Install Group Policy and AD Tools on Windows 8

Group policy and Active Directory are very important in any organization with more than a few computers.  When I loaded Windows 8 on my work PC one of the first tasks I had to do was install the Group Policy Management client (GPMC) and the AD tools such as Active Directory Users and Computers MMC.  The two tools that I need to manage our domain based group policies and AD accounts.  Installing the Remote Server Administration tools are now just a simple download so let's get started. 

First, you need to download the Remote System Administration Tools (RSAT) from Microsoft Downloads. Download the appropriate version for your version of Windows:

• Windows 8
• Windows 8.1

After you have the file downloaded, double-click on it and click Yes on the Windows Update Standalone Installer screen shown below.

Click I Accept on the license screen and all the components will be installed after a few minutes.

Once installed, you can run the Group Policy Management client by clicking on the Start Button and typing in gpmc.msc and then hit Enter.  For Active Directory Users and Computers type in dsa.msc and hit Enter.

You can also disable certain the features that were just installed that you don't need. Click on the Start Button and type in Turn Windows features on or off and hit Enter.  Scroll through the list and locate Remote Server Administration Tools. 

Then, just remove the check next to any features you don't want and hit OK.