Connecting Your Computer to a Domain

If you work in an organization that has a domain, you probably have a desk with a computer on it that you identify as your own. But as far as the domain is concerned, there is no connection between that computer and you as a domain user.

Logging on to a domain requires a password-protected domain user account. Domain user accounts (not to be confused with Windows user accounts) are administered centrally and are not associated with any particular computer. As a result, any domain user can log on to any computer on the domain.

For a computer to be visible to other domain computers, a network administrator must create a machine account for the computer. The machine account is linked to the computer name; no two computers on any one domain can have the same name. Changing the name of a domain-connected computer may require an update to the machine account information. However, you can replace a computer with another that has the same name and connect that computer to the domain using the original machine account.

In this exercise, you will connect a computer for which a machine account has already been created to a domain. There are no practice files for this exercise.

1.	Connect your computer to your corporate network, either physically or through a VPN connection.
2.	Display Control Panel, click System and Maintenance, and then click System.
3.	In the System window, under Computer name, domain, and workgroup settings, click Change settings. Then in the User Account Control dialog box, if you're logged on as an administrator, click Continue. Otherwise, enter an administrator password, and click OK.
4.	In the System Properties dialog box, click Network ID.
5.	In the Join a Domain or Workgroup wizard, with the This computer is part of a business network option selected, click Next.
6.	With the My company uses a network with a domain option selected, click Next. The wizard displays a list of the information you need to have before proceeding. [View full size image]
7.	Make sure you have all the necessary information, click Next, and then enter your user name, password, and domain name. No matter how you type it, the domain name is displayed in all capital letters. [View full size image]
8.	Click Next. Windows Vista searches the specified domain for a machine account with the same name as your computer and displays a message if it finds one. [View full size image]
9.	Click Yes. Windows Vista asks whether you want to enable your user account on the computer. [View full size image]
10.	If you want to enable your user account, click Next. Otherwise, select the Do not add a domain user account option, and then click Next. Windows Vista asks whether you want to have administrator privileges on this computer. Unless you are the domain's network administrator, it is safest to accept the default Standard Account option. [View full size image] Troubleshooting Removing a computer from a domain requires Administrator privileges. Any administrator can enter his or her credentials to allow Windows Vista to complete that task. But if you plan to frequently switch between domains or between a domain and a workgroup, it might be more convenient to select the Administrator option.
11.	Click Next, and then click Finish.
12.	In the System Properties dialog box, click OK. A message box tells you that you must restart your computer for the change to take effect.
13.	Close any open files, and quit any running programs. Then in the message box, click Restart Now.
14.	When your computer restarts, press to display the Welcome screen. Then enter your domain credentials, and press to log on to the domain.