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Author Topic: Windows XP Pro Won't Join Domain  (Read 7679 times)

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amandar

  • Guest
Windows XP Pro Won't Join Domain
« on: July 29, 2005, 09:59:13 AM »
Hi. I'm having a little trouble getting a computer on an already-working domain here at the office. Here's the info, hope I'm not leaving anything out.

Logged in with administrator priv's on the computer in question, using a login/password that should work in the domain. I tested the login and password on another machine and it works fine there.

When I try to join the domain, I get this error message:

A domain controller for the domain ::domainname:: could not be contacted. Ensure that the domain name is typed correctly.

It's a four letter domain name...pretty sure I'm typing it correctly. :)

Microsoft's suggested resolution for this is:

"To resolve this problem, make sure to bind and install TCP/IP to the adapter that has a route to the Active Directory domain and DNS server.

For step-by-step procedures about how to install and bind TCP/IP, refer to Windows XP Help."

I think TCP/IP is installed and working just fine on this computer. It shows the same DNS server as other working computers on the domain. It just occurred to me that I didn't try to actually ping the DNS server, but if internet connectivity on that computer is working (which it is), shouldn't I be able to get a successful ping of the DNS server?

Does anyone have troubleshooting info or advice for me? I can send you virtual chocolate chip cookies in gratitude.

Thanks.
Amanda

Raptor

  • Guest
Re: Windows XP Pro Won't Join Domain
« Reply #1 on: July 29, 2005, 10:46:06 AM »
Quote
Does anyone have troubleshooting info or advice for me? I can send you virtual chocolate chip cookies in gratitude.


Does the network automatically obtain an IP adress and DNS server or do these have to be manually configured?


amandar

  • Guest
Re: Windows XP Pro Won't Join Domain
« Reply #2 on: July 29, 2005, 11:26:33 AM »
It is set to automatically obtain the IP address and the DNS server.

To make sure I am looking in the right place for those settings, I got that information from the TCP/IP Properties window that you can get to if you select Properties on the LAN connection under Network Connections.

Raptor

  • Guest
Re: Windows XP Pro Won't Join Domain
« Reply #3 on: July 29, 2005, 11:33:04 AM »
Try repairing the connection:

Right click on the LAN connection and choose repair

You may also wish to review the step-by-step information - it could contain details you have overlooked.

amandar

  • Guest
Re: Windows XP Pro Won't Join Domain
« Reply #4 on: July 29, 2005, 11:43:00 AM »
Repairing didn't seem to make a dent, unfortunately.

Are you talking about step-by-step instructions on how to join the domain, or how to set up the LAN connection?

Raptor

  • Guest
Re: Windows XP Pro Won't Join Domain
« Reply #5 on: July 29, 2005, 11:47:10 AM »
Quote
For step-by-step procedures about how to install and bind TCP/IP, refer to Windows XP Help."


I am not too well educated on networking - so I am rather hesistant to suggest things as you, as a network administrator, probably know more than I do

You can read the following http://www.howstuffworks.com article if you are interested:

How Home Networking works.


amandar

  • Guest
Re: Windows XP Pro Won't Join Domain
« Reply #6 on: July 29, 2005, 11:51:00 AM »
A little more information, now that the person who works on that computer is gone for the day and I have much better access to it.

The machine appears (via ipconfig) to have been issued an IP address. However, I can't ping my computer's IP address from the computer that can't join the domain, and I can't ping the computer that can't join the domain from my computer. I can ping other computers on our LAN who are successfully in the domain from my computer.

This has to be why that machine can't see the domain, right? Or am I on the wrong track?

Raptor

  • Guest
Re: Windows XP Pro Won't Join Domain
« Reply #7 on: July 29, 2005, 11:57:55 AM »
Does the adress that has been issued to the computer correspond with the other adresses in the Network?

What is acting as a DHCP client? A Router?

Be certain that Windows Firewall, should it be installed, is not blocking network connections. It may also cause Ping to fail working if this is not enabled.

amandar

  • Guest
Re: Windows XP Pro Won't Join Domain
« Reply #8 on: July 29, 2005, 01:12:00 PM »
Yep, a router.

I have temporarily disabled Windows Firewall for my most recent round of testing--still bupkis.

However, I tried to ping that machine's own IP address, and I get timeouts! I can ping the loopback address, but not the IP address.

I think that means either the IP address is bad somehow, or the driver for the ethernet card. Microsoft also says it could be the routing table, but I'm blown if I know how to deal with that. (Not a real netadmin, I just do it because no one else here knows what little I do about it.)

It *could* be a dupe IP address, but not for any machine I've been able to check so far...and no one else is complaining about anything that would indicate they're on the other end of the IP conflict.

Hmm.

Thanks for all the help so far.

Am

Raptor

  • Guest
Re: Windows XP Pro Won't Join Domain
« Reply #9 on: July 29, 2005, 01:22:41 PM »
Is the machine allocated an IP adress that is entirely different from the other machines?

Quote
Microsoft also says it could be the routing table


The following article scan be of use when testing the network:

Information about the route command

Help with ping, winipcfg, and other network commands

Can you ping the Router?
Can you ping computerhope.com?


amandar

  • Guest
Re: Windows XP Pro Won't Join Domain
« Reply #10 on: July 29, 2005, 02:20:58 PM »
Yes on pinging the router. It will also successfully ping the DHCP server and the DNS server. It can also ping computerhope.com and several other domains I threw in there for fun.

The only things it cannot ping, it seems, is itself (via ip address, it can ping the loopback address) and the other machines in the domain (by their ip address).

You know what's odd though, that I don't know whether it has any bearing on anything? There's some odd stuff in the output from ipconfig /all on the "bad" machine that I don't get on mine. There's an extra entry for "IP Address" and three extra lines under "DNS Servers", but they're not IP addresses... They look like:

fe80::20d:56ff:fe21:df5c%c

Not sure about those...

I did look into some route command stuff (the link you posted). The routes on this machine look very similar to the examples, so I'm not sure it's the route table, after getting that info. Really useful, though. That was the first example I've seen of what the route table is meant to look like, and I was googling like mad for it! :)

Raptor

  • Guest
Re: Windows XP Pro Won't Join Domain
« Reply #11 on: July 29, 2005, 02:28:24 PM »
Have you tried to reinstall the Network Interface Card drivers or TCP/IP protocol?

You may be able to remove the additional IP adress bars by doing the following:

1. Right click on the NIC
2. Select properties
3. Select Internet protocol (TCP/IP)
4. Click settings
5. Click advanced

See if these settings are the same on the other computers if you have not allready done so.

Is it a new installation of Windows XP and has the problem started directly after installing or have users installed software first?

merlin_2

  • Guest
Re: Windows XP Pro Won't Join Domain
« Reply #12 on: July 29, 2005, 03:29:51 PM »
Sharing box enabled.........type netstat or netview in the cmd prompt .....the report is?
« Last Edit: July 29, 2005, 03:30:21 PM by merlin_2 »

amandar

  • Guest
Re: Windows XP Pro Won't Join Domain
« Reply #13 on: August 01, 2005, 01:55:17 PM »
Raptor:

All the settings on the "problem" machine look the same as my own, working setup. The brands of the cards are different, so there are slight differences, but all the main stuff is set up the same way.

As far as I know, this computer has not been able to join the domain since it was purchased. I was not made aware that it was connecting to our accounting/multipurpose system via a terminal server and not via the client software, which you can only use if you are on the appropriate domain. I only became aware of the problem when they asked me to make that machine a modem server for the system that it can't connect to!  ??? Sort of frustrating...

I did reinstall the card drivers (got the most updated ones I could find on the net) but I have not uninstalled and reinstalled the TCP/IP protocol itself. I must admit to being a little chicken to try this, because in the event that I break anything of the existing, tenuous network set up that allows the person using it to connect via the workaround terminal server, the sky will fall in around my head here. Is it pretty fail-safe to whack TCP/IP and reinstall it?

Merlin_2: That report comes up basically empty. What were the expected results?

Thanks again guys. Sorry for the long layoff, couldn't work on the issue over the weekend but I do appreciate all the help and support so far.

Raptor

  • Guest
Re: Windows XP Pro Won't Join Domain
« Reply #14 on: August 01, 2005, 03:01:19 PM »
The Netstat command may be blocked by the Windows firewall.

If you wish to test your system, turn it off first or allow commands like PING and NETSTAT to go through.

NETSTAT should show a list of all open connections to and from the computer.

Quote
As far as I know, this computer has not been able to join the domain since it was purchased. I was not made aware that it was connecting to our accounting/multipurpose system via a terminal server and not via the client software, which you can only use if you are on the appropriate domain. I only became aware of the problem when they asked me to make that machine a modem server for the system that it can't connect to!


So you are using third party software to connect to the network?