Woes with switching from Domain to Workgroup

[Alexy Hamilton]

I brought my office laptop home and tried to connect to the home network so
that I could copy some files over. The office computer was on a domain
network. The home network is in a workgroup. I switched the office laptop
from domain to workgroup. It asked me to reboot. However, after rebooting,
it would not allow me to log in again stating that my domain user and/or
password was incorrect or something to that effect. How do I log in?

Thanks

/AH

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I brought my office laptop home and tried to connect to
the home network so that I could copy some files over.
The office computer was on a domain network. The home
network is in a workgroup. I switched the office laptop
from domain to workgroup. It asked me to reboot. However,
after rebooting, it would not allow me to log in again
stating that my domain user and/or password was incorrect
or something to that effect. How do I log in?

Thanks

/AH

By changing the computer from the domain to a workgroup, you have
destroyed the trust between the domain and the machine. In doing so,
you have also rendered any domain login credentials as invalid.
You'll need to create a new local user account for your use.

1) Restart the computer and log in using the built-in Administrator
account.

2) Click Start > Run and enter "control userpasswords2" followed by
clicking "OK."

3) Click "Add....", creating a new username and filling in the
desired information, and then click "Next >"

4) Set the password as desired and click "Next >"

5) Select the desired privilege access level for the new user account
and click "Finish."

Please see the following Knowledge Base article for an alternate
method and more information:

HOW TO Create and Configure User Accounts in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;279783

6) Once the new account has been created, follow the instructions in
the following Knowledge Base article to copy data from your old domain
user account's profile to the new one:

How to Copy User Data to a New User Profile
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;811151

Then, when you return to work, you need to be physically connected
to the domain network, you need to have administrative privileges to
the workstation, and you need to have administrative privileges on the
domain. Then you can add the machine back on to the domain, after
having first deleted the computer's old domain account (unless you've
also renamed the computer).

--

Bruce Chambers

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[Shenan Stanley]

I brought my office laptop home and tried to connect to the home
network so that I could copy some files over. The office computer was
on a domain network. The home network is in a workgroup. I switched
the office laptop from domain to workgroup. It asked me to reboot.
However, after rebooting, it would not allow me to log in again
stating that my domain user and/or password was incorrect or
something to that effect. How do I log in?

First off, why did you remove it from the domain? I still don't understand
why people insist they need to do this, as they should be able to connect to
any machine anywhere on the Internet or local LAN with the correct
information. No need to be in the same workgroup or domain - that just
gives you the pretty interface I suppose.

Unfortunately, when you removed the computer from the domain instead of just
choosing to log in locally or just trying to map the other drives by IP or
fully qualified name, you got rid of the only logon you obviously knew - the
domain one. If you know a local account, logon to it - you should know a
local account if this is your laptop and not some office configured/office
owned laptop you should have never unjoined the domain on. If you do not,
then you will probably have to get your office IT people to rejoin the
domain for you. You MIGHT get lucky and your profile stays intact.. might.

 

[Alexy Hamilton]

1) Restart the computer and log in using the built-in Administrator
account.

Thank you for the detailed information. Wouldn't the administrator account
also have the same problem (was set up on the domain, but being accessed on
a workgroup laptop)? I wasn't able to log-in as an administrator either.

/ah