Hello, this may be something very basic, but I've just been setting up a Windows 2008 Standard Server. I have the Administrator account and another local user I added as an admin as well. I tested both logins and they worked perfectly. The very moment I completed an Active Directory configuration, I was no longer able to login LOCALLY. For example, if I were sitting at the server, I could login with both users via the AD Domain, but if I were to change the login to the local machine, it tells me the user name or password are incorrect. Can anyone advise? Is this just the way it is? Seems bizarre. I'm not receiving an error saying i'm not permitted to log on, it just tells me the password is incorrect. Obviously it's not the incorrect password, if I uninstall AD services, I can log on locally once again.

You cannot log logon using local account to the Domain Controller. When you promoted the Server to Domain Controller all local users and groups have become not in use, it is by design. I am not sure if your local account will start working after demoting the DC role, never tried.

Ah! Okay. Thank you!I did demote and was able to logon with a local account. Another question then is... the password policy settings are grayed out when I go into the Group Policy Management. How do I change the password complexity requirements if they seem to be grayed out?Thanks again.

Password Policy can be changed only on Default Domain Policy, it cannot be applied to a particular OU. P.S. if you get an answer to your question, please do not forget to Mark it as Answer.

Glyph, You can always disable the password policy in the Default Domain Policy, and create your own Password GPO and link it to the OU you want. I was very successful at this. You CAN have as much control over your passwords as you want.Scotty

Scotty1212 did it ever work? I mean have the Password Policy ever take place? Try it once again, your users will not be affected. Password Policy can be applied only at the Domain Level.

Hello,you can only apply a password policy on domain level. Scotty is wrong with hisanswer.What you can do on OU level is using "fine grained passwored policy" coming with 2008 and requires functional level windows server 2008. Or you have 3rd party tools available.Password policy set on OU level in OS version earlier then 2008 will only take effect if a domain member is NOT connected to the domain.Best regards Meinolf Weber Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

You can set in in "Local Computer Policy", at least the settingsare there. I just looked on my Server 2008 R2.You would only succeed in settingit if there is not an overriding Domain Policy.