Microsoft Active Directory (AD) FAQ

Are only Windows machines affected?

How are usernames formatted?

What is the password policy for AD?

How do I change my password?

How do I log in to my computer?

How do I know if my account is locked out?

How do I map to my file share(s)?

How do I map to my printers?

How do I request support for any issues?

Are only Windows machines affected?

At this time, yes. Non-Windows systems may be incorporated at a later date. In the meantime, Macs will continue to be fully supported.

How are usernames formatted?

New usernames will be formatted with the first initial of your first name and full last name. For Example: “Tyler DeNormandie” will be “tdenormandie”.

What is the password policy for AD?

Your password must be complex, conforming to the following standard:

containing three of four character types:
- upper-case letters,
- lower-case letters,
- numbers, and
- special characters.
It must be a minimum of 8 characters and a maximum of 128 characters.

For University guidelines on choosing secure passwords, go to http://safecomputing.uchicago.edu/practices/passwords.html

Your user account will be locked out after 6 unsuccessful attempts to log on to your computer. It will be automatically unlocked after 30 minutes has passed. You may call the Help Desk (2-2056) to have your account unlocked immediately.

How do I change my password?

Press Ctrl+Alt+Del
Click the “Change Password…” button
Type in your old password, then your new password. You will be required to type your new password twice to confirm.
Click OK

How do I log in to my computer?

Press Ctrl+Alt+Del .
Type in your username and password
Click OK

How do I know if my account is locked out?

You will receive a message that says “Unable to log you on because your account has been locked out, please contact your administrator.”
If you receive this error please contact the BSDIS Help Desk at 2-2056 to unlock your account. (It will also be automatically unlocked after 30 minutes has passed.)

How do I map to my file share(s)?

The way you access your files shares and network drives will not change. Your username and password may be required to access various resources. Usernames should include the BSDAD domain. For example: “Tyler Denormandie” will be “bsdad\tdenormandie”

Right click “My Computer”
Select “Map Network Drive…”
Choose the drive letter you’d like to map.
Type in the folder you’d like to map to. For Example: \\med-ntfs05\folderX
Check the “Reconnect at Logon” box.
Click “Finish”

If you have the proper permission to view the share it will open. If you receive an error message, please contact the BSDIS Help Desk at 2-2056.

How do I map to my printer(s)?s

BSDIS provides several centrally managed print servers to meet the needs of our customers. Before you begin the process of mapping to a printer please have the printer’s name, location and server ready.

To map a printer from the print server (Windows):

Click the “Start” button
Select “Run”
Type the name of the server preceded by two backslashes.
Ex: \\ps2.bsd.uchicago.edu
Find your printer’s name in the list and double-click on it.
Close the printer’s information box.

The selected printer should now be added to the list of printers to which you can send jobs.

The following is a list of BSDIS print servers:

med-ntfs05 (Dept of Medicine)
med-pc21 (Dept of Medicine)
ps2 (BSD-general)
ps3 (BSD-general)

How do I request support for any issues?

Tickets can be submitted by phone (2-2056), e-mail or online. When your ticket is created you will receive a reference number. Please keep this number for your records. Please include the following information when creating a ticket or calling the BSDIS Help Desk:

Your name
Your location
Your call-back number
Your department affiliation
Your asset tag number (this should be a 7 digit number located on a silver and black sticker on your computer)
The brand and model of your machine (ex: Dell GX 270)

The Service Desk hours are 8am to 5pm Monday thru Friday. Off-hours phone support for critical issues is available by calling 2-2056 and leaving a voice-mail message.