Active directory domain services are currently unavailable when browsing for computers in remote shut down?

Question

I was trying to use the Direct Shutdown dialog in windows 7. when i go to "browse" for computers it tells me that the Active Directory Domain Services are currently unavailable. how do i fix this problem? ive tried opening it as admin, and everything, Google is not helping any. Can someone help?

Answer 1

Sean J is dead on and I wouldn't presume to improve on his well-researched answer. There is, however, a rough-and-ready way of understanding and using the difference:



"presently"= IN a moment. "Bill is finishing lunch and will see you presently"



"currently"=during the present; at this time. "at present" is more static, and "currently" implies a process. "He is out of the office at present." "He is currently interviewing a client."



English, since it feels free to borrow from everyone else, has fewer exact synonyms than you would think. When we borrow from another language we do so express a finer shade of meaning. That's why English has more than twice the vocabulary of any other language.

Answer 2

You have to be in an Active Directory domain for it to work because only an Administrator can shut computers down remotely. If you're not in a domain your Administrator account is limited to the computer you're on only. If you're part of an Active Directory domain and have a domain admin account, you're the admin of every computer within the domain. If you DO have a domain and directory services still won't let you do the remote shutdown thing, just type in the name of the computer you want to shut down.

Answer 3

Are you logged into a Windows server on your network, assuming that it is properly configured as a Windows domain with computers you are looking for configured for the domain? And which Windows 7 version do you have? If you are on a Home, Media, or Premium version it cannot even log into a Windows domain (it would have to be Win7 Pro, Ultimate, or a server version), although, you could Remote Desktop to the server.



I personally do not know much about Windows domains other than being on one at work. But you have not even mentioned which Windows server version you have (if any) or whether you are logged into the Windows domain.