RPC Server is Unavailable when attempting to join domain

[colin81]

Hi all

I am having a problem joining our domain from one machine, this problem does not occur on other machines......ruling out a server problem and leaving it down to the pc itself. The problem occurs when I attempt to join our domain, the pc finds that it has an account on the domain controller and then prompts for a username and password with permissions, I enter this and then the following error is displayed:

Your computer could not be joined to the domain because the following error has occurred: The RPC server is unavailable

Has anyone else had similar problems? Or possibly know the cause? This pc had problems with the rpc service terminating (which we thought might have been blaster virus, but wasnt) which then rebooted the machine....I have set the service to just restart but this doesnt offer any explanantion for why this is occurring

Any help would be greatly appreciated
Many Thanks
Colin Daly

 

[bcastner]

My workaround at the moment:

i). Try from a CMD line: net start RpcSs

ii). If no joy, go to the Recovery Console.

"enable RPCss Service_Auto_Start"
you sometimes need to use the unparsed version:
"enable RPCss Service Auto Start"

The enable command is only available in Recovery Console.

iii). If still no joy, start Regedit from within Windows.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services
find the subkeys RPCLocator and RPCss
Set the Start Reg_Dword value to 2
(If no entry for the RPCLocator service, it is OK)
reboot.

I find #ii the most likely to work.

 

[colin81]

Thanks for the reply

I have already tried step 1 previously, the service was already started and according to the processes running on the machine it is definately running.

With step 2, how do I get to the recovery console....is this supplied with the original disk ?

What does setting the dword value to 2 in the registry do? Does this just tell it to run on startup?

Thanks again for replying
Colin

 

[CluelessJon]

Installing the Windows XP Recovery Console

Sometimes installing new software or peripherals can really ruin your day. Things can get so bad that Windows XP won't even boot up, even if you use the Last Known Good option! There's one thing you can do before giving up, and that's to use the Recovery Console. The Recovery Console gives you access to a DOS like environment where you can try to fix things you suspect are wrong. You should definitely install the Recovery Console if you're a power user. Just do the following:

Put your Windows XP CD into the CD-ROM drive.
Click Start, and then click the Run command.
In the Open text box, type d:\i386\winnt32.e x e /cmdcons Change the drive letter to your CD drive if D: is not your CD drive letter (don't type spaces in the filename).
In the Windows Setup dialog box you'll see a description of the Recovery Console. Read it and then click Yes to install.
Restart the computer. The next time you start your computer, you will see a "Microsoft Windows Recovery Console" entry on the boot menu.

Regards

Jonno BrainDump Specialist
MCSE(NT) MCSA(2k) CCNA

 

[bcastner]

I sure hope this is not XP Home Edition. There are a few suggested workarounds if so:

http://vowe.net/archives/001639.html

 

[bcastner]

Xp Pro Troubleshooter for "RPC Service is Unvailable"

SYMPTOMS
When you perform any of the following server-based tasks, you may receive an "RPC server is unavailable" error message:
Replication
Winlogon
Enable trusted relationships
Connect to domain controllers
Connect to trusted domains
User authentication


NOTE: You may also get the error "RPC server is unavailable" running Dcpromo on a member server. This can occur if you have only one DC and it does not have file and printer sharing enable on its network card.

CAUSE
This issue can occur for any of the following reasons:

The RPC service may not be started.
You are unable to resolve a DNS or NetBIOS name.
An RPC channel cannot be established.

RESOLUTION
To resolve this issue:

Click Start, click Run, type the following line in the Open box, and then click OK:
net start rpcss

Test to see if this resolves the issue. If the issue still occurs, continue to the next step.
Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories,and then click Command Prompt.

At the command prompt, type ping servername, where servername is the server, NetBIOS, DNS, or GUID name that you want to test for connectivity.

If there is a connection issue with one of these computers, contact your network administrator to resolve the issue. If the issue still occurs, continue to the next step.

Use the Netdiag tool that is included in the Microsoft Windows Support Tools (included on the Windows CD-ROMs) to determine if the domain controller is working correctly. You can perform a network trace using the MSRPC, DNS, NBT, LDAP, or TCP protocols.

If there is an issue with the domain controller, contact your network administrator to resolve the issue. If the issue still occurs, continue to the next step.
Use the Netdom tool that is included in the Windows Support Tools to verify network trust relationships and reset or establish a connection to a server.


cf.

http://support.microsoft.com/?id=224370