Windows 8 Secrets

To sign in to your domain, click Change. In the Computer Name/Domain Changes window, enable Domain and type your fully qualified domain name (yourdomain.com) in the Domain field. (Again, this will be supplied by work.) Then, in the dialog that appears, type your username only (for example, paul, and not mydomainpaul) and password. You’ll be prompted to log off and then sign in with the new domain account. Here, again, you’ll need to use either the domainusername or [email protected] syntax for the username (for example, mydomainpaul).

When you sign in with a domain, Windows 8 works largely as it does otherwise, aside from whatever policy- based limitations your corporation has applied. Two obvious areas of difference include the new Metro-style Mail app, which is discussed in Chapter 8: When you run this app, you may be required to accept the workplace’s more stringent Exchange ActiveSync (EAS)-based policy, as you can see in Figure 14-3. This requirement exists outside of whatever domain-based policies you may have in place as well.

Figure 14-3: EAS clients like Mail app will be required to conform to your workplace’s policies before they can be used with a work-based account.

Likewise, the User Account control panels work differently with a domain. We discuss these differences in Chapter 12.

Better Together

As is the case with each new version of Windows, Windows 8 comes with a number of new group policies that help administrators control new features that are specific to Windows 8. Some of these policies are Windows 8-specific, so they don’t require a certain version of Windows Server. This means they can be used with older versions of Windows Server, like Windows Server 2008 R2. Others are related to technologies that also require Windows Server 2012, the Server version of Windows 8. These products can work in tandem to deliver certain technologies in truly modern workplaces. Suffice to say, that’s pretty rare.

Domain users are probably familiar with the myriad of ways in which their corporate overlords can control their computing experience. And in each new version of Windows, Microsoft adds to these capabilities, which are exposed through a technology called Group Policy, part of Active Directory. To give you a taste of what to expect, Table 14-1 highlights some of the over 150 new Windows 8-specific policies that have been added to Group Policy.

Table 14-1: Top New Windows 8 Group Policies

Policy name	Description
Allow all trusted apps to install	Manage the installation of app packages that do not originate from the Windows Store. When enabled, you can install any trusted app.
Do not display the lock screen	Controls whether the lock screen appears for users. If enabled, users will see their user tile after locking their PC.
Turn on PIN sign-in	Controls whether a domain user can sign in using a numeric PIN. If disabled or not configured, a domain user can’t set up and use a PIN.
Turn off picture password sign-in	Controls whether a domain user can sign in using a picture password. If disabled or not configured, a domain user can’t set up and use a picture password.
Turn off switching between recent apps	If enabled, users will not be allowed to switch between recent apps and the App Switching option in PC Settings will be disabled.
Windows To Go Default Startup Options	Controls whether the PC will boot to Windows To Go if a USB device containing a Windows To Go workspace is connected, and controls whether users can make changes using the Windows To Go Startup Options control panel item.
Turn off File History	Allows you to turn off File History. If enabled, File History cannot be activated to create regular, automatic backups. Otherwise, File History can be activated.
Turn off access to the Store	Specifies whether to use the Store service for finding an app or application to open a file with an unhandled file type or protocol association.
Turn off the Store application	Denies or allows access to the Windows Store app. If enabled, access to the Windows Store application is denied.
Turn off app notifications on the lock screen	Allows you to prevent app notifications from appearing on the lock screen.
Do not sync	This turns off and disables the “sync your settings” switch on the “sync your settings” page in PC Settings. If enabled, “sync your settings” will be turned off, and none of the “sync your setting” groups will be available. Note: Additional related policies let you control syncing of app settings, passwords, personalization, other Windows settings, browser settings, desktop personalization, and more.
Prevent users from uninstalling applications from Start	If enabled, users cannot uninstall apps from Start.