AD OS Inventory answers one question: which version of Windows is every computer in this domain running? It reads the computer accounts in Active Directory, lets you pick any OU or the whole domain, and lists each computer with its operating system, release, build, approximate last logon, and whether the account is enabled. It changes nothing. This guide explains how to run it, what every column means, and how to export the results.
OverviewWhat the tool does
AD OS Inventory is a read-only Windows version report for Active Directory. It connects to your domain, shows its OUs as a tree, and for the OU you pick — with or without the OUs inside it — lists every computer account alongside the Windows version that computer last reported. A summary underneath counts computers per Windows version, and the whole view exports to CSV or to a PDF grouped by OU.
- It makes no changes. It reads Active Directory with ordinary directory queries. Nothing in Active Directory or on any computer is modified, and the computers themselves are not contacted — everything comes from their accounts in the directory.
- No administrator rights needed. The attributes it reads are readable by ordinary domain users by default, so there is no UAC prompt.
- One signed exe, nothing to install. The tool is a single Windows application, published and code-signed by KW Tech Solutions LLC. It needs only the .NET Framework 4.8 that current Windows already includes.
- Free. There is no license key and no charge. You may share the original, unmodified download with others.
SetupBefore you begin
Requirements
What’s in the box
The download is a portable folder — no installer:
AD-OSInventory.exe— the application (code-signed by KW Tech Solutions LLC).AD-OSInventory-Manual.html— this guide.README.txtandLICENSE.txt.
First run
Copy the folder anywhere and run AD-OSInventory.exe. There is no installer and no UAC prompt. The license agreement is shown each time the tool starts.
LICENSE.txt. Decline & Exit closes the tool without making any changes.WorkflowRunning an inventory
The tool is one window. Across the top is the connection panel; on the left, the domain’s OUs; on the right, the computers in the OU you pick, with a summary by Windows version underneath; and along the bottom, a status line.
DOMAIN\user or user@domain). The password is used for that session only — it is not saved and not written to the log.Windows 10, 24H2, or Labs. The summary and the status line still count every computer in the OU you picked; the exports use the filtered list.
Windows 11 narrows the list to the matching computer. The summary and the status line still count the whole domain — two computers.Click any column heading to sort by it. Nothing you do in the window writes to Active Directory.
OutputReading the results
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Name | The computer account’s name. |
| OU | Where the account sits, as a path — for example HS/Labs. Computers is the default container new computers land in. |
| Operating System | The operating system the computer reported, for example Windows 11 Pro. (not reported) means the account has none — see Troubleshooting. |
| Release | The release name worked out from the build number, for example 22H2 or 24H2. Blank when the build is not in the list below. |
| Build | The Windows build number, for example 19045. |
| Version | The version exactly as reported, for example 10.0 (19045). |
| Last Logon (approx.) | The date Active Directory last recorded a logon for the computer. Blank when none has been recorded. Approximate — see below. |
| Enabled | Yes, or No for a disabled account. |
| DNS Name | The computer’s DNS host name. |
The Summary by Windows version table counts every computer in the OU you picked — the filter does not change it — per operating system and release, most common first.
The version shown is what each computer last reported to Active Directory about itself. A computer that has been switched off, stored, or away from the network for months shows the version it had then — not what it would run today. The Last Logon column tells you how old that information is.
Active Directory updates this date about every 9 to 14 days, not at every logon, so a computer used today can show a date up to two weeks old. Use it to find computers that have been gone for months, not to prove what happened yesterday.
Release names
Windows client and server editions share build numbers, so the release is read together with the operating system name.
| Build | Release shown | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| 7601 | SP1 | Windows 7 SP1 / Server 2008 R2 SP1 |
| 9200 | RTM | Windows 8 / Server 2012 |
| 9600 | RTM | Windows 8.1 / Server 2012 R2 |
| 10240 – 19045 | 1507 – 22H2 | Windows 10 (1507, 1511, 1607, 1703, 1709, 1803, 1809, 1903, 1909, 2004, 20H2, 21H1, 21H2, 22H2); 14393 is also Server 2016 and 17763 Server 2019 |
| 20348 | 21H2 | Windows Server 2022 |
| 22000 | 21H2 | Windows 11 21H2 |
| 22621 | 22H2 | Windows 11 22H2 |
| 22631 | 23H2 | Windows 11 23H2 |
| 26100 | 24H2 | Windows 11 24H2 / Windows Server 2025 |
| 26200 | 25H2 | Windows 11 25H2 |
A build that is not in this list keeps its number in the Build column with the release left blank.
Wrap-upExporting to CSV and PDF
Both exports save the list as it is shown — the OU you picked, with the filter applied. The save dialog suggests AD-OS-Inventory-YYYYMMDD and asks before replacing a file that already exists.
Windows 11: the heading records the scope, the filter and the totals, then the summary and the computers grouped by OU — here one computer, in the default Computers container.ReferenceTroubleshooting
| Symptom | Cause & fix |
|---|---|
| “The specified domain either does not exist or could not be contacted.” | The Domain box is empty or holds a name this machine cannot find — common on a machine that is not joined to the domain. Type a domain controller’s name or IP address, tick Use other credentials, and connect again. |
| “The server is not operational.” | The name or address in the Domain box cannot be reached: a typo, a DNS problem, or LDAP (TCP 389) blocked on the way to the domain controller. Check the name, or try the DC’s IP address. |
| “The user name or password is incorrect.” | The account typed under Use other credentials was refused. Check the user name format (DOMAIN\user or user@domain) and the password. |
| A computer shows “(not reported)” | Its account has no operating system recorded — for example a non-Windows device, or an account created ahead of time that no computer has joined yet. |
| Release is blank | The build number is not in the release list — a Windows release newer than this version of the tool knows, or one older than Windows 7. The Build column still shows the number. |
| Last Logon is blank (“none” in the PDF) | Active Directory has no logon recorded for that computer — often an account that was created but never used. |
| The list is shorter than expected | Include sub-OUs may be off, the filter may still have text in it, or the computers sit in a different OU. Click the top entry of the tree to list the whole domain. |
| The tool closed right after starting | The license agreement was declined. Run it again and accept, or check the session log below. |
The session log — written for you, every run
The tool writes a session log every time it runs, whether you ask or not. Every line that appears in the status line is also appended, as it happens, to:
%ProgramData%\KWTechSolutions\ADOSInventory\logs\session-<timestamp>.log
Each file is headed with the product version, the machine it ran on, and the user who ran it. When Use other credentials is used, the user name is recorded; the password is not. Because it is written line by line rather than at exit, the record survives closing the window or a crash. Nothing is transmitted anywhere; the log stays on the machine that produced it, and removing old ones is up to you.
ResponsibilityBackups are yours
You are responsible for maintaining a current, tested FULL SYSTEM BACKUP of every domain controller in your environment. AD OS Inventory reads and reports. It does not create a backup, does not verify one, and is not a substitute for one. A CSV or PDF it writes is not a backup.
LegalLicensing & notices
Your use of the software is governed by the license agreement shown when the tool starts, which is the same text as LICENSE.txt. In short: AD OS Inventory is free and needs no license key. You may share the original, unmodified download — the signed exe with its README and LICENSE — free of charge, but you may not sell it, modify it, or change its notices. It is read-only and its reports are advisory; it is provided “AS IS,” without warranty, and KW Tech Solutions LLC is not liable for data loss, service disruption, or any decision or action taken on the basis of its reports.
Support covers this program only — not Active Directory, your domain controllers, or acting on its reports. Questions and bug reports: [email protected].
The About button in the title bar opens a summary of the same points: what read-only covers, whose job the backup is, what the version data means, where the session log is written, and the terms.
Microsoft, Windows, Windows Server, and Active Directory are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. AD OS Inventory is an independent product of KW Tech Solutions LLC and is not affiliated with, authorized, sponsored, or endorsed by Microsoft.