Find a domain controller

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

To find a domain controller

Open Active Directory Users and Computers.
In the console tree, right-click any node or folder, and then click Find.

Or, if you know which folder contains the domain controller, right-click that folder to narrow the search to that folder.
In Find, click Computers and in Role, click Domain Controller.

If you do not know which folder contains the domain controller, in In, click the domain you want to search or click Entire Directory.
Click Find Now.

Notes

Performing this task does not require you to have administrative credentials. Therefore, as a security best practice, consider performing this task as a user without administrative credentials.
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.
Use the Advanced tab for more powerful search options.
To find a computer, you can also click

on the toolbar.

Value	Description
Parameter	There are several attributes of a server that you can search by using this command. For the list of parameters, see Dsquery.

Notes

Performing this task does not require you to have administrative credentials. Therefore, as a security best practice, consider performing this task as a user without administrative credentials.
To open a command prompt, click Start, point to All programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command prompt.

Your server might function differently based on the version and edition of the operating system that is installed, your account permissions, and your menu settings. For more information, see Viewing Help on the Web.