Windows 9x on Active Directory

Being the last company on earth to migrate from nt4 Domain to AD, I have a
question about windows 9x clients on my AD.
I'm about to remove my final NT4 BDC, and was wondering if I could step up
AD mode from "Windows Server 2003 interim" to "Windows Server 2003", and then
possibly right to W2k8_R2.

I know most will say "upgrade your desktops", and I'm working hard to, but I
have proprietary hardware hooked up to these machines that are cost
prohibitive to upgrade...for now this is my best/only option!

"Fisher" <> wrote in message
news:0C113172-76D2-4841-9CB9-...
> Being the last company on earth to migrate from nt4 Domain to AD, I have a
> question about windows 9x clients on my AD.
> I'm about to remove my final NT4 BDC, and was wondering if I could step up
> AD mode from "Windows Server 2003 interim" to "Windows Server 2003", and
> then
> possibly right to W2k8_R2.
>
> I know most will say "upgrade your desktops", and I'm working hard to, but
> I
> have proprietary hardware hooked up to these machines that are cost
> prohibitive to upgrade...for now this is my best/only option!

I have Windows 9x clients on my W2k3 AD domain. You need to install
DSClient. The only issues I recall are that you should have a WINS server
configured and enable SMB signing.

--
Richard Mueller
MVP Directory Services
Hilltop Lab - http://www.rlmueller.net
--

Howdie!

Richard Mueller [MVP] schrieb:
> I have Windows 9x clients on my W2k3 AD domain. You need to install
> DSClient. The only issues I recall are that you should have a WINS server
> configured and enable SMB signing.

Enable SMB signing? I might be mistaken but SMB signing is enabled by
default. In order to have legacy machines be able to access shares,
you'd need to disable it.

As for WINS and the DSClient, I agree with Richard here, you'll need to
things to support legacy Windows in your domain. Note that, although you
can use legacy clients with Active Directory, you should not. They
impose a security risk as people and data they send and receive aren't
secured. A bunch of protocols used back then are just not considered
"secure" any more.

Cheers,
Florian
--
Microsoft MVP - Group Policy
eMail: prename [at] frickelsoft [dot] net.
blog: http://www.frickelsoft.net/blog.
ANY advice you get on the Newsgroups should be tested thoroughly in your
lab.

Hello Fisher,

See here about the needs for older OS version in AD:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555038

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/288358

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=946405

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=942564

Best regards

Meinolf Weber
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no rights.
** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups
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> Being the last company on earth to migrate from nt4 Domain to AD, I
> have a
> question about windows 9x clients on my AD.
> I'm about to remove my final NT4 BDC, and was wondering if I could
> step up
> AD mode from "Windows Server 2003 interim" to "Windows Server 2003",
> and then
> possibly right to W2k8_R2.
> I know most will say "upgrade your desktops", and I'm working hard to,
> but I have proprietary hardware hooked up to these machines that are
> cost prohibitive to upgrade...for now this is my best/only option!
>