Disable or enable a computer account

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

To disable or enable a computer account

Open Active Directory Users and Computers.
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 enable or disable.
In the details pane, right-click the desired computer, and then do one of the following:
- To disable, click Disable Account.
- To enable, click Enable Account.

Notes

To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Account Operators group, Domain Admins group, or the Enterprise Admins group in Active Directory, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure. For more information, see Default local groups, Default groups, and Using Run as.
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.
When you disable a computer account, the computer cannot authenticate to the domain until it has been enabled.

Value	Description
ComputerDN	Specifies the distinguished names of the computer object that you want to disable or enable.
{yes\|no}	Specifies whether the computer is disabled for log on (yes) or not (no).

Notes

To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Account Operators group, Domain Admins group, or the Enterprise Admins group in Active Directory, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure. For more information, see Default local groups, Default groups, and Using Run as.
To open a command prompt, click Start, point to All programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command prompt.
When you disable a computer account, the computer cannot authenticate to the domain until it has been enabled.
To view the complete syntax for this command, at a command prompt, type:

dsmod computer /?

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.