls (version 2) to operate properly. If you are using a previous version of the ActiveX controls you will need to update them to use AKA.

AKA was created to facilitate the phase-out of aliases employed during changes to tree structures. It will search the workstation configuration information located in shortcut files (*.LNK), initialization files (*.INI), and the system registry looking for occurrences of a UNC reference to the current default tree, and will check those UNC paths to see if they are aliases. If they are, it will modify them to point directly to the object that the alias is referencing.

The update primarily affects NT users, but would be beneficial for some Windows 95 users as well. This version corrects searching under Windows NT, and documents a known problem with an early version of the Novell Client for Windows NT. The documentation contains details of the 13 major corrections.

Included with AKA is a sample Delphi 3 project (see MS2NWSRC.ZIP) to demonstrate the ease of using Rapid Application Development tools to create useful utilities. The functionality of this program is to modify the registry of a Windows NT version 4 workstation after it has been upgraded from the Microsoft to the Novell Client. After such an upgrade, persistent drive mappings will usually not reconnect. This program will make the necessary changes, as well as changing the name of the provider within the registry settings for persistent drive mappings ("reconnect at logon").

NOTE: This utility does not work on Windows 2000 or later at this time.