How-tos

How-tos for the chores that come back every week

Each how-to starts with the commands Windows already gives you — quser, wevtutil, tasklist, Search-ADAccount — and only then shows where a tool shortens the job. All of them assume machines and a domain you administer, with your organisation’s authorization.

• Find and clean up stale computer accounts in Active Directory

  A reversible disable, move and delete routine for stale AD computer objects with RSAT PowerShell, including the timestamp caveats and BitLocker trap.

  Uses Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT)
• Find and end a hung process on a domain workstation you administer

  Identify and end a frozen process on a remote domain PC with tasklist, CIM, taskkill or PsKill, plus the rights, ports and pitfalls of each route.

  Uses LizardSystems Remote Process Explorer
• Pull RDP logon history from event logs (IDs 4624, 21, 24, 25)

  Which Windows event logs record RDP logons, disconnects and reconnects, and PowerShell to pull a clean history from the hosts you administer.

  Uses LizardSystems Remote Desktop Audit
• See who is logged on to your RDS hosts and reset stuck sessions

  List sessions across RD Session Hosts with quser and PowerShell, warn users, then safely log off or reset stuck sessions, with the rights each step needs.

  Uses LizardSystems Terminal Services Manager