Stuart Squibb

UK-based It professional with over 25 years experience. My main areas of expertise cover the Microsoft “stack”, including Windows client and server, Exchange, SQL, System Center, Office, and Hyper-V. I can script in VBScript and PowerShell and have a particular interest in Windows deployment technologies (my first major deployment project was a network-based upgrade from Windows 3.11 to Windows 95). ITIL Foundation Level trained.

Master your LDAP Filters in PowerShell while Learning AD

One of the most common hangups when querying Active Directory with PowerShell is how to properly build filter syntax. The Filter and LDAP Filter parameters on all ActiveDirectory PowerShell module cmdlets is a black box to many.

Stuart Squibb 6 min. read

Active Directory

CSVDE and LDIFDE: Managing AD from the Command Line

Learn csvde and ldifde. Where these tools allow you to import, exort, or modify AD data from the command line.

Stuart Squibb 23 min. read

PowerShell

PowerShell ValidateSet: Choosing from a List

Learn what Powershell ValidateSet does, and learn about the tab-completion feature the provide valid parameter values.

Stuart Squibb 11 min. read

PowerShell

PowerShell Environment Variables: The Ultimate Guide

Learn about Windows environment variables and how to manipulate PowerShell environment variables in this deep dive guide.

Stuart Squibb 13 min. read

Active Directory

“An Active Directory Domain Controller Could not be Contacted” [Solved]

Every IT admin managing machines in an Active Directory environment has been there. You try to add a computer to an Active Directory (AD) domain and get the dreaded "An Active Directory Domain Controller Could not be Contacted" error. In this article, learn the steps to diagnose (and solve) this problem for good.

Stuart Squibb 7 min. read