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Reset a Computer Account
Updated: January 4, 2010
Applies To: Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012
Membership in Account Operators , Domain Admins , or Enterprise Admins , or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure. Review details about using the appropriate accounts and group memberships at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=83477.
Resetting a computer account
To reset a computer account using the Windows interface
-
To open Active Directory Users and Computers, click Start , click Control Panel , double-click Administrative Tools , and then double-click Active Directory Users and Computers .
To open Active Directory Users and Computers in Windows Server® 2012, click Start , type dsa.msc .
-
In the console tree, click Computers .
Where?
-
Active Directory Users and Computers\
domain node
\Computers
Or, click the folder that contains the computer that you want to reset.
-
Active Directory Users and Computers\
domain node
\Computers
-
In the details pane, right-click the computer, and then click Reset Account .
Additional considerations
-
To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Account Operators group, Domain Admins group, or Enterprise Admins group in Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. As a security best practice, consider using
Run as
to perform this procedure.
-
You can also perform the task in this procedure by using the Active Directory module for Windows PowerShell. To open the Active Directory module, click
Start
, click
Administrative Tools
, and then click
Active Directory Module for Windows PowerShell
.
To open the Active Directory module in Windows Server 2012, open Server Manager , click Tools and then click Active Directory Module for Windows PowerShell .
For more information, see Reset a Computer Account (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=138388). For more information about Windows PowerShell, see Windows PowerShell (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=102372).
Additional references
To reset a computer account using a command line
-
To open a command prompt, click Start , click Run , type cmd , and then click OK .
To open a command prompt in Windows Server 2012, click Start , type cmd , and then click OK .
-
Type the following command, and then press ENTER:
dsmod computer <ComputerDN> -reset
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
|
<ComputerDN> |
Specifies the distinguished name of one or more computer objects that you want to reset. |
|
-reset |
Resets the specified computer object. |
To view the complete syntax for this command, and for information about entering user account information, at a command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
dsmod computer /?
Additional considerations
-
To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Account Operators group, Domain Admins group, or Enterprise Admins group in AD DS, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. As a security best practice, consider using
Run as
to perform this procedure.
-
You can also perform the task in this procedure by using the Active Directory module for Windows PowerShell. To open the Active Directory module, click
Start
, click
Administrative Tools
, and then click
Active Directory Module for Windows PowerShell
.
To open the Active Directory module in Windows Server 2012, open Server Manager , click Tools and then click Active Directory Module for Windows PowerShell .
For more information, see Reset a Computer Account (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=180687). For more information about Windows PowerShell, see Windows PowerShell (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=102372).
Additional references
