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Chris Hall

Principal Technical Consultant

PolarCloudsUK Chris LinkedIn Github
Chris Hall Nutanix Certified Master - Multicloud Infrastructure 6 Chris Hall VMware vExpert 2024 Chris Hall VMware vExpert NSX 2023 Chris Hall Nutanix Certified Professional - Multicloud Infrastructure 6 Chris Hall Nutanix Certified Professional - Unified Storage 6 Chris Hall VMware vExpert 2023 Chris Hall VMware vExpert 2022

Consider the above login screen, as seen when you login to either a Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 2008 machine that is joined to an Active Directory.

The question is a simple one:  How do I login locally?

That is login using local machine credentials rather than those belonging to an active directory account.

Normally you would enter < Local Computer Name >\< Local Account Name > in the username field.

But isn't that is too much like hard work?  What happens if I don't know the local machine name? For example, logging in via a RDP session connected to the computer's IP address, rather than the system's machine name.

Also what happens if you mistype or enter an incorrect computer name?  As the "incorrect login" response is exactly the same as that for an incorrect password, you tend to believe that you've simply 'fat-fingered' the password...

OK, enough already, here is the fix. Simply login using the following:

.\< Local Account Name >

Hey presto, you've just saved your fingers from typing the computer name and you have removed all local computer name doubt in the process.

Loverly jubberly - oh yes!

- Chris