Vista - Active Directory Problems

Multitude of problems joining the Enterprise edition to our AD network.
Problem seems to resolve around DNS. Installed Vista every possible way
(upgrade, clean, etc.) and always come to the same problem--cannot
communicate with the DNS server. The last attempt was an upgrade and was
joined to our domain for about two minutes then dropped out due to comm error
with DNS. Anybody have the same problems? Anybody have a solution or should
I just shelve Vista until SP1? Reloaded XP now and rejoined the domain in 3
seconds...spent 4 days trying to get Vista to join!

I've joined many a Vista computer to a domain without problems. I would
look at event logs on client and server, then evaluate how you're pushing
those settings out to clients.

--
Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User] rgharper@gmail.com
* NEW! Catch my blog ... http://msmvps.com/blogs/rgharper/
* PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
* The Website - http://rgharper.mvps.org/
* HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


"mattbartley" <mattbartley@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:0A928F2A-81F1-47CF-B504-8F2ED2220871@microsoft.com...
> Multitude of problems joining the Enterprise edition to our AD network.
> Problem seems to resolve around DNS. Installed Vista every possible way
> (upgrade, clean, etc.) and always come to the same problem--cannot
> communicate with the DNS server. The last attempt was an upgrade and was
> joined to our domain for about two minutes then dropped out due to comm
> error
> with DNS. Anybody have the same problems? Anybody have a solution or
> should
> I just shelve Vista until SP1? Reloaded XP now and rejoined the domain in
> 3
> seconds...spent 4 days trying to get Vista to join!

I have a few laptops joined as well with no problems. Don't shelve Vista
yet...post some of your basic DNS settings of your domain (whatever you are
comfortable with) and we can help point you in the right direction. Also,
post info on communcation security policies you have in place...may be
related to that as well. Also, do you use DHCP?

Jeff

"Richard G. Harper" <rgharper@email.com> wrote in message
news:ObQLq$$FHHA.1804@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> I've joined many a Vista computer to a domain without problems. I would
> look at event logs on client and server, then evaluate how you're pushing
> those settings out to clients.
>
> --
> Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User] rgharper@gmail.com
> * NEW! Catch my blog ... http://msmvps.com/blogs/rgharper/
> * PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
> * The Website - http://rgharper.mvps.org/
> * HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
>
>
> "mattbartley" <mattbartley@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:0A928F2A-81F1-47CF-B504-8F2ED2220871@microsoft.com...
>> Multitude of problems joining the Enterprise edition to our AD network.
>> Problem seems to resolve around DNS. Installed Vista every possible way
>> (upgrade, clean, etc.) and always come to the same problem--cannot
>> communicate with the DNS server. The last attempt was an upgrade and was
>> joined to our domain for about two minutes then dropped out due to comm
>> error
>> with DNS. Anybody have the same problems? Anybody have a solution or
>> should
>> I just shelve Vista until SP1? Reloaded XP now and rejoined the domain
>> in 3
>> seconds...spent 4 days trying to get Vista to join!
>
>

Try this...it's a shot in the dark but it may solve your issue as I've had
other connecting issues fixed by doing this:

Uncheck the IPv6 for your adapter and set WINS to Enable Netbios over
TCP/IP.

IPV6 is on by default I think on all network adapters....turn it off and let
me know if you still have the same problem. If you do it make be DNS server
related....

Jeff


"mattbartley" <mattbartley@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:0A928F2A-81F1-47CF-B504-8F2ED2220871@microsoft.com...
> Multitude of problems joining the Enterprise edition to our AD network.
> Problem seems to resolve around DNS. Installed Vista every possible way
> (upgrade, clean, etc.) and always come to the same problem--cannot
> communicate with the DNS server. The last attempt was an upgrade and was
> joined to our domain for about two minutes then dropped out due to comm
> error
> with DNS. Anybody have the same problems? Anybody have a solution or
> should
> I just shelve Vista until SP1? Reloaded XP now and rejoined the domain in
> 3
> seconds...spent 4 days trying to get Vista to join!

Already tried it and did not work.

Matt

"Jeff Schafer" wrote:

> Try this...it's a shot in the dark but it may solve your issue as I've had
> other connecting issues fixed by doing this:
>
> Uncheck the IPv6 for your adapter and set WINS to Enable Netbios over
> TCP/IP.
>
> IPV6 is on by default I think on all network adapters....turn it off and let
> me know if you still have the same problem. If you do it make be DNS server
> related....
>
> Jeff
>
>
> "mattbartley" <mattbartley@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:0A928F2A-81F1-47CF-B504-8F2ED2220871@microsoft.com...
> > Multitude of problems joining the Enterprise edition to our AD network.
> > Problem seems to resolve around DNS. Installed Vista every possible way
> > (upgrade, clean, etc.) and always come to the same problem--cannot
> > communicate with the DNS server. The last attempt was an upgrade and was
> > joined to our domain for about two minutes then dropped out due to comm
> > error
> > with DNS. Anybody have the same problems? Anybody have a solution or
> > should
> > I just shelve Vista until SP1? Reloaded XP now and rejoined the domain in
> > 3
> > seconds...spent 4 days trying to get Vista to join!
>

Thanks for your reply. We do use DHCP and have no problems with this
process. The very first time I installed Vista was basically an upgrade and
had problems with the mapped drives and then soon could not connect with the
DNS server. I disconnected the drives and moved my machine into a new OU and
only applied the default domain policy. I have reinstalled Vista four times
and have deleted all the DNS and DHCP records for my machine. I checked DNS
and could not find my machine. I ran ipconfig /all showing the right ip
address and the DNS servers. I tried all the settings on the network
properties (checked/unchecked IPv6, manually added DNS servers, used DHCP,
tried static IPs, added WINS server IP address, NetBIOS default, NetBIOS over
TCP/IP, etc. etc. etc.) with no luck. I added my servers to the machine
hosts file. I checked WINS and my machine was listed. I have added and
readded the machine to the domain on countless times. I ran all the ipconfig
dns commands. I've received errors of not being able to find the DNS server;
also errors about my machine not being in AD although I could go right to
ADUC and find my machine in the Computers OU; and an error stating the trust
relationshipship between this workstation and the primary domain failed.
Eventually I can join the domain but reboot and then repeat the DNS
connection errors. I cannot ping the DNS servers but can ping other devices.

Yesterday, I reloaded XP clean and joined the domain with no problems. I
then upgraded to Vista keeping all my settings. I then logged in with my
domain account and it worked perfectly for about two minutes--then it just
stopped communicating to the DNS server and disconnected from the network. I
cannot find anything in the event viewer to give me a clue other than to
check to make sure the DNS server is up.

My machine is a new Dell GX620. We have also tried installing Vista on an
HP dc5000 with the exact same problems.

Why is it that we can connect an XP Pro machine to the domain with no
problems but Vista cannot? I am at a complete loss of why...and therefore
how to fix it. The first DC/DNS server is Server 2003 R2 and the second
DC/DNS is Server 2003 (not R2) and we are running a Server 2003 domain
functional level. However, I just noticed our forest functional is Windows
2000. ??? Obviously will need to raise it as we are strictly Server 2003.
Again, I am using Vista Enterprise downloaded from the Microsoft eopen
(software assurance) site.

Thanks again!

Matt

"Jeff Schafer" wrote:

> I have a few laptops joined as well with no problems. Don't shelve Vista
> yet...post some of your basic DNS settings of your domain (whatever you are
> comfortable with) and we can help point you in the right direction. Also,
> post info on communcation security policies you have in place...may be
> related to that as well. Also, do you use DHCP?
>
> Jeff
>
> "Richard G. Harper" <rgharper@email.com> wrote in message
> news:ObQLq$$FHHA.1804@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> > I've joined many a Vista computer to a domain without problems. I would
> > look at event logs on client and server, then evaluate how you're pushing
> > those settings out to clients.
> >
> > --
> > Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User] rgharper@gmail.com
> > * NEW! Catch my blog ... http://msmvps.com/blogs/rgharper/
> > * PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
> > * The Website - http://rgharper.mvps.org/
> > * HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
> >
> >
> > "mattbartley" <mattbartley@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> > news:0A928F2A-81F1-47CF-B504-8F2ED2220871@microsoft.com...
> >> Multitude of problems joining the Enterprise edition to our AD network.
> >> Problem seems to resolve around DNS. Installed Vista every possible way
> >> (upgrade, clean, etc.) and always come to the same problem--cannot
> >> communicate with the DNS server. The last attempt was an upgrade and was
> >> joined to our domain for about two minutes then dropped out due to comm
> >> error
> >> with DNS. Anybody have the same problems? Anybody have a solution or
> >> should
> >> I just shelve Vista until SP1? Reloaded XP now and rejoined the domain
> >> in 3
> >> seconds...spent 4 days trying to get Vista to join!
> >
> >
>

Hello.

I am not sure how your domain is configured but you could try to disable the
Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) on the network connection in Vista.

Best regards,

Halldor Hrafn Jonsson
MCP 2811033

"mattbartley" <mattbartley@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:0A928F2A-81F1-47CF-B504-8F2ED2220871@microsoft.com...
> Multitude of problems joining the Enterprise edition to our AD network.
> Problem seems to resolve around DNS. Installed Vista every possible way
> (upgrade, clean, etc.) and always come to the same problem--cannot
> communicate with the DNS server. The last attempt was an upgrade and was
> joined to our domain for about two minutes then dropped out due to comm
> error
> with DNS. Anybody have the same problems? Anybody have a solution or
> should
> I just shelve Vista until SP1? Reloaded XP now and rejoined the domain in
> 3
> seconds...spent 4 days trying to get Vista to join!

Seconded, I've seen that reported several times now as a trouble spot.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

"Halldor Hrafn Jonsson" <halldor@tolvutek.is> wrote in message
news:82D9A3C4-903B-4A19-80CC-A62A1BFD407E@microsoft.com...
> Hello.
>
> I am not sure how your domain is configured but you could try to disable
> the Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) on the network connection in
> Vista.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Halldor Hrafn Jonsson
> MCP 2811033
>
> "mattbartley" <mattbartley@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:0A928F2A-81F1-47CF-B504-8F2ED2220871@microsoft.com...
>> Multitude of problems joining the Enterprise edition to our AD network.
>> Problem seems to resolve around DNS. Installed Vista every possible way
>> (upgrade, clean, etc.) and always come to the same problem--cannot
>> communicate with the DNS server. The last attempt was an upgrade and was
>> joined to our domain for about two minutes then dropped out due to comm
>> error
>> with DNS. Anybody have the same problems? Anybody have a solution or
>> should
>> I just shelve Vista until SP1? Reloaded XP now and rejoined the domain
>> in 3
>> seconds...spent 4 days trying to get Vista to join!
>