I’m Danny Moran, an IT consultant based in England, United Kingdom.
This is my personal website, where you will find step-by-step guides relating to Windows Server, Active Directory, Group Policy, and Microsoft Azure.
This is a step-by-step guide for enabling remote desktop on Windows Server using Group Policy. In this example, I show you how to create a Group Policy Object to enable remote desktop and also configure the correct inbound firewall rules in the Windows Firewall. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for setting logon hours for Active Directory user accounts so you can restrict what times and day specific user accounts can logon. In this example, I show you how to modify Active Directory User Objects and set logon hours to restrict user logon hours to set times. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for checking which group policies are applied to the logged-in user. In this example, I show you how to use the gpresult command to view a list of which group policy objects are applied to the current workstation or server session and how to export those to an HTML file to see the exact policy settings. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for resetting the Default Domain Policy and the Default Domain Controllers Policy back to their default settings. In this example, I show you how to use the dcgpofix command to reset the Default Domain Policy and the Default Domain Controllers Policy back to their default settings. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for adding an additional alternative UPN suffix to Active Directory. In this example, I show you how to use Active Directory Domains and Trusts to add an alternative UPN suffix, as well as using PowerShell to add an alternative UPN suffix. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for using Active Directory Saved Queries to search your Active Directory domain. In this example, I show you how to create custom queries so that you can easily search your Active Directory domain without having to build a search query each time. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for restricting what devices Active Directory users can logon to. In this example, I show you how to modify an Active Directory user account using the ’logon to’ feature to restrict what devices a user account can logon to, only allowing them to logon to specific named computers or servers. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for using Group Policy Modeling to simulate which policies will be applied to users and computers. In this example, I show you how to use the Group Policy Modeling Wizard to create a model which will show exactly which group policies and settings will be applied to users and computers. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for deploying PowerShell 7 to Windows Servers using Group Policy. In this example, I show you how to download the PowerShell 7 MSI and then how to setup Group Policy to deploy the install package to servers within organisational units. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for installing PowerShell 7 on Windows Server and how to execute scripts using either PowerShell 7 or PowerShell 5. In this example, I show you how to download the PowerShell 7 MSI, go through the installer options, and then how you can execute PowerShell scripts using the newly installed PowerShell 7. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for using security filtering to limit the scope of group policy objects to users or computers that are members of an active directory security group. In this example, I show you how to change the security filtering options of a group policy object from authenticated users to a security group so that the specified group policy only gets applied to the members of the security group. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for how to exclude specific users users, computers, or security groups from applying specific group policy objects. In this example, I show you how to create a security group within Active Directory, and then used the advanced permissions options with the delegation tab of a group policy object to stop that group policy being applied to users and computers that are a member of the security group. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for how to disconnect and logoff idle remote sessions using group policy. In this example, I show you how to disconnect and then logoff idle remote sessions on windows servers by deploying a group policy to all servers. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for setting up a windows print server and then deploying the printers using group policy. In this example, I show you how to install the print and document services role, add printer drivers to the print server, create tcp/ip ports on the print server, setup the shared printer, add the printer to active directory, and then setup a group policy object to automatically install the printers to the correct users using item-level targeting and active directory security groups. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for applying group policy objects to Active Directory sites. In this example, I show you how to assign group policies to Active Directory sites so that policies can be automatically applied to users and devices when they are located within a specific subnet. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for protecting and unprotecting Active Directory objects from accidental deletion. In this example, I show you how to enable and disable deletion protection for Active Directory objects. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for changing the default location for newly added domain devices from the default Computers container and redirect them to a custom organisational unit within Active Directory. In this example, I show you how to create a new organisational unit and then use the redircmp command to update the default location of newly added computer objects so that they get put into the custom organisational unit rather than the default Computers container. This change also enables us to apply group policies directly to this organisational unit and I show you how by creating a GPO to block logon to any devices in the staging OU and set a custom logon message to say the device needs to be moved to the correct OU. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for blocking standard users from joining workstations or servers to an active directory domain. In this example, I show you how to create a security group, delegate permissions to that group so that they can create computer objects within an active directory, update the default domain controller group policy to only allow domain admins and the newly created security group to add devices to the domain, and reduce the number of devices a user account can add to the domain from 10 to 0 using ADSI edit. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for how to check the Group Policy processing order. In this example, I show you how to work out the order in which group policies process the policies and which policies take precedent over conflicting policies. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for how to enforce group policies and block group policy inheritance. In this example, I show you how to disable group policy inheritance so that only group policies applied to a specific organisational unit are applied, as well as how to override this setting for specific group policies by enforcing them. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for enabling Active Directory User Account auditing. In this example, I show you how to use Group Policy to deploy Audit Policies to domain controllers so that changes to user accounts are logged to the event viewer so that they can be audited. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for enabling File Share auditing on Windows Server. In this example, I show you how to use Group Policy to deploy Audit Policies to servers and then how to modify the share audit policy so that events are logged to the event viewer. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for enabling Active Directory Logon auditing. In this example, I show you how to use Group Policy to deploy Audit Policies to servers and workstations so that login attempts are logged to the event viewer so that they can be audited. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for performing an in-place upgrade of Windows Server to Windows Server 2022. In this example, I show you how to use the Windows Server installation media to upgrade a Windows Server 2019 machine to Windows Server 2022 as well as keeping all of the files, applications, roles, and features working Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for turning on the delete confirmation dialogue on Windows 11 and Windows 10, using the recycle bin gui as well as using Group Policy. In this example, I show you how to find the gui option to turn on the delete confirmation dialogue, and then show you how to use a group policy to deploy the change to all workstations connected to an active directory domain so it can be turned on for all machines. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for turning off fast startup of Windows 11 and Windows 10, using the Power Options gui as well as deploying a registry key using Group Policy. In this example, I show you how to find the gui option to disable fast startup, and then show you how to use a group policy to deploy a registry key to all workstations connected to an active directory domain so it can be turned off on all machines. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for adding a server or a workstation to a local active directory domain using PowerShell. In this example, I show you how to use the Add-Computer PowerShell command to connect a server or workstation to a local active directory domain. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for finding privileged Active Directory account by using the adminCount attribute. In this example, I show you how to use PowerShell to return a list of user accounts that have had their adminCount attribute changed to 1. User account with an adminCount value of 1 indicate that the user account is either a member of a privileged security group, or has previously been a member of a privileged security group. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for updating the Group Policy ADMX files. In this example, I show you how to download the latest ADMX files, create a central store, copy you existing ADMX files to the central store, and then deploy the latest ADMX files to policy definitions folder of the central store. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for securing the Domains Admins and Enterprise Admins security groups in Active Directory and stop members of those groups logging into member servers and workstations. In this example, I show you how to use group policy to set the ‘Deny access to this computer from the network’, ‘Deny log on as a batch job’, ‘Deny log on as a service’, ‘Deny log on locally’, and ‘Deny log on through Remote Desktop Services’ options which will stop members of the Domain Admins and Enterprise Admins security groups from logging into member servers and workstations as well as running services and applications on those devices. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for using sconfig on Windows Server. In this example, I show you how to add a server to an active directory domain, change the hostname, ip network card ip and dns settings, and install windows updates all using the windows server command line configuration tool, sconfig Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for setting up Network Load Balancing (NLB) on Windows Server. In this example, I show you how to install the Network Load Balancing feature using both the Server Manager GUI and PowerShell, as well as show you how to create a cluster and add host servers into the load balancing cluster. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for setting up NIC Teaming in Windows Server. In this example, I show you how to team network cards together to increase the network bandwidth and also add redundancy. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for fixing hidden borderless windows in Windows Server. In this example, I show you how to enable title and window borders using the personalisation options, as well as deploying a registry key to automate this process across all servers. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for setting up Hyper-V so that you can use it to create a test lab environment. In this example, I show you how to setup pfSense and virtual switches so that the test lab virtual machines can only communicate with other lab virtual machines but also still reach the internet. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for setting up reverse lookup zones in an Active Directory network on Windows Server and how Pointer (PTR) Records are created. In this example, I show you how to create a reverse lookup zone using the DNS client on a Windows Server that is connected to an Active Directory domain. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for installing and enabling data deduplication on Windows Server. In this example, I show you how to install the feature, setup volumes so that they are deduplicated, and manage the automated deduplication tasks. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for raising both the Domain Functional Level and the Forest Functional Level in an Active Directory Domain. In this example, I raise the Domain Functional Level from Windows Server 2012 R2 to Windows Server 2016, and then raise the Domain Functional Level from Windows Server 2012 R2 to Windows Server 2016. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for backing up and restoring WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) instances. In this example, I show you how to use the export command to make a .tar backup of a WSL instance, and then how to use the import command to restore that backup file as a new WSL instance. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for installing Linux distributions on Windows using WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux). In this example, I show you how to use the Windows Terminal to install the Windows Virtual Machine Platform and the Windows Subsystem for Linux features, as well as installing Linux distributions. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for customising the Windows Sandbox by creating configuration files. In this example, I show you how to create simple configuration files which are used to customise parts of the Windows Sandbox, such as disabling networking, mapping folders from the host machine within the Windows Sandbox, and creating logon command scripts which are executed when the Windows Sandbox is launched so that tasks can be automated. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for installing and using the Windows Sandbox. In this example, I show you how to install the Windows Sandbox and how to safely test applications and downloads in an isolated environment to protect your core operating system installation. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for delegating control of Active Directory permissions. In this example, I show you how to create a security group and then use the Delegate Control feature within Active Directory to give it permission to perform specific administration functions within Active Directory. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for installing Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) on Windows 11. In this example, I show you how to use the GUI to install RSAT, as well as the PowerShell commands needed to check which tools are already installed as well as how to install them using PowerShell. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for using Winget, the built-in Windows Package Manager. In this example, I show you how to use winget to install applications, update applications, remove applications, export a list of currently installed applications, and import a list of applications for automatic installation. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for moving the taskbar alignment from the middle to the left side manually as well as using Group Policy. In this example, I show you how to manually move and align the taskbar items from the center to the left of the taskbar, as well as how you can deploy a registry key using group policy and item-level targeting. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for reverting the default right-click context menu in Windows 11 to the way it was in Windows 10. In this example, I show you how to use a registry key to revert the Windows 11 context menu to how it was in previous versions of Windows. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for upgrading your Windows Server edition from Standard to Datacenter. In this example, I show you how to use PowerShell to check which edition of Windows Server you are running, what editions are available to be upgraded to, and then how to run the upgrade. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for migrating your DHCP role from one Windows Server to another Windows Server. In this example, I show you how to use PowerShell to export your DHCP server configuration and then import it into the new DHCP server. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for stopping Server Manager from automatically starting when someone logs into a Windows Server. In this example, I show you how to deploy a registry key using Group Policy which stops server manager from automatically opening whenever someone logs into a Windows Server. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for managing the Windows Firewall using Group Policy. In this example, I show you how to use Group Policy for enforcing the state of the Windows Firewall on either Servers or Workstations as well as pushing out port rules to servers. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for enabling Previous Versions and Shadow Copies on Windows Servers. In this example, I show you how to enable Previous Versions and Shadow Copy for file shares hosted on Windows Servers, as well as how you can restore files that have either been deleted or modified or even restore the entire file share to a previous state. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for enabling disk performance counters within the Task Manager performance tab. In this example, I show you how to enable disk performance counters in Task Manager by running a simple PowerShell command. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for disabling CPU core parking in Windows 11. In this example, I show you how to identify if your CPU cores are being parked, and how to use the registry to modify a key to stop them going into a parked state. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for changing the framerate of a Windows RDP session from the standard 30 frames per second (30 FPS) to 60 FPS. In this example, I show you how to use the registry to create a new registry key to change the FPS cap of remote desktop sessions from 30 FPS to 60 FPS. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide changing the display scaling percentage in a Windows 11 remote session. In this example, I show you how to modify the registry to change the display scaling for a Windows 11 remote session. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for creating a Storage Account Queue in the Microsoft Azure cloud. In this example, I show you how to create a Storage Account Queue in the Microsoft Azure cloud. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for creating a Storage Account File Share in the Microsoft Azure cloud. In this example, I show you how to create a Storage Account File Share in the Microsoft Azure cloud. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for creating a Storage Account Container in the Microsoft Azure cloud. In this example, I show you how to create a Storage Account Container in the Microsoft Azure cloud. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for creating a Storage Account in the Microsoft Azure cloud. In this example, I show you how to create a Storage Account in the Microsoft Azure cloud. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for creating a Virtual Machine in the Microsoft Azure cloud. In this example, I show you how to create a Virtual Machine in the Microsoft Azure cloud. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for adding and verifying a custom domain name in the Microsoft Azure portal. In this example, I show you how to add a domain name to your Microsoft Azure Active Directory tenant, and then verify the domain ownership using a DNS TXT record. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for navigating the Microsoft Azure portal. In this example, I show you how to navigate the Microsoft Azure portal, customise your landing page, and set the theme. I also cover the use of cmd.ms, a way to link directly to the blades of Azure services. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for creating a free Microsoft Azure account. In this example, I show you how to sign up and register for a free Microsoft Azure account that can be used to create Azure cloud resources. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for setting up a Group Policy Central Store, so you can have a single central location to manage the ADMX files that are used to configure your active directory domain environment. In this example, I show you how to setup the Central Store by copying the existing PolicyDefinitions folder for your primary domain controller and then deploying it to your domains Sysvol folder. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for stopping your Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) Deployment Workbench from crashing when accessing the Windows PE tab of the deployment share properties. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for capturing a customised golden reference image of Windows 11 22H2 using Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT), and then redeploying to multiple endpoints using both MDT and WDS. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for deploying Windows 11 22H2 using Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT), and Windows Deployment Services (WDS) Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for seting up WMI filters to narrow down the scope of devices which group policy objects get applied. In this example, I show you how to create a WMI filter, assign it to a group policy object, and then link the group policy object to the organisation. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for promoting a Read-Only Active Directory Domain Controller (RODC) to an existing active directory domain. In this example, I show you how to use the promote a read-only domain controller using the domain controller promotion wizard. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for demoting an Active Directory Domain Controller, both gracefully and forced. In this example, I show you how to gracefully demote a domain controller from an active directory domain, and then show you how to force remove an offline domain controller from the domain. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for using Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) to create an offline iso file of your deployment share so that you can deploy custom images using your existing task sequences to workstations without them needing to connect to your Windows Deployment Server or MDT Deployment Share. In this example, I show you how to create a selection profile to reduce the number of operating systems, applications, and drivers that get included in the iso file so the file size is as small as possible, as well as how to create the custom offline media iso file. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for resetting the Directory Services Restore Mode (DSRM) administrator password using ntdsutil. In this example, I show you how to use ntdsutil to reset the DSRM password for a local domain controller as well as a remote domain controller. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for enabling Access Based Enumeration (ABE) on a Windows file server for both a standard file share and also a dfs namespace. In this example, I show you how to enable Access Based Enumeration for a standard file share, and then go on to configure the additional requirements for getting Access Based Enumeration setup for a dfs namespace. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for backing up and restoring group policy objects using both the Group Policy Management console and PowerShell. In this example, I show you how to run a manual backup of all group policy objects, how to backup an individual gpo, and how to restore a gpo using the management console, as well as how to initiate gpo backups using PowerShell and saving them to a network share. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for setting up a DFS (Distributed File System) Replication. In this example, I show you how to setup DFS Replication for file shares attached to a DFS Namespace. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for setting up a DFS (Distributed File System) Namespaces. In this example, I show you how to setup a DFS Namespace and add folders into the new namespace. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for setting up a Windows file server. In this example, I show you how to create a folder, share the folder to everyone within an Active Directory Domain, and mange the user permissions to the folders using AD security groups, and the map the new shared folder using a mapped drive group policy. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for deploying desktop backgrounds using Group Policy. In this example, I show you how to create a group policy object that is used to deploy an image from a file share to a local folder on a workstation, and set the workstation to use that new image as a desktop background. I also show you how to use WMI filtering so that you can target workstations and exclude servers, without having to link the gpo to specific workstation organisational units and without having to enable group policy loopback processing. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for setting up, configuring, and deploying LAPS; Microsoft’s Local Administrator Password Solution. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for configuring interactive logon messages using Group Policy. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for force resetting the Active Directory Domain Administrator password. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for configuring a Fine-Grained Active Directory password policy. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for configuring an Active Directory password policy and then deploying those settings using Group Policy. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for seizing all five Active Directory Flexible Single Master Operation (FSMO) roles from a dead domain controller and moving them to another domain controller using PowerShell Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for gracefully moving all five Active Directory Flexible Single Master Operation (FSMO) roles to another domain controller using PowerShell Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for locating all five Active Directory Flexible Single Master Operation (FSMO) roles using either PowerShell or Command Prompt (CMD) Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for enabling detailed windows logon messages to assist diagnosing slow logons to windows devices. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for changing that background that is displayed when booting into an MDT PXE environment. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for extracting ESD files from within WIM files. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for enabling the Active Directory Recycling Bin. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for managing local administrator permissions on Windows Servers, that includes creating new Active Directory security groups, and then deploying those groups using Group Policy and Item-level targeting. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for deploying Windows 11 using Windows Deployment Services (WDS) Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for deploying Windows 10 using Windows Deployment Services (WDS) Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for setting up BGInfo, and then deploying it to all Windows Servers connected to a local Active Directory domain using Group Policy. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for creating iSCSI storage blocks, and mounting them to a remote computer using the iSCSI initiator. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for installing Windows Admin Center, and a quick overview of the application. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for setting up a website using Cloudflare Pages and GitHub. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for promoting an additional domain controller to an existing Active Directory domain using PowerShell. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for installing the core version of Windows Server, this is the version of Windows Server that doesn’t include a user interface and is managed using PowerShell. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for setting up DHCP failover between two Windows Severs. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide promoting an additional domain controller to an existing Active Directory domain. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for setting up DHCP services on Windows Server, enabling the server to distribute IP addresses to clients on the local network. Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for installing and configuring Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), as well as a local Domain Name System (DNS) Read more...
This is a step-by-step guide for installing Windows Server 2022, setting a custom hostname, static IP address, and time zone. Read more...
Install Windows 11 Without TPM and Secure Boot Read more...
There is currently a bug in Microsoft Windows Server 2022 Core edition when trying to use SConfig to configure network settings. After following the configuration wizard, you may get the following error relating to a failed DHCP release: Setting NIC to static IP… Failed to release DHCP lease. Result code: 83. Method name: ReleaseDHCPLease. This problem is simple to fix if you follow the steps below. Read more...
Securing your website for free with Cloudflare Workers and Security Headers Read more...
Why I moved my blog to Cloudflare Pages Read more...
Web scraping Yell with Python, Beautiful Soup, and Requests Read more...
How long does it take Google to index and cache a new website and how to speed up the process Read more...
These are my goals for the year 2021 Read more...
DHCP Reservation or Static IP Address Read more...
Outlook is using an old copy of your Outlook data file (.ost) fix Read more...
Hello, World. This is my very first blog post. For whatever reason, everyone seems to start with a Hello World post, so here’s mine. Read more...