How to Keep Files & Settings When Company Domain for Windows 10 is Deactivated?

Introduction

When a company is acquired, there are various steps to be taken to ensure a smooth transition. One of these steps may involve deactivating the previous company's domain in Windows 10 systems. In this article, we will cover the process of deactivating a Windows 10 system that is currently logged in with an Active Directory account from the deactivated company domain.

Preparation

Before starting the deactivation process, it is essential to ensure that all necessary backups have been taken. This includes user data, settings, and group policies.

Deactivating the Domain Membership

To deactivate the domain membership, follow these steps:

1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type "netdom query fsmo" and press Enter to check the current FSMO (Flexible Single Master Operation) roles for the domain.
3. If any FSMO roles are held by the system, transfer them to another domain controller before proceeding.
4. Type "netdom remove /domain: /repl:" in the Run dialog box, replacing with the name of the computer, with the name of the deactivated domain, and with the name of a domain controller in the new domain. Press Enter to remove the computer from the deactivated domain.
5. Type "netdom join /domain:" in the Run dialog box, replacing with the name of the computer and with the name of the new domain. Press Enter to join the computer to the new domain.

Removing the Old Domain from the System

To remove the old domain from the system, follow these steps:

1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type "dsrm " in the Run dialog box, replacing with the name of the deactivated domain. Press Enter to remove the domain from the system.
3. Type "gpupdate /force" in the Run dialog box to update the group policies.

Resetting the Local Machine Account

To reset the local machine account password, follow these steps:

1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type "net user " in the Run dialog box, replacing with the name of the computer and with the new password. Press Enter to set the new password.
3. Type "net localgroup administrators /add" in the Run dialog box, replacing with the name of an administrator account. Press Enter to add the user to the local administrators group.

Verification

To verify that the deactivation process was successful, follow these steps:

1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type "netdom query fsmo" and press Enter to check that no FSMO roles are held by the system.
3. Type "dsquery user -limit 0 | findstr /i "" in the Run dialog box, replacing with the name of the new domain and with the name of the user account. Press Enter to check that the user account exists in the new domain.