Prevent Authenticated Users from adding Computers to the domain.

I never really understood the logic behind this one. By default, members of the Authenticated Users group can add up to 10 clients to your domain. I’ve tested this and it is true. I created a new user in my domain without given the user any special privileges and added a client to the domain without any issues. This is why it is so important to make sure you have redirected your default computer container to an OU that is heavily locked down.

Another avenue to think about is if you are deploying software by user account. The user will be able to steal company software. Also, any malware on this rogue client will now be on your network.
To change the default computer container that new computer objects will be placed, log into your Domain Controller and type this:

Redircmp container-dn contain-dc

For example
redircmp OU=MyComputers,DC=Contoso,DC=com

The burning question here is how to stop this from happening. On your Windows Server 2008 Domain controller, click Start.

Type ADSI Edit and press enter.

Right click ADSI Edit and the click Connect to.

In the Connection Settings window, click OK

Expand Default naming context.

Expand the Distinguished Name of your domain.

Right click the Distinguished Name of your domain and click Properties.

Select the property named ms-DS-MachineAccountQuota and then click Edit.

Set the value to 0 and then click OK

Your Authenticate Users can no longer attach a client to your domain.

How to list all the AD LDS instances on a server

AD LDS allows you to provide directory services to applications that are free of the confines of Active Directory. To list all the AD LDS instances on a server, follow this procedure: Log into the server in question Open a command prompt. Type dsdbutil and press Enter Type List Instances and press Enter . You will receive a list of the instance name, both the LDAP and SSL port numbers, the location of the database, and its status.

How to run GPResult on a remote client with PowerShell

In the past, to run the GPResult command, you would need to either physically visit this client, have the user do it, or use and RDP connection. In all cases, this will disrupt the user. First, you need PowerShell remoting enabled on the target machine. You can do this via Group Policy . Open PowerShell and type this command. Invoke-Command –ScriptBlock {GPResult /r} –ComputerName <ComputerName> Replace <ComputerName> with the name of the target. Remember, the target needs to be online and accessible to you.

Error icon when creating a GPO Preference drive map

You may not have an error at all. Take a look at the drive mapping below. The red triangle is what threw us off. It is not an error. It is simply a color representation of the Replace option of the Action field in the properties of the drive mappings. Create action This give you a green triangle. The Create action creates a new mapped drive for users. Replace Action The Replace action gives you a red triangle. This action will delete and recreate mapped drives for users. The net result of the Replace action is to overwrite all existing settings associated with the mapped drive. If the drive mapping does not exist, then the Replace action creates a new drive mapping. Update Action The Update action will have a yellow triangle. Update will modify settings of an existing mapped drive for users. This action differs from Replace in that it only updates settings defined within the preference item. All other settings remain as configured on the ma...

Jason Yoder, MCT

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