Win2K Machine losing Domain Connectivity

[Charlie Roberts]

HELP!!!!

We have a Win2K machine that is an 866mhz with 128mb of
memory. This particular machine is connected to our
domain. For some reason this one machine is continuously
losing its connectivity to the domain. In the past few
months this problem has occured on at least 5 occasions.
We in IT have ran all Windows Updates, checked for
viruses, swapped out network cables, and replaced the
NIC. Nothing has seemed to work. Any help would be
greatly appreciated. We are continuously having to go to
this machine and remove it from the domain, add it to a
workgroup, then we are able to re-establish a connection
to the domain. Isn't there a better way to permanently
fix the problem?

 

[Charlie Roberts]

-----Original Message-----
HELP!!!!

We have a Win2K machine that is an 866mhz with 128mb of
memory. This particular machine is connected to our
domain. For some reason this one machine is continuously
losing its connectivity to the domain. In the past few
months this problem has occured on at least 5 occasions.
We in IT have ran all Windows Updates, checked for
viruses, swapped out network cables, and replaced the
NIC. Nothing has seemed to work. Any help would be
greatly appreciated. We are continuously having to go to
this machine and remove it from the domain, add it to a
workgroup, then we are able to re-establish a connection
to the domain. Isn't there a better way to permanently
fix the problem?

I forgot to mention that we are running NT 4.0 servers as
the PDC and BDC. Also, in regards to User Accounts on the
domain, we have the properties on all accounts set to:

User can not change password.
Password never expires.

Hope this added information will help.

 

[Steven L Umbach]

Sounds like you did all the usual stuff. If possible try a different port and if that
does not help a fresh install of the operating system. You may also have bad hardware
and want to replace the computer or main board. First I would look in Event Viewer
[you can do that remotely] and enable auditing of logon events, system events, and
account management on that computer to see if anything pops up that can help pin it
down [including user unplugging network cable and logging on with cached credentials
or malicious activity] and run netdiag on it. Of course dns must be correct in that
it point only to a domain controller for dns name resolution. There are also methods
other than unjoining and rejoining a computer to the domain such as using
etdom. --- Steve

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;321708
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;216393

 

[Doug Sherman [MVP]]

Try:

1. On the Win2k machine, in Network and Dialup Connections, select the
Local Area Connection, select TCP/IP, and click the Properties button.
Click the Advanced button and click the DNS tab. Clear the check box for
Register this connection's address in DNS.

2. On the Win2k machine in WINNT\System32\drivers\etc\ create an lmhosts
file:

<IP address of PDC> PDCname #PRE #DOM:domainname
<IP address of PDC> "domainname \0x1b" #PRE

Doug Sherman
MCSE Win2k/NT4.0, MCSA, MCP+I, MVP