How to Disable Win7 and Win2008R2 UAC

To manage, migrate or run remote migration apps on Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 2008 and Windows 2008R2, the User account control must be disabled.

Open an elevated command prompt as administrator.
To disable the UAC, run the following commands:

%windir%\System32\cmd.exe /k %windir%\System32\reg.exe ADD HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v EnableLUA /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

and optionally, the following command to suppress all elevation consent request and notification:

%windir%\System32\cmd.exe /k %windir%\System32\reg.exe ADD HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v ConsentPromptBehaviorAdmin /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

The WADMigrator Warm and Fuzzies

Acitve Directory Migration With Minimal End-User Impact.

The Winzero Active Directory Domain Migrator was designed with least end user impact foremost in mind. This was achieved by reducing any impact on the source domain during the migration process.

By understanding the processes involved during each migration phase is to understand that at any time during the migration the source domain remains untouched until the final step where the end user’s account is enabled in the target domain and their workstation is cut over to join the target domain.

Migration Steps
During the account, contact and group migration, new accounts are created in the target domain, accounts are not moved. The new security accounts in the target domain all have new SIDs and their original SIDs are appended to each target account’s SIDHistory. NO impact on source accounts.

Once the accounts and groups are recreated in the target domain, their SIDs are matched in an account migration table with the original source accounts for both users and groups. The table is laid out in four columns: source UNCName, target UNCName, source SID and target SID. Once again NO impact on source accounts.

After the migration tables are created, all resources in the source domain, servers and workstations, are reACLed by appending the target name or SID to each object thereby creating a state of co-existence between all objects in the source domain and target domain. In other words; regardless whether the source or target account is trying to access any resource: files, folders, shares, profile objects or email, both accounts have the same access to each resource. Again NO impact on source accounts.

During the final phase of the migration, referred to as the cutover, workstations and/or servers are migrated to the target domain. During this process the source accounts of the selected users are disabled and their target accounts are enabled just prior to moving the accounts workstation to the target domain. The workstation reboots and joins the new domain. This is the only impact on the source domain: the user account is disabled and the computer is moved to the target domain.

Rollback Plan
If for any reason the migration or subset of a migration must be reversed, WADMigrator would be used to:
A) enable the source accounts, disable the target user accounts and
B) migrate the migrated workstations back to the source domain.
All the original source domain user accounts and group accounts with the original rights and permissions still exist, untouched in the source domain.

During all phases of the migration the source domain is not touched or restructured in any way. Only until the source domain controllers are removed will the properties of the source domain cease to exist in its original form.

Active Directory Domain Migration Checklist

Before beginning an Active Directory migration, a number of mandatory requirements are needed to be in place in order to complete the migration successfully. These requirements are standards to meet both the requirements for Microsoft Windows migration and the Winzero Active Directory Migrator.

Download the Domain Migration Checklist

New Release: Winzero TakeControl

Winzero new product release: TakeControl allows administrators to gain administrative access to files, folders and shares without destroying the original permissions by appending the Administrators group SID to ACLs.

The Challenge
To gain access to files and folders, Administrators can take ownership and grant full access control permissions and rights to themselves if they want to modify, rename or delete these files or folders. During this process the original permissions are removed.

The Solution
Grant Administrators full control to files, folders or shares without taking ownership or destroying the original permission using Winzero TakeControl.

Avoid Take Ownership

Using standard Windows functions, if you must access a file or a folder that you do not have rights to, you must take ownership of that file or folder. When you do this, you replace the security permissions that were originally created for the file or folder.

Winzero TakeControl uses an append process to add the Administrators group with full control to each folder ACL and file ACL. without changing the original NTFS permission.

Download a fully functional trial version or learn more how TakeControl can help with profile migration and server migration projects.

Top 5 Interforest Active Directory Migration Tips

Migrating between Microsoft's Windows Active Directory forests can be an intimidating project. This article provides 5 Active Directory migration tips that are bound to save IT pros time and aspirin.

1. Plan, plan, plan

Planning is the best way to a smooth Active Directory migration.

The most common error is a lack of planning. Don't horribly underestimate the impact … an AD migration. Research the impact thoroughly and properly develop migration plans.

At the end of a thorough evaluation, IT pros will know their AD requirements for structure, security, bandwidth, hardware and timeline. AD is not forgiving, so it's easier to get it right the first time than try to clean up afterward.

2. Ask for help

Going it alone is a sure-fire way to blow it. Try not to reinvent the wheel.

Not asking for help before starting the project is asking for trouble and results in the same mistakes our experts have seen – and solved – many times.

3. Ensure redundancy

A lack of server redundancy can be the costliest of AD blunders. Except for single-server environments, a minimum of two domain controllers should be installed for load-balancing and failover.

4. Enlist expert support

Recruit a migration expert, as needed, at the start of the migration project to avoid pit falls. Keep the migration expert available, as required, during the begining phases of the project to help guide the success of the project.

5. Use advanced Migration tools.

There are 3 major migration software tools on the market from Quest software, netIQ and Winzero technologies.

Test the tools in a lab, compare cost to benefit and choose the tool that can more easily meet the challenges and issues what will be faced during the migration process.