XP just drops off the network

[Teamaker]

Has anyone got any idea why XP laptops keep loosing the network? We have a selection of laptops all different hardware all united in their inability to keep their eye on the network. For some reason after a while you suddenly can't connect to any servers it then asks you for a password but when you retype your password it tells you it has already tried that and to type another password.
I know the network connection is still there as I can still use the Internet.

This is driving me mad.

Thanks.


!!A good cup of Tetley keeps the madness at bay!!

 

[bcastner]

A little more detail on the network is required. What server OS, and how are the laptops connected--wired or wireless?

The only peculiarities I have seen with laptops in general:

. They tend to ship with old driver sets
. They tend to have power management settings either in BIOS or on the adapter driver level, or as XP Power Options or all three that cause them to suspend to save power even when connected to AC
. They are moved between sites often, and their TCP/IP settings are often incorrectly set for a particular site
. They often have autonegotiation issues with switches and routers

 

[Teamaker]

Thanks for the reply.

Win 2K servers all on one switched site and wired to the network, as i say though it stays connected to the network it just seems to lose authentiction with the domain the only way to sort it is to log off and on again.
It seems unlikly to be BIOS or power settings and i have the latest drivers.

It's like it just loses it's access token.

Oh and the same laptops don't do it with Win2K installed.

!!A good cup of Tetley keeps the madness at bay!!

 

[bcastner]

Connectivity issues from XP to a win2000 domain usually indicate a DNS misconfiguration issue. While the following is not a fix-all for all AD-domain problems, it is an absolute requirement that DNS is set up correctly before it will work properly. If your DNS is not set up like this, then you will experience problems like you describe. XP differs from previous versions of windows in that it uses DNS as it's primary name resolution method for finding domain controllers: How Domain Controllers Are Located in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314861

If DNS is misconfigured, XP will spend a lot of time waiting for it to timeout before it tries using legacy NT4 sytle NetBIOS. (Which may or may not work.)

1. Ensure that the XP clients are all configured to point to the local DNS server which hosts the AD domain. That will probably be the win2k server itself. They should NOT be pointing an an ISP's DNS server. An 'ipconfig /all' on the XP box should reveal ONLY the domain's DNS server. You should use the DHCP server to push out the local DNS server address.

2. Ensure DNS server on win2k is configured to permit dynamic updates. Ensure the win2k server points to itself as a DNS server.

3. For external (internet) name resolution, specify your ISP's DNS server not on the clients, but in the forwarders tab of the local win2k DNS server. On the DNS server, if you cannot access the 'Forwarders' and 'Root Hints' tabs because they are greyed out, that is because there is a root zone (".&quot present on the DNS server. You MUST delete this root zone to permit the server to forward unresolved queries to yout ISP or the root servers. Accept any nags etc, and let it delete any corresponding reverse lookuop zones if it asks.

The following articles may assist you in setting up DNS correctly: Setting Up the Domain Name System for Active Directory

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;237675

HOW TO: Configure DNS for Internet Access in Windows 2000

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;300202

 

[bcastner]

XP seems more prone to autonegotiation issues than earlier Windows versions. If your laptop NICs are set to 'Auto' negotiate their speed and duplex settings, I encourage you to set these two values manually through Device Manager. The following table may help:

[tt]
Workstation Switch Result

Forced Half Forced Half Works
Forced Full Forced Full Works
Auto Auto Maybe
Forced Full Auto NO
Auto Forced Full NO
Forced Half Forced Full NO
Forced Full Forced Half NO

[/tt]

 

[Teamaker]

This has been very usefull thanks.

I think it is a DNS issue but those servers are about to be rebuilt so i'll see if it goes away.

!!A good cup of Tetley keeps the madness at bay!!