How can I enroll a Windows 8 PC into an existing domain?
asked Sep 14 '11 at 16:11
- From the Start page, select Control Panel.
- In the left sidebar, scroll all the way to the bottom and select More settings. Now you see the Control Panel much like it was in Windows 7.
- Select System and Security, then System.
- In the Computer name, domain, and workgroup settings section, select Change settings.
- Do what you would have done in Windows 7.
Note: You must have Windows 8 Pro or Enterprise
answered Sep 14 '11 at 16:45
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I'm trying this. The domain field is grayed and not selectable.... any tips? – Jason94 Sep 7 '12 at 14:19
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1@Jason94 Any chance you've got Windows RT and not 8? RT can't join a domain. Also it appears only the Pro version of 8 can. – Josh Jan 4 '13 at 18:21
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Quicker way: Right click in lower left hand corner, Click on system. Follow four and five above. – Jeff F. Jan 4 '13 at 21:00
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1Damn Microsoft, why can't RT devices join a domain. Other than that downside they can be ideal for business users. – Coops May 30 '13 at 14:18
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I think the RT limitation is because they want business users to use the Surface Pro, and not the cheaper Surface RT. Most desktop computers with W8 have Pro anyway. – Nzall Jan 22 '14 at 15:58
If you are not afraid of the command line, PowerShell offers an easy way to script / automate this through the JoinDomainOrWorkgroup WMI method:
# Acquire credentials for a domain account that has permission to join
$admin = Get-Credential
# these two variables are for convenience in shortening the command line
$user = $admin.UserName
$pw = $admin.GetNetworkCredential().Password
$CS = Get-WmiObject Win32_ComputerSystem
$CS.JoinDomainOrWorkgroup("DOMAIN",$pw,$user,$null,3)
Important Note: you will need Windows 8 Pro or Enterprise to join a domain. The regular version of Windows 8 and Windows 8 RT are not able to join domains. You can see your version with the following PowerShell command:
(Get-WmiObject -class Win32_OperatingSystem).Caption
References:
- Win32_ComputerSystem: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa394102.aspx
- Win32_OperatingSystem: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa394239.aspx
- JoinDomainOrWorkgroup: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa392154.aspx
You can attempt to use X-Setup to join a 'non'-Pro Windows client to a domain. The software is out of date, but it was used for Windows XP Home Edition to do what you are asking.
I have not attempted it with Windows 8.
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According to the X-Setup website, X-Setup is not compatible with Windows 8 and all operations regarding X-Setup have been shut down. As usual in a case like this, the X-Setup website doesn't offer any information about the possibility of running X-Setup in Windows 8 in compatibility mode. – karel Oct 22 '15 at 14:56
netdom? I have not tried it out myself yet. – paradroid Sep 14 '11 at 16:32