When a Windows 7 machine was previously connected to a domain but now operates standalone, the domain account becomes orphaned. While the system continues to function, certain limitations emerge:

• No ability to change password through domain policies
• Potential authentication issues with some applications
• No centralized management benefits

The primary advantage of converting rather than creating a new local account is preserving:

• Application configurations
• User profile settings
• Installed software registrations
• Custom environment variables

Here's the technical procedure to migrate your domain account to a local account:

# PowerShell script to assist with the conversion
# Run as Administrator

# First, create a new local admin account
$localUsername = "NewLocalAdmin"
$password = ConvertTo-SecureString "YourPassword123!" -AsPlainText -Force
New-LocalUser -Name $localUsername -Password $password -FullName "Local Admin" -Description "Temporary admin for migration"
Add-LocalGroupMember -Group "Administrators" -Member $localUsername

# Then copy profile from domain account to local account
$domainProfilePath = "C:\Users\DomainUser"
$localProfilePath = "C:\Users\LocalUser"
Copy-Item -Path $domainProfilePath -Destination $localProfilePath -Recurse -Force

# Update registry to point to new profile
$regPath = "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList"
$userSID = (Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_UserAccount | Where-Object {$_.Name -eq "DomainUser"}).SID
Set-ItemProperty -Path "$regPath\$userSID" -Name "ProfileImagePath" -Value $localProfilePath

For those preferring GUI-based approach:

1. Create a new local administrator account
2. Log out from domain account and log in with new local admin
3. Open System Properties > Advanced > User Profiles Settings
4. Select the domain profile and click "Copy To"
5. Specify the new local user's profile folder
6. Set permissions to allow the new user access

After successful conversion, you should:

• Verify application functionality
• Check for broken shortcuts
• Validate stored credentials in credential manager
• Test network resource access if any

For advanced users, here's a batch script to help with verification:

@echo off
REM Verify profile migration success
setlocal

echo Checking profile migration status...
echo.

if exist "%SystemDrive%\Users\%NewLocalUser%\NTUSER.DAT" (
    echo User registry hive found - OK
) else (
    echo WARNING: User registry hive missing!
)

if exist "%SystemDrive%\Users\%NewLocalUser%\AppData" (
    echo AppData folder exists - OK
) else (
    echo WARNING: AppData folder missing!
)

echo.
echo Verification complete
pause

If you encounter problems:

• Permission errors: Take ownership of files first
• Application failures: Check event viewer for clues
• Missing files: Verify hidden/system files were copied

When a Windows machine disconnects from a domain permanently, users often face a dilemma: keep using the domain account (which may cause authentication issues) or create a fresh local account (losing all application configurations). Here's how to properly migrate while preserving your workflow.

Continuing to use a domain account without an active domain controller can lead to:

• Cached credential expiration
• Group Policy errors
• Authentication failures for certain services

For Windows 7 (also works on newer versions with slight modifications):

@echo off
:: Backup current profile
robocopy "C:\Users\%USERNAME%" "C:\Backup\%USERNAME%" /mir /xj

:: Create new local admin account
net user LocalAdmin "P@ssw0rd" /add
net localgroup administrators LocalAdmin /add

:: Copy profile using Registry
reg load HKLM\TempUser "C:\Users\%USERNAME%\ntuser.dat"
reg add "HKLM\TempUser\Volatile Environment" /v "ProfileGuid" /t REG_SZ /d "{NEW-GUID}" /f
reg unload HKLM\TempUser

:: Modify profile path in Registry
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList\{OLD-SID}" /v "ProfileImagePath" /t REG_EXPAND_SZ /d "C:\Users\LocalAdmin" /f

For less technical users, Windows Easy Transfer can help:

1. Run migwiz.exe
2. Select "This is my old computer"
3. Choose custom transfer (select only user data)
4. Save to external media
5. Create new local account
6. Run migwiz again to restore

Critical locations to preserve:

# PowerShell command to copy appdata
Copy-Item -Path "$env:APPDATA\*" -Destination "C:\Users\NewUser\AppData\Roaming\" -Recurse -Force
Copy-Item -Path "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\*" -Destination "C:\Users\NewUser\AppData\Local\" -Recurse -Force

• Verify file permissions (icacls may be needed)
• Re-establish mapped drives with persistent flag
• Update registry-based paths in HKCU
• Test all critical applications

If you encounter "Access Denied" errors during profile copy:

:: Take ownership first
takeown /f "C:\Users\OldUser" /r /d y
icacls "C:\Users\OldUser" /grant "%USERDOMAIN%\%USERNAME%":F /t