Active Directory

The dsregcmd command-line tool is an indispensable utility for any administrator managing Windows devices in a modern, hybrid environment. It provides a wealth of information about a device’s identity and its join state with both on-premises Active Directory (AD) and cloud-based Azure AD (Entra ID). However, the output can sometimes be confusing. A common scenario is running dsregcmd /status and seeing that AzureAdJoined, EnterpriseJoined, and DomainJoined are all set to NO. While this might look like an error, it simply means the computer is in a standalone workgroup state. ...

Have you ever removed a computer from an Active Directory (AD) domain, only to find that you can still ping it and connect to it via RDP? This confusing behavior is a common source of frustration for system administrators and is often a symptom of a larger issue: stale computer identities. In a modern, hybrid environment, a single computer can have multiple identities across different systems. Understanding these identities is the key to resolving these conflicts and properly managing your devices. ...

Leaving and rejoining a Windows computer to an Active Directory (AD) domain is a common troubleshooting step, but it can lead to major headaches if not done correctly, especially in a modern hybrid environment. A common pitfall is being locked out of the machine, unable to log in with a local account because the device is still partially tied to a cloud identity like Azure AD (Microsoft Entra ID). This guide will walk you through the proper way to leave and rejoin a domain, and how to recover if you find yourself locked out. ...

Querying Active Directory (AD) is a fundamental task for any Windows administrator. Whether you need to generate a report, audit user accounts, or automate a task, PowerShell’s Get-ADUser cmdlet is the most powerful and flexible tool for the job. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to get started with Get-ADUser, from basic queries to advanced filtering and exporting your results to a CSV file. Prerequisites Before you can use Get-ADUser, you need to have the Active Directory module for PowerShell installed. This is part of the Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT). ...