Windows 7 Home to Domain?

[compugirl]

This is a little 'unclear' in the comparison chart.

Windows 7 Pro includes "Domain Join" so does that mean you won't be able to join Home Premium machines to a domain and will only be able to use workgroups? Or is that just a 'different' way to join it to the domain, with the ability to do that still in all versions of 7?

My spouse and I are both IT professionals, and are looking to go to Win7 at home... and the Home pricetag is much more friendly for 5 PCs than the Pro price tag... but since we run a DC at home, we need to be able to join our machines to it. We don't NEED anything that Pro/Ultimate have to offer... except this one pesky question I'm not finding an answer to.

This is probably a dumb question, but like so many people, we skipped right over Vista, and have always run XP Pro at home.

 

[jakeatseven]

I'm using Windows 7 starter and would like to connect to file shares on a Server 2003 network.

I gather from above that I could do this (though not really join the domain) with 7 Home, but it's not working for me with 7 starter. Am I just doing something wrong, or do I need to upgrade to 7 Home?

I changed my workgroup name to the name of the Domain and am using a username/password that exists on the domain. I even added a computer in Active Directory with the same name.

I can see all the computers on the network, but if I try to connect to any I get an error saying invalid username and password. It appears to be using the computer name, not the workgroup name, as the domain.

UPDATE: I've succeeded. I thought I had already tried this, but here's what I just did to connect with Win 7 starter:
1.) Change the computer name on your Windows 7 starter machine to the name of your domain. Your workgroup name doesn't seem to matter. I just left mine as 'WORKGROUP'. I don't know if it matters, but I also didn't add anything for a dns suffix.

Actually, that's pretty much it. From there it works fine. If you're using a username/pwd that exists in your Active Directory, you can connect to network shares normally. Otherwise, you'll have to provide a valid username/pwd.

 

[Zoron]

I should have thought of that... if it was putting the computer name in automatically and you couldn't change it, then name the computer the same name as the domain. Of course, the problem is that this only works for one computer... since each computer must have a unique network name. There has to be a way to do this without renaming the computer...

 

[jakeatseven]

It does seem like there should be a better way.

On the up side, this would work for multiple computers. When I'm connected to the server with my netbook, the server just lists an internal IP as computer name. So, I imagine there wouldn't be a conflict with multiple connections (though I haven't tried it yet).

Still, it does seem awfully slapdash.

 

[Zoron]

I believe Meekiah's registry modification should do the trick.

 

[luiscloss]

Guys.

There is "NO WAY" to join any Domain using any of the HOME usage Windows software. To join domains, you may need - no matter what!!! - any kind of XP Professional, Vista Prof or Ultimate, Windows 7 Professional ou Ultimate. Starters or home edition are useless for that purpose.

HOWEVER (NOTE, HOWEVER ONLY) you may "use and join the usage" of a company network using any kind of Starters or Home Windows. Here is the tricky part: When you were using XP Home, you could just modify one or two registry keys and the XP would operate as Professional, 'cause the kernel of XP home and prof are the same. Be carefull: this registry modification will guide you to use a non-registrered XP Copy, since this is a hack. Note that I´m not showing how to do it.

If you are planning to use either Vista or 7 home/starter, AS LONG as your username and password on the home edition match the domain controller, you will probably don´t face any problem at all.

Lets pick an example: yourdomain\yourusername and yourpassword.
If you use on yourhomexp\yourusername and yourpassword (SAME ONES) the DC will grant you access to the network shares "IF AND IF ONLY" the networkshares have full access to anyone. If the networkshares have AUTHENTICATED USERS access only, it will ask you ONCE and only ONCE for a domain username and password.

Regarding Internet Access, there is no problem at all. Beware that using a GroupPolicy, the SysAdmin may enter some guidance or modifications to your IExplorer to use a specific Proxy. If you know the proxy policies you can enter them manually on your local IExplorer without any policy.

DOMAINS and DOMAINCONTROLLERS are intended to force, diminish and to guide a lot of Group Policies into corporate computers, which may dramatically decrease IT work. Try to immagine a corpnetwork with 500 PCs using NON-PROFESSIONAL Versions of Windows. IT would mandatorily enter 500 PCs to create any policy, while using DC they need only to apply a single GPO and it is done. REMEMBER: GPOs are for IT Administrative purposes, HOWEVER you can force manually any gpo into your computer locally. The issue here is to use GPOs for AdmPurposes for any company with more than 20 PCs to minor the work. Thats all.

Anything else or different than that could be easily done or made using HOMEs or STARTERs editions. The main differences fomr XP Home to XP Prof. are: ability to join domains, loopback features for developers. Any other changes are minor and does not affect most users.

I personally have home a Windows 2008 R2 as personal home server and all workstations are XP Home with some login scripts for netshares and other things. Why? Just because it looks better for my 3 and 7 year old kids to have their Avatars on the login screen instead of login prompt from domain. Also, on a domain there is no way to have multiple users using the same machine. On Home XP or Home Vista or Home 7, you can leave your session running, hit CHANGE USER and other users may use the machine while your login is still active and running in background, thus is not possible on DOMAIN.

Basically is this: PROFESSIONAL is for companies and IT People, while HOME have basicakky same functions without Domain needs.

Hope this help. Please reply case you need some more help.

Luis Closs
IT Administrator.

 

[emery_bill]

Not only will home premium not allow joining a domain, it will also not cosistently allow owa or outlook clients to connect to an exchange server.
xp home would at least do that.
only workaround that we found that worked was a 3rd party vpn client. thus avoiding the microsoft malware that is built into windows 7 home editions.
hth

 

[luiscloss]

Hi everybody,
Is this post finally closed and clear or does anyone else need some more info?

Also, closing out this subject, I do understand that it may be possible to connect Windows 7 Home and Outlook to an Exchange Server, HOWEVER, it makes no sence for it. Exchange Servers are widely used by corporations. I´d rather assume that it is much, much more easy to install a Windows 7 Prof. or Ultimate for that need and usage instead of looking for some tweek for Outlook and Exchange. This is like "cheese and guava". They have been made for each other, as "Windows 7 Prof or Ultimate + Outlook + Exchange". Normally I don´t like to find a way out or workaround that would be much more simpler to do by reinstalling a new OS. You may find, discover and face other unrelated problems by such approach. Just as a case, while using an "N-Lite Clean Windows XP", I have faced some problems connecting third party modems and cell phones just because it was so cleaned the XP that the needed stuff were wipped out.

So, keep my suggestion: if a problem has two different solutions, the easiest one seems to be the correct one.

Keep in touch. If someone needs more AD/DC problems.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey