Automatically connect client computers to the network

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard

You can automatically connect a client computer to the Windows SBS 2011 Standard network in the following ways:

  • By using the internal Web site at https://connect/.

  • By running the Connect Computer Wizard from portable media, such as a USB drive.

Note

These procedures apply only to client computers that are running:

  • Windows 7 Professional

  • Windows 7 Enterprise

  • Windows 7 Ultimate

  • Windows Vista Business

  • Windows Vista Enterprise

  • Windows Vista, Ultimate

  • Window XP Professional

Note

Before joining a client computer to the network, you should create user accounts for each user who can log on to the network by using the client computer.

To connect a client computer to the network by using the internal Web site

  1. On the client computer, open a Web browser.

  2. In the address bar, type https://connect.

  3. Click Start Connect Computer Wizard.

  4. Follow the instructions in the Connect Computer Wizard to do the following:

    • Verify computer requirements.

    • Specify a user name and password.

    • Specify or verify the name and description of the client computer.

    • Assign users to the client computer.

    • Move existing user data and settings.

    • Assign the level of use for users of the client computer.

To connect a client computer to the network by running the Connect Computer Wizard from portable media

  1. On the server, insert the portable USB drive to which you want to copy the Connect Computer Wizard.

  2. Open the Windows SBS Console.

  3. Click Network, and then click the Computers tab.

  4. In Computer Tasks, click Connect computers to your network, and then click Next on the first page of the wizard.

  5. On the Run Connect Computer Wizard page, select Copy the wizard to portable media.

  6. On the Specify a location for the Connect Computer Wizard copy page, type or browse to the location of the portable USB drive to which you want to copy the Connect Computer Wizard, and then click Next.

  7. Finish the wizard, remove the portable USB drive, and then insert it into the drive of the computer that you want to connect to the network.

  8. On the client computer, do one of the following:

    • If Autorun opens a folder for the portable media, locate the file launcher.exe in the folder, and then double-click it.

    • If Autorun does not open a folder, click Start, click Run, type Drive:\launcher.exe (where Drive is the letter of the portable USB drive on the computer), and then click OK.

  9. Follow the instructions on the screen to do the following:

    • Verify computer requirements.

    • Specify a user name and password.

    • Specify or verify the name and description of the client computer.

    • Assign users to the client computer.

    • Move existing user data and settings.

    • Assign the level of use for users of the client computer.