Adding a computer to Active Directory is straightforward. In most cases, all you need to do is join the workstation to your Windows domain and reboot it once or twice. You can use Active Directory Users and Computers to double-check that a computer was successfully added. While the feature is built into Windows Server, if you want to use a Windows 7 computer to manage Active Directory computers, it must be joined to the domain as well after downloading Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7.
Add Computer to Domain
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1.
Log in to the computer in question with a local administrator account.
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2.
Click Start and right-click “Computer.”
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3.
Click “Properties.”
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Click the “Change settings” link under “Computer name, domain, and workgroup settings.”
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Click the “Computer Name” tab.
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Click the “Change . . . “ button.
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Click the “Domain” radio button and type the name of your Windows domain in the domain field.
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8.
Click “OK.” When prompted, enter the username and password of an account that has the right to add computers to the domain. Usually, this account must be in the Account Operators, Domain Admins or Enterprise Admins security group.
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9.
Click “OK” again.
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10.
Reboot the computer when prompted.
Check the Account in Active Directory
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1.
Log in to your Windows domain controller or a Windows 7 workstation that has the Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7 installed. You must use an account in the Account Operators, Domain Admins or Enterprise Admins group for the domain in question, or have been granted explicit permission to manage domain computers.
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2.
Click Start, then “Control Panel,” double-click “Administrative Tools” and double-click “Active Directory Users and Computers.” If you’re logged into a Windows Server machine, click Start and type “dsa.msc” (without quotation marks) in the Search box and press “Enter.”
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Right-click on the domain name in the tree on the left and click “Find.”
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Click “Computers” in the “Find” dialog box.
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Type the name of the computer you just added to the domain in the “Name” field.
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Click “Find.” If the computer name appears in the search results, you’ve successfully added the computer to Active Directory.
