Network Properties screw up

  • Thread starter Thread starter szeik
  • Start date Start date
S

szeik

Hi,

I recently got a new computer and was trying to get our old Windows
2000 machine to share files with the new computer which is running
Windows XP Professional.

In the process I went into the System Properties and tried to switch
the computer to be in the same work group as the XP machine.

The file sharing problem was because of Norton Internet security and
had nothing to do with the network settings. All I had to do was add
trusted zones.

When I rebooted the machine I could no longer log on! The old domain
which I was logging on to was not available and my user name and
password that I had been using didn't work at the log on screen. What
a mess. I ended up installing a dual boot on that machine and I reset
the administrator password so I can log on to it but all my old
settings are lost.

Is there any way to get my old log on working again? The domain I was
logging onto seems to be lost.

Thanks for any info,
Steve
 
Hi,

I recently got a new computer and was trying to get our old Windows
2000 machine to share files with the new computer which is running
Windows XP Professional.

In the process I went into the System Properties and tried to switch
the computer to be in the same work group as the XP machine.

The file sharing problem was because of Norton Internet security and
had nothing to do with the network settings. All I had to do was add
trusted zones.

When I rebooted the machine I could no longer log on! The old domain
which I was logging on to was not available and my user name and
password that I had been using didn't work at the log on screen. What
a mess. I ended up installing a dual boot on that machine and I reset
the administrator password so I can log on to it but all my old
settings are lost.

Is there any way to get my old log on working again? The domain I was
logging onto seems to be lost.

Thanks for any info,
Steve
Click to expand...

An easy way to avoid this type of problem is to apply a little
forward planning and create a second local admin account,
same as you have at least two sets of keys for your car.

If your old profile folder still exists then you can copy it to
your new profile folder, using the profile copying tool in
the Control Panel / System / User Profiles.
 
If your old profile folder still exists then you can copy it to
your new profile folder, using the profile copying tool in
the Control Panel / System / User Profiles.
Click to expand...

I don't see the user in this dialog box. I still see a folder in
Documents and Settings that looks like it contains all the old profile
information but that probably doesn't help me.

It seems like some of the software I installed like norton internet
security and a couple of other things are still available but a lot of
other software is not showing in the start menu although I can run
things if I find them and launch manually.

That old log on must be around somewhere. That computer used to be on
a network a long time ago and I never got around to changing the way I
logged on so it always stayed in that domain even though it really was
a stand alone machine. I guess when I tried to make it part of a work
group that domain was lost. It's unbelievable that they let you screw
yourself up so easily and make it so hard to recover from these types
of things.

Oh well. At least I can see all my old files now.

Thanks for the feedback,
Steve
 
I don't see the user in this dialog box. I still see a folder in
Documents and Settings that looks like it contains all the old profile
information but that probably doesn't help me.

It seems like some of the software I installed like norton internet
security and a couple of other things are still available but a lot of
other software is not showing in the start menu although I can run
things if I find them and launch manually.

That old log on must be around somewhere. That computer used to be on
a network a long time ago and I never got around to changing the way I
logged on so it always stayed in that domain even though it really was
a stand alone machine. I guess when I tried to make it part of a work
group that domain was lost. It's unbelievable that they let you screw
yourself up so easily and make it so hard to recover from these types
of things.

Oh well. At least I can see all my old files now.

Thanks for the feedback,
Steve
Click to expand...

You could manually copy the old profile folder to the new profile
folder. However, I would not recommend it since you're dealing
with a new installation that probably lacks lots of programs that
the old installation had.

I note how critical you are of MS letting you step into the trap
of disconnecting from the pre-existing domain controller. Would you
apply the same yardstick to an administrator who operates a PC
away from the company network for many months, without ever
adjusting its logon process, and who happily sails on with an
unknown local administrator password? The logical process
would have been:
1. Disconnect the machine from the domain.
2. Log on locally.
3. If this does not work, go back to the domain to fix up things.
4. Have at least two local admin accounts.

It seems you bypassed steps 2 .. 4.
 
You could manually copy the old profile folder to the new profile
folder. However, I would not recommend it since you're dealing
with a new installation that probably lacks lots of programs that
the old installation had.
Click to expand...

Actually I am logging on to the old installation (one with lost logon)
as administrator. I was able to reset the administrator password by
installing a dual boot on C drive and renaming the SAM file on D Drive.
Now when I boot up I am logging on to my old installation of Win 2000
on D Drive as administrator so I do see a lot of the same programs like
Norton Internet Security and things like that. But other programs like
some things I downloaded and paid for are not available and even if I
can launch them they think they are unregistered copies. Other than
those programs and my emails from outlook the machine is o.k. now.

Maybe manually copying the profile would work in this situation? I've
never tried that.
I note how critical you are of MS letting you step into the trap
of disconnecting from the pre-existing domain controller. Would you
apply the same yardstick to an administrator who operates a PC
away from the company network for many months, without ever
adjusting its logon process, and who happily sails on with an
unknown local administrator password? The logical process
would have been:
1. Disconnect the machine from the domain.
2. Log on locally.
3. If this does not work, go back to the domain to fix up things.
4. Have at least two local admin accounts.

It seems you bypassed steps 2 .. 4.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I should have fixed this.

Thanks for the tips,

Steve
 
Actually I am logging on to the old installation (one with lost logon)
as administrator. I was able to reset the administrator password by
installing a dual boot on C drive and renaming the SAM file on D Drive.
Now when I boot up I am logging on to my old installation of Win 2000
on D Drive as administrator so I do see a lot of the same programs like
Norton Internet Security and things like that. But other programs like
some things I downloaded and paid for are not available and even if I
can launch them they think they are unregistered copies. Other than
those programs and my emails from outlook the machine is o.k. now.

Maybe manually copying the profile would work in this situation? I've
never tried that.

Thanks for the tips,

Steve
Click to expand...

You raise a few points worthy of discussion.

To reset a password: Booting the machine with a boot disk from
http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html is a much
quicker method than doing a parallel installation. It's also totally
non-destructive.

When you need to access a disk whos OS is unavailable for
some reason then these two methods are very quick:
- Install the disk as a slave disk in some other Win2000 PC.
- Boot the PC with a Bart PE CD. This CD is (in my opinion)
an absolute "must" for the serious administrator. You can get
the necessary tools from here: www.bootdisk.com. You will
need a CD burner and a WinXP Professional CD (but no
licence key!).

If you're logging on within the context of the old installation then
all previously installed programs are still available. Just locate
their shortcuts!

If you wish to experiment with profile folders then note this:
- Save the target profile folder somewhere else before overwriting it.
- Never copy a profile folder (source or target!) while you're logged
on under either of the two accounts.
- Profile folders often remain locked after a logoff. Reboot the
PC before attempting to copy a profile folder.
 
If you wish to experiment with profile folders then note this:
- Save the target profile folder somewhere else before overwriting it.
- Never copy a profile folder (source or target!) while you're logged
on under either of the two accounts.
- Profile folders often remain locked after a logoff. Reboot the
PC before attempting to copy a profile folder.
Click to expand...

Alls well and ends well this time.

I booted up with the newly installed Win2000 O.S. and just renamed my
Administator folder to _Administrator and then renamed my old login
folder to Administrator. So now when I log in as Administrator I get
all my old profile restored!

Having a dual boot has its advantages.

Thanks for all the feedback,
Steve
 
Alls well and ends well this time.

I booted up with the newly installed Win2000 O.S. and just renamed my
Administator folder to _Administrator and then renamed my old login
folder to Administrator. So now when I log in as Administrator I get
all my old profile restored!

Having a dual boot has its advantages.
Click to expand...

.. . . as has a Bart PE boot CD!

Thanks for all the feedback,
Steve
Click to expand...

You're welcome.
 
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