removing stale computer accounts from Active Directory

[Fint]

Windows 2000 native-mode Active Directory setup. We have about 200 computer accounts in an OU, and I know that some of them are no longer used (i.e., the machine has been formatted or renamed but its account has not removed from AD properly).

Does anyone know of a utility to check/remove old computer accounts from the domain?

 

[Grimmda]

Hmmmmmmm I worked at a place that had a Domain Admin that built a script that would look at the "last logged in date" and just delete ones that were workstation names that hadn't been logged into within a month or 3 or 6 or whatever.

That's pretty safe. Granted you might get a few that you want back in there but it's a quick fix.

(You also end up finding some PC's in wierd places you never knew existed when you do this )

 

[feigned]

200 isn't a small number by any means...but it's possible to do things manually.

Keep better records! Even an Excel spreadsheet filled out with the location and other assorted information like CPU speed, RAM, and miscellaneous software installed is an indispensible godsend.