Practical Windows help desk portfolio lab built with VirtualBox, Windows Server 2022, and Windows 11. Covers Active Directory setup, domain join, password resets, account enable/disable, group membership changes, shared folder access, mapped drives, and Group Policy restriction — all documented with screenshots and ticket writeups. Intentionally entry-level and honest.
A practical Windows help desk portfolio project documenting virtual machine setup, Windows Server preparation, Active Directory Domain Services configuration, and ticket-style troubleshooting workflows.
This project is designed for remote help desk, IT support, and technical support roles. It shows that I can follow a structured lab process, document my work clearly, organize screenshots, troubleshoot setup issues, and explain beginner Windows support tasks in a professional way.
Hiring managers do not need a giant advanced cloud project to evaluate entry-level support ability. They need evidence that I can:
- Follow instructions and document my process
- Set up a basic technical lab
- Use PowerShell and Windows tools
- Prepare Windows Server and Windows client environments
- Work with Active Directory users, groups, and access roles
- Capture clean troubleshooting evidence
- Write clear ticket-style documentation
- Explain what I did, what went wrong, how I fixed it, and why it matters
- Host machine: Windows PC
- Virtualization: Oracle VirtualBox
- Server VM:
RYANLAB-DC01 - Server OS: Windows Server 2022 Evaluation
- Domain:
ryanlab.local - Client VM:
RYANLAB-WIN11-01 - Client OS: Windows 11
- Oracle VirtualBox
- Windows Server 2022 Evaluation ISO
- Windows 11 ISO
- Active Directory Domain Services
- DNS Server role
- PowerShell
- Git
- GitHub
- Markdown
Windows Server and the first Active Directory domain controller are configured. The lab domain, OU structure, test users, security groups, and initial Windows 11 client VM are now documented.
Completed so far:
- Created project folder structure
- Installed and verified VirtualBox
- Downloaded Windows Server ISO
- Downloaded Windows 11 ISO
- Created the Windows Server VM
- Installed Windows Server 2022
- Renamed the server to
RYANLAB-DC01 - Installed Active Directory Domain Services
- Promoted the server to a domain controller
- Created the lab domain
ryanlab.local - Created a basic Active Directory OU structure for users, groups, disabled accounts, and workstations
- Created initial security groups for role-based access examples
- Created test users for HR, Sales, Operations, and IT support scenarios
- Assigned users to security groups to demonstrate role-based access management
- Created the Windows 11 client VM
RYANLAB-WIN11-01 - Began the Windows 11 client installation process
- Confirmed the Windows 11 client reached the desktop successfully
- Documented a real Windows 11 VM boot troubleshooting issue as a support-style ticket
- Documented each major setup step with screenshots
Created a clean local project structure for screenshots, tickets, notes, diagrams, and portfolio documentation.
Installed and verified Oracle VirtualBox using PowerShell and winget.
Verified the Windows Server 2022 Evaluation ISO was downloaded successfully.
Started the Windows 11 ISO download using the PowerShell/Fido method.
Verified the Windows 11 ISO downloaded successfully and is ready for the client VM.
Created the RYANLAB-DC01 virtual machine profile and attached the Windows Server 2022 ISO.
Assigned memory, CPU, and virtual disk resources for the Windows Server VM.
Confirmed the RYANLAB-DC01 Windows Server virtual machine was created in VirtualBox with the expected memory, CPU, disk, and ISO settings.
Started the Windows Server installation inside the RYANLAB-DC01 VirtualBox VM.
Selected Windows Server 2022 Standard Evaluation with Desktop Experience for a GUI-based help desk lab.
Chose a custom installation for a clean Windows Server install on the virtual machine.
Selected the 60 GB unallocated virtual disk as the Windows Server installation target.
Confirmed Windows Server installed successfully and reached the login screen for the RYANLAB-DC01 virtual machine.
Confirmed Windows Server installed successfully and Server Manager launched.
Renamed the Windows Server VM to RYANLAB-DC01, creating a clean server identity for the lab.
Opened the Add Roles and Features Wizard to begin installing Active Directory services.
Selected Active Directory Domain Services as the server role for the lab domain controller.
Reviewed and confirmed the Active Directory Domain Services installation selections.
Completed the AD DS role installation and confirmed the server still needed to be promoted to a domain controller.
Started the domain controller promotion process and configured a new forest for the lab.
Reviewed the normal DNS delegation warning that appears in a small standalone lab environment.
Reviewed the new forest configuration for ryanlab.local before promotion.
Confirmed prerequisite checks passed before promoting the server to a domain controller.
Confirmed the server rebooted successfully after domain controller promotion.
Confirmed the server is now part of the ryanlab.local domain, proving the Active Directory lab domain was created successfully.
Opened Active Directory Users and Computers on the RYANLAB-DC01 domain controller and confirmed the ryanlab.local domain is available for user, group, and workstation administration.
Created a clean organizational unit structure under RyanLab for Users, Groups, Disabled Users, and Workstations. This mirrors a basic business environment and keeps accounts organized for help desk support workflows.
Created security groups for common access roles: IT-Support, HR-Shared, Sales-Shared, and Remote-Users. These groups will be used later to demonstrate access control, shared folder permissions, and group membership troubleshooting.
Created realistic test user accounts for different departments: HR, Sales, Operations, and IT support. These accounts will be used to demonstrate common help desk workflows such as onboarding, password resets, account access changes, and domain login testing.
Assigned users to role-based security groups. This shows basic identity and access management: HR users receive HR access, Sales users receive Sales access, remote users are grouped for remote-access examples, and the help desk test account is assigned to the IT support group.
Created the Windows 11 client virtual machine RYANLAB-WIN11-01. This client will represent a normal employee workstation that can later be joined to the ryanlab.local domain for login, access, and troubleshooting demonstrations.
Reviewed the Windows 11 client VM network adapter settings before installation. Capturing network configuration is important because domain join and Active Directory login troubleshooting often depend on correct network and DNS setup.
Started the Windows 11 installation process for the client workstation VM. This is the foundation for the endpoint support portion of the lab, where the workstation will later be renamed, configured, and joined to the domain.
Confirmed the Windows 11 client workstation successfully reached the desktop after installation. This proves the endpoint build is ready for the next help desk tasks: workstation naming, network/DNS configuration, domain join, domain user login testing, and support-ticket demonstrations.
Confirmed the Windows 11 client successfully joined the ryanlab.local domain and logged in as RYANLAB\Administrator. The whoami output proves the workstation is using a domain account instead of only a local Windows account.
Confirmed the Windows 11 client can log in with a standard domain test user account, RYANLAB\j.smith. The whoami output proves the workstation accepts normal Active Directory user logins, not just domain administrator access.
Reset the password for the standard domain user account Jane Smith in Active Directory Users and Computers. This demonstrates a common help desk workflow: assisting a user who cannot sign in by resetting an Active Directory password and confirming the action completed successfully.
Disabled the standard domain user account Alex Turner in Active Directory Users and Computers. This demonstrates a common help desk and account lifecycle workflow: securing or offboarding a user account by disabling access while preserving the account record for auditing and future review.
Re-enabled the standard domain user account Alex Turner in Active Directory Users and Computers after the account-disable test. This demonstrates a common help desk account lifecycle workflow: restoring user access after an account was disabled while confirming the change completed successfully in Active Directory.
Added the standard domain user account Alex Turner to the Sales-Shared security group in Active Directory Users and Computers. This demonstrates a common help desk access-management workflow: updating a user's group membership so they can receive the correct department or shared-resource access while documenting the successful change.
Confirmed the standard domain user Jane Smith could access the Sales shared folder from the Windows 11 client after being added to the Sales-Shared security group. This demonstrates a common help desk permissions workflow: granting department access through Active Directory group membership, refreshing the user session, and verifying successful access to a shared resource.
Mapped the Sales shared folder to drive letter Z: on the Windows 11 client while logged in as the standard domain user Jane Smith. This demonstrates a common help desk workflow: connecting a user to a department network drive, verifying the mapped drive path, and confirming the user can access the shared file successfully.
Created and applied a Group Policy Object that prevents standard domain users from opening Control Panel and PC Settings. This demonstrates a basic Windows administration workflow: creating a GPO, linking it to the correct user OU, forcing a policy update on the Windows 11 client, and verifying the restriction applied successfully for the domain user Jane Smith.
- Ticket 01 - Windows 11 Client VM Boot Troubleshooting
- Ticket 02 - Password Reset - Jane Smith
- Ticket 03 - Account Disable / Re-enable - Alex Turner
- Ticket 04 - Group Membership Access Change - Alex Turner
- Ticket 05 - Shared Folder Access Denied - Sales Share
- Ticket 06 - Control Panel Restricted by Group Policy
This project now includes documented proof for:
- Windows 11 client VM boot troubleshooting
- Active Directory password reset workflow
- Disabled account and account re-enable workflow
- Group membership / access change workflow
- Shared folder access denied troubleshooting
- Mapped network drive setup
- Basic Group Policy restriction and verification
Possible future additions:
- Basic DNS troubleshooting scenario
- Printer or shared resource troubleshooting scenario
- Windows performance triage scenario
- Simple network diagram
This project is intentionally beginner-friendly and honest. It does not claim senior-level administration experience. It demonstrates practical support habits: lab setup, documentation, screenshots, troubleshooting notes, Active Directory basics, shared resource troubleshooting, mapped drive setup, Group Policy testing, and structured support-ticket communication.
Core help desk homelab proof is complete. The README, case study, resume bullets, screenshots, and ticket writeups are polished and ready to support remote help desk / IT support applications.