Active Directory

How do I change a computer’s description, name, or join a domain in Windows XP Pro? Update for Windows 7 Users: Please also see “How to Join a Domain in Windows 7” for instructions specific to your operating system. You can perform the preceding tasks by using the Computer Name tab in the System Properties…

Installing Active Directory isn’t always a straightforward process, so Daniel Petri walks you through an AD install for Windows Server 2003.

I’m a Lamer! How do I install Active Directory on my Windows 2000 Server? You can configure your server as a Domain Controller manually (as covered in How to Install Active Directory on W2K), but if you don’t have the time, skill, brains or will to do it manually, it can still be done with…

How can I manually delete a server object from the Active Directory database in case of a bad DCPROMO procedure? MS KB 216498 has more info: The DCPROMO (Dcpromo.exe) utility is used for promoting a server to a domain controller and demoting a domain controller to a member server (or to a standalone server in…

How can I delete a failed Domain Controller object from Active Directory? When you try to remove a domain controller from your Active Directory domain by using Dcpromo.exe and fail, or when you began to promote a member server to be a Domain Controller and failed (the reasons for your failure are not important for…

Some IT admins report issues with Windows XP workstations that are joined to a Windows 2003 Active Directory domain. These workstations are part of the domain, however, when a domain user tries to authenticate and logon to the domain from one of these workstations they cannot login and receive the following error message: Windows cannot…

How can I view additional information about a user in the AD Users and Computers snap-in? The Windows 2003 Resource Kit has a hidden .dll file called Acctinfo.dll. After registering the .dll with the following command, it will add a new property page, called Additional Account Info, to the user properties page in Active Directory…

What are the FSMO Roles in Active Directory? Windows 2000/2003 Multi-Master Model A multi-master enabled database, such as the Active Directory, provides the flexibility of allowing changes to occur at any DC in the enterprise, but it also introduces the possibility of conflicts that can potentially lead to problems once the data is replicated to…

Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 Active Directory uses a database set of rules called “Schema”. The Schema is defines as the formal definition of all object classes, and the attributes that make up those object classes, that can be stored in the directory. As mentioned earlier, the Active Directory database includes a default Schema,…

What are the most common DNS related Dcpromo errors? How do I fix them? Some common issues that you may encounter with Active Directory installation and configuration can cause a partial or complete loss of functionality in Active Directory. These issues may include, but not be limited to: Domain Name System (DNS) configuration errors. Network…