Remove from domain

F

Frank Reeder

I have a laptop I inherited from my old company and it is still a member of
their domain. I would like to change it back to just workgroup and maybe
change the computer name. All of these options are grayed out. My account is
in the local admin group. I'm also getting tons of error messages in Event
Viewer since the PC cannot attach to the domain controller. What can I do to
delete the domain from my laptop?

I have WinXP Pro service pack 2.
 
M

Malke

Frank said:
I have a laptop I inherited from my old company and it is still a
member of their domain. I would like to change it back to just
workgroup and maybe change the computer name. All of these options are
grayed out. My account is in the local admin group. I'm also getting
tons of error messages in Event Viewer since the PC cannot attach to
the domain controller. What can I do to delete the domain from my
laptop?

I have WinXP Pro service pack 2.

In your case, the best thing to do is format the drive and do a clean
install of Windows.

http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

Scroll down to the pertinent section at this link to see what you will
need to reinstall Windows:

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Backing_Up

Malke
 
R

Richard G. Harper

Log on with the Administrator account (not AN administrator account, THE
Administrator account) on the local box - change the logon from the domain
to the local PC instead - and disjoin the domain. That should allow you to
remove the domain login even though you are not connected to the domain.

--
Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User] (e-mail address removed)
* PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
* for the benefit of all. Private mail is usually not replied to.
* My website, such as it is ... http://rgharper.mvps.org/
* HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
 
E

el viajero

Thanks for the response. The boxes are still inaccessable even when logged
in as the administrator. There is a note at the bottom of the Computer Name
tab that states that the computer ID cannot be changed because networking is
not installed or is misconfigured. This is the part I don't understand.
Also, when I try to view some user account properties I get a Workstation
service not started message. Any ideas?




Richard G. Harper said:
Log on with the Administrator account (not AN administrator account, THE
Administrator account) on the local box - change the logon from the domain
to the local PC instead - and disjoin the domain. That should allow you
to remove the domain login even though you are not connected to the
domain.

--
Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User] (e-mail address removed)
* PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
* for the benefit of all. Private mail is usually not replied to.
* My website, such as it is ... http://rgharper.mvps.org/
* HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


Frank Reeder said:
I have a laptop I inherited from my old company and it is still a member
of their domain. I would like to change it back to just workgroup and
maybe change the computer name. All of these options are grayed out. My
account is in the local admin group. I'm also getting tons of error
messages in Event Viewer since the PC cannot attach to the domain
controller. What can I do to delete the domain from my laptop?

I have WinXP Pro service pack 2.
 
M

Malke

el said:
Thanks for the response. The boxes are still inaccessable even when
logged in as the administrator. There is a note at the bottom of the
Computer Name tab that states that the computer ID cannot be changed
because networking is not installed or is misconfigured. This is the
part I don't understand. Also, when I try to view some user account
properties I get a Workstation service not started message. Any ideas?

Unless Richard has another idea for you, I still think you should just
clean-install Windows. This will remove all the domain-enabled settings
and fix any problems. Your old company should have given you the
necessary operating system, driver, and installed software disks when
they transferred the laptop to you. Or the laptop may have a restore
function in a hidden partition. Refer to the laptop's documentation for
that.

Malke
 
E

el viajero

I originally set this PC up but when our company was bought the new IT
department screwed with it. They installed LANDesk and maybe some other
stuff. I'd hate to reinstall Windows because I have some programs installed
that I no longer have the disks for. I do have all the software for a clean
Windows install though. I guess as a last resort I could do it.
 
R

Richard G. Harper

In this order, I'd try:

(1) Configuring the PC to automatically pick up an IP address if it is not
set to do so now; if it is, manually configure it with an appropriate unused
address in your network.

(2) Rebuild the network stack with a utility like LSPFix:

http://www.cexx.org/lspfix.htm

If that fails, you probably have some sort of virus or spyware infestation
that may require a reinstall to get rid of.

--
Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User] (e-mail address removed)
* PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
* for the benefit of all. Private mail is usually not replied to.
* My website, such as it is ... http://rgharper.mvps.org/
* HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


el viajero said:
Thanks for the response. The boxes are still inaccessable even when logged
in as the administrator. There is a note at the bottom of the Computer
Name tab that states that the computer ID cannot be changed because
networking is not installed or is misconfigured. This is the part I don't
understand. Also, when I try to view some user account properties I get a
Workstation service not started message. Any ideas?




Richard G. Harper said:
Log on with the Administrator account (not AN administrator account, THE
Administrator account) on the local box - change the logon from the
domain to the local PC instead - and disjoin the domain. That should
allow you to remove the domain login even though you are not connected to
the domain.

--
Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User] (e-mail address removed)
* PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
* for the benefit of all. Private mail is usually not replied to.
* My website, such as it is ... http://rgharper.mvps.org/
* HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


Frank Reeder said:
I have a laptop I inherited from my old company and it is still a member
of their domain. I would like to change it back to just workgroup and
maybe change the computer name. All of these options are grayed out. My
account is in the local admin group. I'm also getting tons of error
messages in Event Viewer since the PC cannot attach to the domain
controller. What can I do to delete the domain from my laptop?

I have WinXP Pro service pack 2.
 
E

El-Viajero

Hey guys,

Well, I couldn't whip XP into shape without doing a reinstall. Truth is,
now that I've done it, I like it. Thanks for y'alls help with this.


Richard G. Harper said:
In this order, I'd try:

(1) Configuring the PC to automatically pick up an IP address if it is not
set to do so now; if it is, manually configure it with an appropriate
unused address in your network.

(2) Rebuild the network stack with a utility like LSPFix:

http://www.cexx.org/lspfix.htm

If that fails, you probably have some sort of virus or spyware infestation
that may require a reinstall to get rid of.

--
Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User] (e-mail address removed)
* PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
* for the benefit of all. Private mail is usually not replied to.
* My website, such as it is ... http://rgharper.mvps.org/
* HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


el viajero said:
Thanks for the response. The boxes are still inaccessable even when
logged in as the administrator. There is a note at the bottom of the
Computer Name tab that states that the computer ID cannot be changed
because networking is not installed or is misconfigured. This is the part
I don't understand. Also, when I try to view some user account properties
I get a Workstation service not started message. Any ideas?




Richard G. Harper said:
Log on with the Administrator account (not AN administrator account, THE
Administrator account) on the local box - change the logon from the
domain to the local PC instead - and disjoin the domain. That should
allow you to remove the domain login even though you are not connected
to the domain.

--
Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User] (e-mail address removed)
* PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
* for the benefit of all. Private mail is usually not replied to.
* My website, such as it is ... http://rgharper.mvps.org/
* HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


I have a laptop I inherited from my old company and it is still a member
of their domain. I would like to change it back to just workgroup and
maybe change the computer name. All of these options are grayed out. My
account is in the local admin group. I'm also getting tons of error
messages in Event Viewer since the PC cannot attach to the domain
controller. What can I do to delete the domain from my laptop?

I have WinXP Pro service pack 2.
 
R

Richard G. Harper

I'm sorry it took such a drastic cure for the problem but glad it worked out
for you in the end.

--
Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User] (e-mail address removed)
* PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
* for the benefit of all. Private mail is usually not replied to.
* My website, such as it is ... http://rgharper.mvps.org/
* HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


El-Viajero said:
Hey guys,

Well, I couldn't whip XP into shape without doing a reinstall. Truth is,
now that I've done it, I like it. Thanks for y'alls help with this.


Richard G. Harper said:
In this order, I'd try:

(1) Configuring the PC to automatically pick up an IP address if it is
not set to do so now; if it is, manually configure it with an appropriate
unused address in your network.

(2) Rebuild the network stack with a utility like LSPFix:

http://www.cexx.org/lspfix.htm

If that fails, you probably have some sort of virus or spyware
infestation that may require a reinstall to get rid of.

--
Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User] (e-mail address removed)
* PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
* for the benefit of all. Private mail is usually not replied to.
* My website, such as it is ... http://rgharper.mvps.org/
* HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


el viajero said:
Thanks for the response. The boxes are still inaccessable even when
logged in as the administrator. There is a note at the bottom of the
Computer Name tab that states that the computer ID cannot be changed
because networking is not installed or is misconfigured. This is the
part I don't understand. Also, when I try to view some user account
properties I get a Workstation service not started message. Any ideas?




Log on with the Administrator account (not AN administrator account,
THE Administrator account) on the local box - change the logon from the
domain to the local PC instead - and disjoin the domain. That should
allow you to remove the domain login even though you are not connected
to the domain.

--
Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User] (e-mail address removed)
* PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
* for the benefit of all. Private mail is usually not replied to.
* My website, such as it is ... http://rgharper.mvps.org/
* HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


I have a laptop I inherited from my old company and it is still a
member of their domain. I would like to change it back to just
workgroup and maybe change the computer name. All of these options are
grayed out. My account is in the local admin group. I'm also getting
tons of error messages in Event Viewer since the PC cannot attach to
the domain controller. What can I do to delete the domain from my
laptop?

I have WinXP Pro service pack 2.
 
G

Guest

Sorry to jump in late, but this sounds like a problem I am trying to help
fix--computers that were part of a domain that we now want on an xp workgroup
peer to peer kind of network. Is it possible to do a "clean install" of XP
that does NOT consume all of the data files? And perhaps installs knowing
what software was installed already? or is it totally a "ground up" kind of
clean install where all the data and programs are wiped out and we have to
install operating system and programs and data?

El-Viajero said:
Hey guys,

Well, I couldn't whip XP into shape without doing a reinstall. Truth is,
now that I've done it, I like it. Thanks for y'alls help with this.


Richard G. Harper said:
In this order, I'd try:

(1) Configuring the PC to automatically pick up an IP address if it is not
set to do so now; if it is, manually configure it with an appropriate
unused address in your network.

(2) Rebuild the network stack with a utility like LSPFix:

http://www.cexx.org/lspfix.htm

If that fails, you probably have some sort of virus or spyware infestation
that may require a reinstall to get rid of.

--
Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User] (e-mail address removed)
* PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
* for the benefit of all. Private mail is usually not replied to.
* My website, such as it is ... http://rgharper.mvps.org/
* HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


el viajero said:
Thanks for the response. The boxes are still inaccessable even when
logged in as the administrator. There is a note at the bottom of the
Computer Name tab that states that the computer ID cannot be changed
because networking is not installed or is misconfigured. This is the part
I don't understand. Also, when I try to view some user account properties
I get a Workstation service not started message. Any ideas?




Log on with the Administrator account (not AN administrator account, THE
Administrator account) on the local box - change the logon from the
domain to the local PC instead - and disjoin the domain. That should
allow you to remove the domain login even though you are not connected
to the domain.

--
Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User] (e-mail address removed)
* PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
* for the benefit of all. Private mail is usually not replied to.
* My website, such as it is ... http://rgharper.mvps.org/
* HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


I have a laptop I inherited from my old company and it is still a member
of their domain. I would like to change it back to just workgroup and
maybe change the computer name. All of these options are grayed out. My
account is in the local admin group. I'm also getting tons of error
messages in Event Viewer since the PC cannot attach to the domain
controller. What can I do to delete the domain from my laptop?

I have WinXP Pro service pack 2.
 
R

Richard G. Harper

Why would you want to wipe the PCs or reinstall Windows? Why can't you just
disjoin them from the domain and set them up in a workgroup? There should
be no issues doing this - it should work, and it is the correct way to
handle the problem.

--
Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User] (e-mail address removed)
* PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
* for the benefit of all. Private mail is usually not replied to.
* My website, such as it is ... http://rgharper.mvps.org/
* HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
 

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