Create a New Computer Account
Applies To: Windows Server 2008
Membership in Account Operators, Domain Admins, or Enterprise Admins, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure. Review details about using the appropriate accounts and group memberships at Local and Domain Default Groups (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=83477).
Creating a new computer account
Using the Windows interface
Using a command line
To create a new computer account using the Windows interface
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.
In the console tree, right-click Computers.
Where?
- Active Directory Users and Computers/domain node/Computers
Or, right-click the folder in which you want to add the computer.
Point to New, and then click Computer.
Type the computer name.
Additional considerations
To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Account Operators group, Domain Admins group, or Enterprise Admins group in Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure.
Another way to open Active Directory Users and Computers is to click Start, click Run, and then type dsa.msc.
By default, members of the Account Operators group can create computer accounts in the Computers container and in new organizational units (OUs).
By default, Authenticated Users in a domain are assigned the Add workstations to a domain user right, and they can create up to 10 computer accounts in the domain.
There are two additional ways to give a user or group permission to add a computer to the domain:
Use a Group Policy object to assign the Add Computer User permission
On the OU, assign the user or group the Create Computer Objects permission
If the computer using the account that you are creating is a pre–Windows 2000 computer, select the Assign this computer account as a pre–Windows 2000 computer check box.
By default, a newly created computer account is assigned an "Account Ops-FC" access control entry (ACE) that gives members of the Account Operators group full control over that computer account. If a server that is represented by this computer account is promoted to a domain controller, the computer account retains this "Account Ops-FC" ACE, and therefore, members of the Account Operators group will have full control on this domain controller, which is not a recommended configuration. For example, members of Account Operators group will be able to reset this domain controller’s password. Because the Account Operators group has significant power in the domain, we recommend that you add members to it with caution. For a detailed description of the Account Operators group, see Default groups (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=131422). To modify permissions for Account Operators on a computer account, you can use Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in and complete the following steps:
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.
In the console tree, right-click the computer account that represents the server that you want to promote to domain controller, and then click Properties.
On the Security tab, select Account Operators in the Group or user names list, and then modify permissions according to the specifications of your environment.
Additional references
To create a new computer account using a command line
To open a command prompt, click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
Type the following command, and then press ENTER:
dsadd computer <ComputerDN>
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
<ComputerDN> |
Specifies the distinguished name of the computer that you want to add. The distinguished name specifies the directory location. |
To view the complete syntax for this command, and for information about entering user account information, at a command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
dsadd computer /?
Additional considerations
To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Account Operators group, Domain Admins group, or Enterprise Admins group in AD DS, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure.
By default, members of the Account Operators group can create computer accounts in the Computers container and in new OUs.
By default, Authenticated Users in a domain are assigned the Add workstations to a domain user right, and they can create up to 10 computer accounts in the domain.
There are two additional ways to give a user or group permission to add a computer to the domain:
Use a Group Policy object to assign the Add Computer User permission
On the OU, assign the user or group the Create Computer Objects permission