Add The ‘Group Policy Management Console’
KB ID 0001615 Problem On a Domain Controller you will get Group Policy Management, (by default) listed under administrative tools. But if you have a ‘Management Server’ of a ‘Jump Box’, that you want to install the tool onto, (without making it a domain controller!) Then do the following; Option 1: Install GPMC with Powershell This is the quickest and simplest option! Open a PowerShell Windows and execute the...
Windows Group Policy – Disable The Local Windows Firewall
KB ID 0001090 Problem I’ve got nothing against the Windows firewall, it’s certainly a lot easier to manage now than it was back in the XP SP2 days. But I find a lot of clients still just ‘want it gone’ and, providing they have a decent corporate firewall in front of them that’s fair enough. Solution 1. On a domain controller or a client running the remote administration tools > Windows Key+R >...
PowerShell: Find Computers Last Logon Date
KB ID 0001612 Problem I had to find the last time a particular server had logged on for a client the other week, so we knew for sure it was dead! Solution The two commands you may need are; Locate Servers Last Login Time Get-ADComputer -Filter {OperatingSystem -Like ‘*SERVER’} -Properties lastlogondate,operatingsystem | Select name,laslogondate,operatingsystem Locate Clients Last Login Time Get-ADComputer -Filter...
Group Policy Preferences and Client Side Extensions
KB ID 0000389 Problem Group Policy Preferences (GPP) first came in with Server 2008 and were enhanced for Server 2008 R2, To be able to apply them to older Windows clients, you need to install the “Client side Extensions” (CSE), You can either script this, deploy with a group policy, or if you have WSUS you can send out the update that way. OS Download Link Client side extensions for Windows XP (x86) link Client side...
Adding a Windows Server 2019/2016 Domain Controller
KB ID 0001262 Problem Once upon a time, adding a domain controller that was running a newer version of the Windows Server family involved opening command line and schema prepping, and GP prepping etc. Now all this happens in the background while the wizard is doing the heavy lifting for you. Solution 2008 to 2019 2008 to 2016 Obviously the server needs to be a domain member first! For Server 2019 Forest and Domain Functional levels...
Find The Azure AD Join Type
KB ID 0001597 Problem I recently did a post about Joining Azure AD. while working on that I found out there were two different Azure AD ‘States’. Azure AD Joined: Aimed at Corporate owned machines joined to Azure AD, (or CYOD devices). Azure AD Registered (Was called Workplace Joined, and still is if you work in PowerShell). Aimed at BYOD devices. Of course your Windows clients can also still be Domain Joined, or Simply...