u/Schema-Seeker

Hi everyone,

I’m setting up a new Active Directory environment on Windows Server 2025 Standard and I’m stuck with a strange login issue after promoting the server to a domain controller.

Server details:

• Windows Server 2025 Standard
• Server name: GC-DC01
• Static IP: 192.168.8.244
• Domain: ad.generalco.local
• NetBIOS domain name: GENERALCO
• DNS installed on the same server
• This is a new forest/domain
• Server was previously a standalone Windows Server

Before promotion, I could log in normally using the local Administrator account and the password was working.

I then promoted the server using PowerShell:

Install-ADDSForest `

-DomainName "ad.generalco.local" `

-DomainNetbiosName "GENERALCO" `

-InstallDNS `

-SafeModeAdministratorPassword (Read-Host -AsSecureString "DSRM Password") `

-Force

The promotion completed successfully and reported:

Operation completed successfully
Status: Success

The server rebooted.

Now at the Windows login screen it shows:

GENERALCO\Administrator

However, the same Administrator password that worked before the promotion is now rejected.

I have also tried:

GENERALCO\Administrator
Administrator@ad.generalco.local

Both reject the password.

I understand that the DSRM password is separate from the normal domain Administrator password. I am not using the DSRM password for the normal login.

The strange part is that the password worked immediately before the AD promotion, and the AD promotion itself completed successfully.

I currently cannot get into Windows normally, so I cannot open PowerShell/CMD from the desktop.

I have physical access to the server (HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11). F11 only gives me the HPE One-Time Boot Menu.

Questions:

1. What could cause the Administrator password to stop working immediately after AD DS promotion?
2. Is there a supported way to recover/reset the domain Administrator password in this situation?
3. Can I use the DSRM password to get into a recovery environment and repair the domain Administrator account?
4. Is there anything I should check in WinRE before considering rebuilding the domain?

I would really prefer to recover this installation rather than reinstall Windows, since the AD DS/DNS promotion itself completed successfully.

Any advice from someone experienced with Server 2025 AD DS would be greatly appreciated.

Hey all, running into a weird bug and hoping someone's cracked it.

My iPhone's time zone is set correctly to Doha (Asia/Qatar) under iOS Settings — confirmed, no issue there. But inside the Google Health app, when I go to its own time zone setting and manually select Asia/Qatar, it just... unticks itself and reverts back to Etc/UTC (GMT). No error, no explanation, it just snaps back.
Anyone else dealing with this? Any solutions appreciated!

I need to upgrade one of our company servers from Windows Server 2008 R2 to Windows Server 2016, running on the same bare metal hardware. I’ve seen a lot of documentation online, but I’d like to hear from anyone with real‑world experience. What’s the recommended upgrade path, and are there any pitfalls I should watch out for?

I'm an IT Manager at a company and currently we have an ERP system running on SQL Server 2008 Express on Windows Server 2008. The ERP application is .NET-based.

We're planning to migrate to:

• Windows Server 2025
• SQL Server 2025 Standard
• New physical server with 12 cores
• Around 30+ ERP users

We want Standard mainly because we need features such as SQL Server Agent and CDC, which aren't available in Express.

When I checked SQL Server licensing, the per-core model looks very expensive for our 12-core server.

One local Microsoft partner has offered this:

>

for approximately 3,500 QAR (~$960 USD).

My understanding is that this is the Server license for the Server + CAL model, meaning we would then need SQL Server CALs for each ERP user/device accessing SQL Server.

With 30+ users, would Server + CAL generally make more sense than licensing all 12 cores?

Are there any licensing or technical issues I should be aware of with this setup, especially since the ERP application is an older .NET application?

Thanks!

We're hiring an Outdoor Sales Executive for a leading air conditioning and home appliances company in Qatar.

Requirements:

• Minimum 2 years of outdoor sales experience (HVAC, home appliances, electronics, or building materials preferred)
• Valid Qatar driving license
• Own reliable vehicle
• Strong communication and negotiation skills

Benefits:

• Competitive all-inclusive salary
• Sales incentives
• Company mobile, laptop, and product training

Interested? Comment below, and I'll share the full job details or get in touch with you via DM.

I am currently working as an IT Manager in a reputed AC & Home Appliances company in Qatar that has been in the market for more than 40 years. I joined in August 2025 and have been here ever since, but honestly, I am not getting the kind of work I expected when I accepted the role.

Technology-wise, the company is still operating as if it's 2012. We are still using Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, and SQL Server 2008. When I joined, I actually had two job offers. One was a pure IT support role that required frequent travel between sites, and the other was this office-based position. The support role offered QAR 4,500 plus accommodation and travel expenses, while this role offered QAR 3,000 with company accommodation (bed space) and transportation.

I chose this job mainly because I am pursuing a Master's in Data Science from an Indian university, and I thought an office-based role would give me more time and stability to study compared to constantly traveling between sites.

During the interview, the manager who hired me assured me that my salary would be reviewed and increased based on my performance. Unfortunately, he was later fired due to internal issues within the company.

Since joining, I have tried to contribute beyond my assigned responsibilities. I attempted to migrate the company's 20-year-old ERP system to Odoo on my own initiative, but that failed because other departments, especially Finance, were not willing to support the change. I then proposed moving our old on-premise Windows Server 2008 environment to the cloud because the hardware is extremely old and could fail at any time. That idea was also rejected by management.

Eventually, the manager who originally hired me returned to the company, and I thought things might improve. Instead, I started getting tasks such as checking showroom lights, ensuring washrooms are functional, and verifying that signboards are working. Most technical work is outsourced to external vendors, and my role is mainly limited to following up with them.

On my own, I built an automated analytics platform that generates reports, dashboards, customer churn analysis, forecasting, and ML-based insights. Rather than appreciating the effort, my manager questioned who had given me permission to access the data. The frustrating part is that he doesn't even know where the data is stored.

At this point, I feel like my technical skills are stagnating. I am trying to prepare myself for a move by focusing on certifications. I have almost completed my AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner preparation and plan to sit for the exam soon. After my upcoming Master's semester exams next month, I plan to pursue AWS Certified Data Engineer, improve my cloud skills, and get hands-on with RAG, LLMs, and AI technologies.

My background includes:

• Advanced Python and SQL
• Data Analysis
• Odoo development
• Django/Python freelance projects
• Building dashboards, analytics, forecasting, and ML solutions

My long-term goal is to specialize as a Data Engineer.

The reason I am posting here is because I genuinely feel anxious about my future. Sometimes I wonder if I made the wrong choice by accepting this role. Opportunities in Qatar seem limited, especially for someone trying to move into Data Engineering and AI-related fields. I am also considering Saudi Arabia or other countries if there are better opportunities there.

I would really appreciate honest advice from people working in IT, Cloud, Data Engineering, AI, or the GCC job market.

• Should I stay in this role for another year and focus on certifications?
• Should I start aggressively applying for jobs in Qatar?
• Is Saudi Arabia a better market right now for Data Engineers and Cloud professionals?
• Am I overthinking this situation, or is it genuinely a career risk to stay in such an environment?

Thank you for reading this long post. Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated.