Intermittent Browsing Problem

[TLHnet]

I have a single Windows 2000 Advanced Server as a domain controller running Active Directory (mixed mode), DNS, WINS, DHCP, and other services probably not relevant to this question. The client PCs are Windows XP professional and members of the domain. No routing involved, just a single subnet. When attempting to browse the network on one of the XP client PC’s with a domain user account logged in, approx. 4 out of 5 times the workgroup icon with the domain name is accessed I get an error message indicating access is denied. A domain admin logged in to the same PC has no difficulty opening the domain browse list. As indicated, approx. 1 out of 5 times the domain user is able to access the domain list of computers, after using the PC for a period of time without logging out, the domain user suddenly has the same access denied problem. Because once in a while the domain user does have access, it almost seems to rule out a permission problem.

Computer Browser service is disabled on the XP clients. Computer Browser service on the Win2k server is running and set to Domain Master in the registry. TCP/IP properties on the Win2k server set to “Enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP”. The same setting on the XP clients allows for three possible settings. All of them have been tried at length. I have since set the clients to the default setting of using the NetBIOS setting from the DHCP server.

Thanks in advance for any input on this.

 

[GlenJohnson]

Do you have access to a w2k pro machine you can put on the network and see if you have the same problem? Glen A. Johnson
Microsoft Certified Professional
glen@nellsgiftbox.com


"Patience is more powerful than force."
Plutarch (46-125 A.D.);

 

[TLHnet]

Unfortunately, I only have Windows XP clients. There is one Windows 98 PC that browses fine all the time regardless of who is logged on. I would not expect that to be of any help though.

Thanks for the response.

 

[GlenJohnson]

You'de be surprised. Personally, I don't think XP has been out long enough for us to know all there is. If the 98 machine doesn't have a problem, and all the xp machines do, it points at the os. Have you tried an lmhosts file and see what that does. (Only a temp fix if it does.) Check out this for a similar problem.

http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winxp

Glen A. Johnson
Microsoft Certified Professional
glen@nellsgiftbox.com


"Patience is more powerful than force."
Plutarch (46-125 A.D.);

 

[TLHnet]

I have made every kind of adjustment to an lmhosts file that I can think of. No luck at all.

Interestingly enough, in another situation where there exists strictly Windows NT servers and strictly Windows NT workstations, introducing a Windows XP Pro machine into that environment has proven to be flawless. In this situation, the PC accounts log into a resource domain, and the users log into a master domain. The resource domain controller and a backup domain controller for user accounts are the only two servers in the local network segment with the computer browser service running. WinNT WINS and DNS servers are located on a different subnet on the other side of a WAN link.

In this situation, I have yet to have ANY problems with browsing on a Windows XP Pro PC.