Windows Server 2003
Easiest way to rename a Windows domain client PC
0*This process requires the Netdom utility
Download as part of the XP resource tool kit:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=49AE8576-9BB9-4126-9761-BA8011FABF38&displaylang=en
Or download just the netdom utility (scroll 1/2 way down the page)
http://www.petri.co.il/download_free_reskit_tools.htm
Here is the easiest way to rename a computer. This must be done from the server itself….
1. Click Start -> Run
2. Paste in this command – “Netdom RenameComputer OLD /NewName:NEW /UserD:domain\username /PasswordD:password /Force /ReBoot”. Be sure to change the text for OLD and NEW. OLD should be the current computer name and NEW should be the desired name.
3. Click OK
The computer will now automatically restart in 10 seconds with a new name.
Thanks to the original author
Schedule a Defrag using Group Policy
21. First, paste the below into a batch file. It will schedule a defrag on the C: drive every Sunday at 12:00 AM and run it under the SYSTEM account. Save it somewhere like “C:\defrag.bat”:
schtasks.exe /create /SC WEEKLY /D SUN /TN Weekly-Defrag /TR “defrag %systemdrive% -f” /ST 00:00:00 /RU SYSTEM
2. Open Server Management or use “gpedit.msc”. Expand the domain until you find the OU containing all client machines you want to include.
3. Right-click the OU and choose “Create and Link a GPO Here…”. Name it “Weekly Defrag”.
4. Right-click the new policy and Edit. Browse to Computer Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Scripts -> Startup.
5. Double-click “Startup”. Click Add and browse to the location of your defrag.bat file. Leave Script Parameters blank and click OK.
6. Run a “gpupdate /force” on a client PC. Once it finishes, verify that there is a new Weekly Defrag Scheduled Task. You can even run the new task to make sure it is going to work.
All done! All machines in the above OU will run a scheduled weekly defrag. Give the machines up to an hour to update GPO automatically.
Essential Windows Utils
0I will start with the best one…I finally found a window resizing utility that matches the awesomeness of KDE and Gnome. Be sure to read the notes on how the author uses the program then get it here
Next up is a great addition that allows you to mouse-wheel without clicking on an active window – link
And a tasbkar button tabulator – link
(These all work in 64-bit Windows, too)
Schedule a Windows Server Restart
0There are many ways to do this, one of them is to simply use the built in shutwn command. However, if you want to schedule a reboot more than 10 minutes in the future, it will not suffice.
We can use the PsShutdown utility for more control…
Download and extract the psshutdown.exe file to any location on your system. Here is the command I use:
psshutdown.exe -r -f -c -t 22:00 /accepteula
This will do a forced restart at 10 PM, accepting the EULA and allowing a logged in user to cancel the shutdown if needed.
Checkout other Sysinternals PsTools for more useful utilities.
*Update: Download the PsShutdown util + a small batch file here. Just extract the folder anywhere on your machine and run the batch file to schedule a restart.