How to Search the Active Directory in Vista
- 1). Open Vista's Control Panel and select the "Network and Internet" link. Continue to "Network Center" and "Browse the Network" to reach a screen showing all the computers within your domain. Click on the link that says "Search Active Directory" at the top of this screen.
- 2). Go to the "Find" drop down list near the top of the Active Directory search tool. This list's default setting is "Users, Contacts and Groups." Other available selections include "Computers," "Printers," "Shared folders" and Perform Custom Searches."
- 3). Enter the name or description for whatever you are searching for in the "Name" or "Description" text box and click the "Find Now" button on the right. A "Search Results" screen will open in the bottom, showing all the objects that match your entry within the range of the "Find" list.
- 4). Double-click on the objects listed in the Search results to view attributes. This opens the "Properties" menu for this item, where you can look among three tabs: "General," "Address" and "Business."
- 5). Perform an advanced search by going to the "Advanced" tab. In this tab, choose a "Field," "Condition" and "Value" for the search item. ("Field" and "Condition" have drop-down lists of selections while "Value" is typed in.) Click the "Add" button to place these in the condition list box and then use "Find Now" to search.
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