Upgrading your Active Directory domains and forests to the Windows Server 2008 R2 functional level can streamline some administrative functions. The biggest benefit of the 2008 R2 forest functional level is the Active Directory Recycle Bin. If you've ever had to use Directory Services Restore Mode to resurrect AD tombstones, you'll love this feature.

How do I enable it?
<ul>
	<li>With a single line of Powershell (replace contoso.com with your domain name):</li>
	<li>
<pre>Enable-ADOptionalFeature –Identity ‘CN=Recycle Bin Feature,CN=Optional Features,CN=Directory Service,CN=Windows NT,CN=Services,CN=Configuration,DC=contoso,DC=com’ –Scope ForestOrConfigurationSet –Target ‘contoso.com’</pre>
</li>
</ul>
What are some benefits?
<ul>
	<li>Object SIDs are maintained after the restore</li>
	<li>Group membership is maintained after the restore</li>
	<li>Objects can be restored from 60-180 days after their deletion (varies per domain)</li>
	<li>Entire OUs and child objects can be restored with a single action</li>
	<li>Complex structures such as DNS zones can be restored with all records intact</li>
</ul>
How do I use it?
<ul>
	<li>By default, the most powerful way to manage the Active Directory Recycle Bin is with Powershell. You can read more about that method <a href="http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd379509(WS.10).aspx#BKMK_3">here</a>. Powershell can restore anything you've deleted in Active Directory.</li>
	<li>An easier way is to use the free <a href="http://www.overall.ca/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=article&amp;id=40:adrecyclebin&amp;catid=15:adrecyclebinexe&amp;Itemid=64">AD Recycle Bin</a> application from Overall (pictured below). This tool doesn't even need to be installed, just download it and run it in place. This tool can restore users, groups, and OUs you've deleted in Active Directory.</li>
	<li><a href="http://egroup.jasonmangone.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/ADRecycleBin3.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-6118" src="http://egroup.jasonmangone.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/ADRecycleBin3-300x233.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="233" /></a></li>
</ul>