John,
I guess you should check if the client is configured with correct name resolution servers (dns and wins - if the case, although Win XP Pro doesn't need it). Type Ipconfig /all and check to see if it has these parameters. Try pinging to the server by its IP and then by its host name. If you have received an IP such as 169.254.y.z you have received an IP from APIPA (Automatic Private IP Addressing) so you won't be able to reach the corporate network. Check if you have configured the DHCP options correctly in RAS Server, and also if you have configured DHCP Relay options (sometimes necessary for VPN clients to get an IP address from a DHCP Server). Check also how is DNS name resolution is working. Typing NSLOOKUP <servername> should give you back the ip and name of the server resolved, as well as the DNS server that resolved that for you.
If everything is allright (you can ping the host by its IP and hostname) then check if the Server service is running on the machine you are trying too reach.
If none of this works, force you client computer to recognize the server creating a file called lmhosts in c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc and type this inside it:
192.168.0.1 servername #PRE #DOM:domainname
In this example, the IP of the server (a domain controller) should be 192.168.0.1 (change it to match the IP of your server). Save this file and then type Nbtstat -R at the command prompt and then try again.
I hope this helps you,
Pedro Lima
MCSE
From Brazil
