!!!! Network path not valid?!!!! !!!!

[rzawrekta]

A windows 2000 server has stopped responding to our domain.
We still use the ISP's DNS in ALL our clients, including this server. While we do have DNS running on our PDC, none of the machines in the domain are using it.

We started getting Event ID 1000s in our application log in the server in question. Countless of threads/white papers, whatever, informed us to leave the domain, change it to a workgroup, restart the computer, add it back into the domain and restart the computer again.

We were obviously able to remove it from the domain and then add it to a generic workgroup. However, after restarting, we were unable to get it to join back into the domain.
Every time we do so, we get an error message that is something like
error occurred while trying to join domain DOMAINNAME:
"The network path cannot be found."

Now when we looked up information regarding THIS message, almost all the advice we saw said that our DNS entries were wrong.
How are they wrong?
Do we need to enter the DNS of the Active Directory enabled PDC?

If so, here's the info on the DNS on that machine. Forward looking is set up, but it doesn't look like reverse is. Is that a problem?

Is the solution merely to change the DNS address?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[rzawrekta]

PS
We are still able to view the domain in the network neighborhood, and we are able to ping every machine in the domain...

 

[karmic]

Is the server running the DHCP for the network?
The event id 1000 you are getting would be userenv?
If you have DNS set up, and it's functioning properly on the server, then try this.

Under your DHCP scope options, add dns server.
add your DNS server ip (main server)
you can add the ISP dns address too, just make sure the server ip (dns IP) is first in the list.

Remove the static DNS address from one or two of your 2000 workstations. run ipconfig /release and ipconfig /renew.
When you type ipconfig /all, you should see the dns server list.

If you do, reboot the machine, log in and check to see if the userenv error still exists.

The pc should eventually show up in the dns records on the server...

Good luck ~ The day I think I know it all, i'm changing careers ~

 

[rzawrekta]

Hey karmic.

Unfortunately we don't have DHCP running. Every station (client and server) has a static internal IP (some have external ones as well).

You're right it is the userenv error. But we're not getting that anymore, most probably because that server isn't part of the domain anymore....

Is there anything else you think I can do?

 

[doomhamur]

You need to read faq96-3017

It will explain how to setup your DNS for a domain.

Summary:

All PC's point to AD controller
All Servers point to AD controller
AD controller points to itself as first DNS entry
DNS forwarders point to ISP

Follow this and all will work. Doomhamur
Network Engineer
"Certifications? we dont need no stinking certifiaction."
yahoo IM handle: greater_vortex