Ultimate Active Directory resource page

I recently suffered an Active Directory meltdown than made me look to the sky and curse the Gods of Redmond!

I had many good resources to refer to, but I’m sure this page full of linky goodness would’ve helped further: http://blogs.technet.com/b/askds/archive/2010/07/27/post-graduate-ad-studies.aspx

Well worth reading if you want a thorough understanding of the underlying components in Active directory.

Using an elevated command prompt to open Add Remove Programs

Scenario

You’ve noticed there is software that shouldn’t be installed on a client PC, but when you try to uninstall it via a remote desktop connection, a warning message appears saying “This installation can only be uninstalled by a user with administrative privileges”. Smeg!

Solution

  1. Open the run box (windows key + r) and type runas /user:DOMAINADMIN cmd.
  2. You will be prompted for the domain administrator password. Type said password and press enter.
  3. Once the elevated command prompt appears, type control appwiz.cpl to open the Add/Remove Programs control panel.
  4. You will now be able to uninstall the offending software…through gritted-teeth and a wry smile.

The synchronization with the upstream server or Microsoft Update was cancelled – WSUS Error

When initially setting up WSUS, you may get the following error when trying to synchronize with Microsoft for the first time:

“The synchronization with the upstream server or Microsoft Update was canceled”:

It took a while, but I finally fixed the problem!

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The best way to copy files using built-in commands – Robocopy

I’ve tried countless ways of copying and syncing files in the past, the last being the venerable SyncBack backup program.

Although it served its purpose, these days I’m not a fan of installing more applications than absolutely needed, so I thought I’d explore built-in options again.

I’ve used xcopy previously, but I wanted to try something new. Enter Robocopy…and no, it has nothing to do with this guy:

Robocopy was not created by Robocop!

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Adding a Windows Server 2008 R2 domain controller to a Windows 2003 domain

You need to add the first Windows Server 2008 R2 domain controller to your Windows 2003 domain, but you’re not sure what preparation you need to take, or what’s involved in the process.

Don’t be afraid, it’s quite simple. Follow the steps below:

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How to raise the forest and domain functional level for Windows Server 2003

When doing certain tasks (like adding a Windows Server 2008 R2 domain controller to a Windows 2003 domain) or installing certain applications, you may find that you need to raise the forest and/or domain functional level.

Follow the steps below:

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