Win98 clients can suddenly not logon

[NcCorduan]

All,

We've been running a Windows 2000 domain for some time now, and haven't had any problems having users logon to their AD user accounts on '98 clients.

Suddenly, as of this morning, none of the '98 machines are can authenticate users against the Windows 2000 domain. Microsoft Client simply returns a generic, "Passord or username invalid, or domain controller not found," type of error.

We can cancel out of the logon process and have verified that our network settings have not changed. The computers see the DHCP server and are obtaining addresses just fine. We can ping the domain controller and all other machines, so WINS and DNS are okay. We can validate accounts on our proxy server and (oddly enough) on our exchange server... But no logons.

Windows 2000 and Windows XP computers are having no problems. There are no errors or warnings in the domain controller's event logs which suggest any problems on its end...

Any ideas? We're in panic mode here!

 

[brontosaurus]

if you can log onto Exchange then your account info is obviously valid, since exchange uses the domain database. Have you tried logging onto these 98 machines with a domain admin account?

 

[NcCorduan]

Yeah, I've tried two different admin accounts...

Any other ideas?

NickC---

 

[brontosaurus]

Try creating a new account in AD and logging in with that....

 

[GCSGEEK]

This periodically happens to me as well. Once and a while one my Win98 users gets locked out all together and I end up having to go into AD an unlock there account, I cannot figure out why this happens. This never happens to my Win2K or XP users, they are always fine. Now this does not happen to all Win98 users, just a couple which is another weird thing. Sometimes I can go weeks with out this happening, then all of the sudden out of the clear blue someone gets locked out. Sometimes it might happen once or maybe 10 times in a day, very weird.

 

[NcCorduan]

Unfortunately, there are no user accounts locked out in the AD, and we're not using computer accounts for 9x machines and never have been. No acocunts whatsoever can logon to a 9x machine and any account in the AD can log on to a 2000 or XP machine...

So unfortunately, there's nothing for me to unlock. :-/

Next?

NickC---

 

[NcCorduan]

And I tried a new account, too, BTW.

Also tried installing the DSClient.

NickC---

 

[brontosaurus]

And you're sure that NOTHING has changed? Try uninstalling/reinstalling the Client for MS Networks....

 

[NcCorduan]

I sure can't find anything that's changed, and the other guys that work on servers at our other location insist they've change nothing...

I just tried re-installing the Microsoft Client, then all the other networking components. Still nothing...

I'm running out of things to try!

NickC---

 

[brontosaurus]

If you don't have Auditing turned on for Login Success/Failures please do so. Since you say there's nothing in the Event logs at the DC(s), I'm wondering if the 98 boxes are even getting to the point where they can reach them....there should at least be a Failure Audit item in the Security portion of the event log....

 

[NcCorduan]

Good thought! There are numerous failures in the security log on the domain controller but they're all from users logging onto Windows 2000 clients -- all of whom have succesfully logged on. No errors from users logging on to Windows 98 machines...

So -- any thoughts about that means?

Thanks!

NickC---

 

[brontosaurus]

Well, it means they're not finding the domain. 98 machines are more likely to use WINS for this so first make sure they're getting the correct WINS settings via DHCP and make sure "enable WINS resolution" is checked. Also, double check NetBIOS over TcP/IP is on. Then make sure they can ping the WINS server. See if you can do a NET VIEW from the 98 machines to any of your DC's. Minimally, you should see the NETLOGON and SYSVOL shares.
Perhaps the WINS database has gone sour?

 

[GlenJohnson]

Are the 98 machines on the same subnet as the others. A bad nic will cause this by sending out to many bad broadcasts. Just a thought. Glen A. Johnson
Microsoft Certified Professional
glen@nellsgiftbox.com


"Science is built up with facts, as a house is with stones. But a collection
of facts is not more a science than a heap of stones is a home".
Henri Poincare (1854 - 1912) French mathematician

 

[NcCorduan]

Solved!!

We still don't really know the root of the problem, but it's some how WINS related. We switched to a new WINS server and it cleared up right away.

Thanks for your all your help and through-provoking suggestions!

NickC---