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"Remove-Computer" or "Remove-ADComputer" - which is best?
I'm using Windows Server 2012 R2 - trying to remove a computer from a domain using PowerShell.
Which command is best, and how are the results different?
1. Remove-ADComputer -Identity "Server01"
(See https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee617250.aspx )
OR
2. Remove-Computer -Computername Server01 -UnjoinCredential domainname\administrator -Passthru -Verbose -Force -Restart
(See https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh849816(v=wps.620).aspx )
Thanks a lot.
Which command is best, and how are the results different?
1. Remove-ADComputer -Identity "Server01"
(See https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee617250.aspx )
OR
2. Remove-Computer -Computername Server01 -UnjoinCredential domainname\administrator -Passthru -Verbose -Force -Restart
(See https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh849816(v=wps.620).aspx )
Thanks a lot.
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Remove-Computer removes the local computer from their current domains.
Remove-ADComputer removes an Active Directory computer.
Remove-ADComputer removes an Active Directory computer.
Remove-ADComputer operates just on AD and deletes the computer account from AD.
Remove-Computer operates on a local or remote machine and unjoins a computer from a domain, making it a member of a workgroup, and the AD account gets disabled.
So what you use depends on your intentions. If you wanted to use the workstation as part of a workgroup or later rejoin it to the domain you'd probably use Remove-Computer. If you just use Remove-ADComputer the workstation won't have any idea, it's corresponding info in AD would be removed right out from under it so it wouldn't be able to authenticate to the domain, etc. That'd be fine if you're just going to wipe the machine.
Edit: looks like you closed the question while I was typing this up. Oh, well.
Remove-Computer operates on a local or remote machine and unjoins a computer from a domain, making it a member of a workgroup, and the AD account gets disabled.
So what you use depends on your intentions. If you wanted to use the workstation as part of a workgroup or later rejoin it to the domain you'd probably use Remove-Computer. If you just use Remove-ADComputer the workstation won't have any idea, it's corresponding info in AD would be removed right out from under it so it wouldn't be able to authenticate to the domain, etc. That'd be fine if you're just going to wipe the machine.
Edit: looks like you closed the question while I was typing this up. Oh, well.
Sorry, the "supplementary question" was a bit of an afterthought, I didn't actually mean to close the question! Thanks very much for your answer, footech. Sorry about the points.
Update: Now that I've researched this further, I think the first two answers are wrong, and footech's answer is the one I should have accepted as correct. Remove-ADComputer should ONLY be used when you plan to wipe your computer and you don't care what's on it.
Although it's a bit more complex to use, remove-computer is the tool that should usually be used.
Is there any way that I can re-open this question and close it again as per the above?
Although it's a bit more complex to use, remove-computer is the tool that should usually be used.
Is there any way that I can re-open this question and close it again as per the above?
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