Adding Windows 2000 Pro to Microsoft Domain

[FredK]

I see that w/ XP Pro a single script will join a computer
to a domain and subsequently an account is created, but I
can only find a script that will add a Windows 2000 Pro
computer account, not accually join the computer to the
domain.

Does anyone know how to do this? Technically, what's the
difference between adding a computer account and joining
the domain?
thanks

[Torgeir Bakken (MVP)]

FredK wrote:

> I see that w/ XP Pro a single script will join a computer
> to a domain and subsequently an account is created, but I
> can only find a script that will add a Windows 2000 Pro
> computer account, not accually join the computer to the
> domain.

Hi

You can use netdom.exe to join a Win2k (and WinXP) computer to a domain,
and create the computer account as well, either as a pre-join job, or as
part of the join process.

Run netdom.exe /? in a command prompt for help.

I suggest that you use the netdom.exe in the Windows 2003 Server
"Support Tools", it can be used for Win2k, WinXP as well as Win2k3.
Note that you cannot use the netdom.exe in WinXP "Support Tools" on
Win2k, or the one in Win2k "Support Tools" on WinXP.

Windows 2003 Server "Support Tools" is to be found on the Server 2003 CD.

Latest version of the Win2k only netdom.exe can be downloaded from here:

Windows 2000 SP4 Support Tools
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/downloads/servicepacks/sp4/supporttools.asp

There came one updated version with SP3 as well, but I would be very surprised
if the SP4 netdom version do not work on pre SP4 computers.

More info here as well (see section "Command line, join domain")

From: Torgeir Bakken
Subject: Re: Join Workgroup then join domain, via WSH?
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.scripting.wsh
Date: 2002-09-09 14:03:29 PST
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=3D7CFEC8.556EDB2B%40hydro.com

Some notes:

Netdom.exe needs to be run with an account that is member (directly or
indirectly) of the Administrators group on the local computer, unless using
the /UserO switch.

The server service needs to be available and not disabled or removed for
netdom to work, see this thread for more info about this:

Subject: Re: Join Computer to a Domain with NetDom
http://groups.google.com/groups?th=a180a5e6b463d276

--
torgeir
Microsoft MVP Scripting and WMI, Porsgrunn Norway
Administration scripting examples and an ONLINE version of the 1328 page
Scripting Guide: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter