Restoring the Domain Setting for a Workstation

[thetennman]

I changed the setting on a W2K laptop from the domain it is a part of on another network to a local workgroup. The workgroup consists of NT4 and 98 workstations with no 2000 Servers. Now the laptop cannot log into the local network, so I can't get past the login screen. How do I return the laptop to the original domain so that it will at least allow me to run locally and ultimately connect to the original network's domain? Should I be using a default account to log into the workgroup?

 

[hewissa]

Make sure you are logging in with a local account and not a domain account. For domain it should read "local computer" - that being the computer name. Best bet is to log on with the local admin account and either re-join the domain - or the workgroup. To join the domain, although you are a local admin, it will still ask for domain admin rights.

In any event, you are "stand alone" and need to logon locally.

Hewissa

MCSE, CCNA, CIW

 

[thetennman]

hewissa,

I'm familiar with NT and knew that I would need to log in locally. However, since I assigned the computer to a workgroup, I'm not getting an option at the login screen to select the local computer. I had that option when the laptop was assigned to the domain.

Since the computer is now a part of a workgroup, is there even a network login? I thought that it would only require logging into the laptop with the admin account. I've tried "Administrator", "Admin", "admin" and the user ID assigned for the domain under the assumption that the this account could have become the admin account for the local computer. None of those logins work.

Am I missing something painfully obvious? Thanks for your help.

 

[bcastner]

I think you have to make a policy change to get the login screen you are thinking of.

If you need to login as administrator, you have to go to safe mode.

 

[hewissa]

When disconnecting from a domain, the local admin account, which has always been there, becomes the primary admin account. Being an admin on the domain, doesn't necessarily make you a local admin also. When 2K is installed the local Admin account is created. You'll need to have access to the password of that local account to logon as an admin. Using a Domain admin account on a now "stand alone" computer will have no effect.

If you don't know of the password, you may need to buy 3rd party software to regain access to the computer.

Search the threads, there have been numerous discussions on this topic.

what do you mean: "is there even a network login" technically no, just "This Computer" or "Computer Name" in the domain box.



Hewissa

MCSE, CCNA, CIW

 

[thetennman]

I appreciate the responses. Still locked out, so here's what I'd like to know: Would I have been able to change the group that the computer was a part of from a domain to a workgroup if I wasn't logged in as an administrator?

 

[hewissa]

To answer your question - no. You need DOMAIN admin rights to disjoin a domain. However, you need LOCAL admin rights to administer the now "stand alone" computer.

Does your tech department have a common password for local admins?


Hewissa

MCSE, CCNA, CIW

 

[atreubin]

Thetennman, have you found a solution to the problem? I did the same thing and I have found another thread started by someone with what I think is the exact same problem. Unfortunately, I don't think they got much further (here's the URL:

http://www.tek-tips.com/gviewthread.cfm/lev2/67/lev3/70/pid/616/qid/417610).

As far as I can tell, what has happened is that by changing the setting from a domain to a workgroup and not supplying a user and password, we have set W2K to boot without a valid login username. Thus, either there is no valid username, in which case there's absolutely no way of getting past the logon screen, or the only valid username is some default that is given when you set W2K to use workgroups.

If the former is the case, then as far as I have heard, there's no way around it. . . you have to reinstall the OS. If it's the latter, then we have to either figure out what the default is, or else reinstall.

Does this make sense? I am also really frustrated and have done this to a system that has a lot of valuable information that I don't want to lose in a reinstall.

I'd appreciate any help.