Bulk Create AD Users from CSV: PowerShell Script in 7 Steps
A complete PowerShell workflow to create Active Directory users from a CSV file: a column template, input validation, unique sAMAccountName and UPN generation, OU placement, random initial passwords, group membership, logging, a -WhatIf dry run, updates with Set-ADUser and rollback.
September 30, 2026
Get-ADUser PowerShell Examples: 25 Queries for Active Directory
Twenty-five tested Get-ADUser queries for Windows Server 2016 to 2025: identity, filters, LDAP filters, OU scope, disabled, locked and expired accounts, last logon, password expiry, group membership, CSV reports and performance tips.
September 30, 2026
Disable NTLM Active Directory-Wide: 5 Safe Audit and Block Steps
A staged plan to reduce and block NTLM in an Active Directory domain: Restrict NTLM audit policies, NTLM Operational events 8001-8004, enhanced NTLM logging on Windows 11 24H2 and Server 2025, NTLMv1 detection, Kerberos fixes, blocking with exceptions and rollback.
September 30, 2026
Install Active Directory on Windows Server 2025: New Forest Step by Step
Build a new Active Directory forest on Windows Server 2025: prepare the server, add the AD DS role, promote with PowerShell or Server Manager, then configure DNS, sites, OUs and health checks.
September 30, 2026
Transfer FSMO Roles with PowerShell and ntdsutil: Safe Steps
How to move the five FSMO roles between domain controllers cleanly with Move-ADDirectoryServerOperationMasterRole, and how to seize them with ntdsutil when the old holder is gone for good, including the metadata cleanup you must do afterwards.
September 29, 2026
Group Policy Not Applying: 12 Checks with gpresult and Events
A systematic way to find out why a GPO does not reach a Windows 11 client or Windows Server 2025 member: read gpresult, check scope and filtering, decode the Group Policy events, compare AD and SYSVOL versions and turn on gpsvc debug logging.
September 29, 2026
Dcgpofix: Safely Reset the Default Domain Policy and DC Policy
When the Default Domain Policy or Default Domain Controllers Policy is corrupted or missing, dcgpofix recreates it with Windows defaults. Learn what it resets, what it never restores, how to back up first and how to put password, lockout, Kerberos and user rights settings back.
September 29, 2026
Raise AD Functional Level Safely: Forest and Domain
What the Active Directory domain and forest functional levels actually gate, the checks to run before raising them, the PowerShell to do it, and the narrow window in which the change can still be rolled back.
September 29, 2026
Install and promote a Windows Server 2025 domain controller step by step
Prepare a Windows Server 2025 machine, extend the schema, promote it as an additional or first domain controller with PowerShell, and confirm it advertises, replicates and serves DNS before you move clients to it.
September 29, 2026
Group Policy Loopback Processing: Merge vs Replace for RDS Hosts and Kiosks
Make user settings follow the computer on RDS hosts, kiosks and classrooms with loopback processing: understand merge and replace, gather the right GPOs, set security filtering so users and computers can both read them, and verify with gpresult and event logs.
September 29, 2026
Trust Relationship Failed: Fix Workstation Domain Problems
Why a domain-joined Windows machine suddenly refuses domain logons with a broken trust relationship, and how to repair the computer account password with Test-ComputerSecureChannel and Reset-ComputerMachinePassword without leaving and rejoining the domain.
September 29, 2026
AD Account Lockout Source: Event 4740 Tracing
How to trace a repeating Active Directory account lockout back to the machine and process causing it, using Event ID 4740 on the PDC emulator, Event 4625 on the source host, and the usual suspects such as cached credentials and mapped drives.
September 29, 2026