Managing Windows 7 in a Domain

If you work with a network that has more than 10 computers, it's probably in a Windows domain. It's important to understand some basics of how Windows 7 operates in a domain.

This tutorial will lead you through the steps to create a domain in a virtual environment that you can use as a test bed. You can use this test bed to join a Windows 7 computer to a domain, create user accounts and groups in the domain, and view some of the symptoms of logon failures. You'll learn about standard, roaming, mandatory, and super-mandatory profiles. Last, anti-malware software is covered briefly.

If you are not connected to a domain network, you can use the Join a Domain or Workgroup wizard to join a domain and create a local user account. If you already have a user account, you can use System Properties to join a domain. Before you join a domain, you need to connect your computer to a client/server network using a network adapter and network cable or wireless technology. After you connect a network adapter to your computer and start Windows 7, your computer detects the network adapter and creates a local area connection. A local area connection is the only type of network connection that Windows automatically creates. Depending on your hardware setup, your Join a Domain or Workgroup wizard options might differ.

The term domain refers to a group of Windows computers on the same network. It's not the same as an Internet domain, which you may occasionally see mentioned. An Internet domain is still a group of computers, but they don't have to be connected to the same network, and they don't have to be running Windows. In addition, the domain name (like amazon.com) must be registered to ensure that there's no duplication on the Internet. Because Windows domains are private, they can be named any way the administrator chooses.