Windows XP Clients WINS registrations

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Guest

We have recently started changing over from Windows 2000 to Windows XP. Our
servers are all still Windows 2000, but our Windows XP workstations are not
registering themselves in the WINS database. All network settings seem to be
correct (the XP boxes seem to function correctly when attached to our
network), but there must be something I have forgotten to set somewhere. Can
anyone point me in the right direction?
 
are you able to connect by IP? Not netbios name? did you check the
"Netbios over TCP/IP" in the network WINS properties? I have experienced
connection issues between 2K and XP and had to set it all up on the local
machine as Administrator, then configure as necessary for normal domain user
accounts, ie, printing between XP and 2K has its issues, again, in my
experience.
"Ageing Brilliantine Stick Insect"
 
Thanks for that, honez........

I am starting to think the problem may be me..my understanding of WINS and
all those other bits is probably not as good as it could be.

I should just give a bit of background. It is the custom where I work to
make computer names the serial number of the computer. Why this is I don't
know, it just is, but it makes some things difficult - ie if the Rates Clerk
rings with computer problems, rather than just opening up a connection to
\\ratesclerk\c$ (for example) I have to go into the wins console, look up the
username of the user signed onto the Rates Clerk's computer, get the IP
address and then connect to the PC that way. Now that we have gone to XP on
some PCs it seems that the PCs are registering in the WINS database, but the
usernames are not.

Of course this would all be irrelevant if someone could tell me an easy way
to work out a user's IP address from their username. I run a utility called
'User Finder' each morning which checks the network for all logged on users
and records their IP addresses, but this takes about 15 - 20 minutes to scan
the network.

Our user base is pretty uneducated, so getting them to open a command prompt
and type ipconfig and read off their IP address is way above 99.9% of our
users.......there must be an easier way.......I just don't know what it is.
 
"Ageing Brilliantine Stick Insect"
Of course this would all be irrelevant if someone could tell me an easy way
to work out a user's IP address from their username. I run a utility
Click to expand...
called

IP#s are not associated with Users, ..the IP#s are associated with
Interfaces.
'User Finder' each morning which checks the network for all logged on users
and records their IP addresses, but this takes about 15 - 20 minutes to scan
the network.
Click to expand...

It is probably time consuming because it has to find the Interface from the
IP# first,...and then go back and find the currently logged on User from the
machine associated with the Interface (like Nbtstat.exe does).
Our user base is pretty uneducated, so getting them to open a command prompt
and type ipconfig and read off their IP address is way above 99.9% of our
users.......there must be an easier way.......I just don't know what it
Click to expand...
is.

A simple batch file on their desktop or shortcut to the batch file if you
want to use a single batch file centrally located on a network location.
Put the shortcut in the All Users profile in the Desktop folder.

This is all it would contian:
 
Thanks Phillip,

I had wondered about something like the batch-file option you mentioned, but
like I said, our users are quite uneducated.....sounds silly, but the act of
finding a shortcut, running it, and then reading the output really is beyond
a large percentage of our users. It would be quicker to run around to the PC
and read off the serial number (or do ipconfig) myself.

It would probably make more sense to name the PC something meaningful (like
ratesclerk, or admintypist), but......

As for the usernames in the WINS database.....the penny finally dropped -
with the XP clients we have disabled the messenger service. Win2K clients had
this service enabled, and so registered the username with WINS, but as it is
disabled in XP, there are no more usernames in the WINS database.

Anyway, thanks all for your assistance - at least the mystery has been
cleared up.
 
Some other things, are your client computers getting thier IP address from a
DHCP Server or are they assigned statically? If they are being assigned
dynamically, then you would want to use "NETBIOS Setting From the DHCP
Server", thus, you could do an 'nbtstat -a' on the computer name, and that
would give you the ip address of the computer name along with the MAC
Address and who is logged on. See what nbtstat -a gives you as you are set
up now.

In your example, is "ratesclerk" the name of the computer or a user name??
because you can always do this: \\computername\share and then give
permissions to the user or group thas access that share. or create a group
with the users and give the group whatever permissions on the share. It
sound to me like you have assigned IP addresses statically, I dont know the
logistics of changing all your machines to DHCP and setting up a dhcp
server, but for the special cases you can have statics in a dhcp
environment.

what type of rights do your users have on your network? Domain Users should
be all they get unless a program someone uses requires root privledges,
otherwise, if they dont need the Domain Admin or Local machine Administrator
rights, they could wreak havoc on the network by changing the names,
downloading spyware or whatever else creeps over the Net wire...
Are you the Sys Admin at this company? If it were me, I would go around to
each and every computer and get the name and IP and keep it on an Excel
Spreadsheel for reference along with the mac and location of the machine and
who the primary user is. I know that may take time but in the long run it
will make it easier.
How is your network set up, this can help me understand your issue.
Porgrams i use for administering are "Dameware" and Hyena v6.2. not to
mention the older tools form NT, User manager and Server Manager.

Keep me posted, no pun intended... Cheers!


"Ageing Brilliantine Stick Insect"
 
"Ageing Brilliantine Stick Insect"
Thanks Phillip,

I had wondered about something like the batch-file option you mentioned, but
like I said, our users are quite uneducated.....sounds silly, but the act of
finding a shortcut, running it, and then reading the output really is beyond
a large percentage of our users.
Click to expand...

I think you might be exaggerting it a bit. If they were that bad they would
not be capable of doing their jobs. They don't have to "find" a shortcut if
it is right there on the Desktop. Nobody could be so stupid that they could
not read the IP# right there on the screen in front of them.
 
Hi Phillip,

Fraid I ain't exaggerating. 75% of our users have no idea what 'Copy' or
'Paste' means. Ask them to start Windows Explorer and some of them will look
at you blankly, some will start internet Explorer and some will just say
'Whats that'! Half of them wouldn't even know what the word 'Shortcut' means.
It was no exaggeration to say that by the time we had explained what to do to
most of them it would have been quicker to physically go to the PC and read
off the serial number. And believe it or not, there ARE people here who are
too stupid to be able to read things on the screen in front of them.

Have you ever worked in Local Government? There is no requirement for ANY
computer skills when people are hired. People here generally aspire to
mediocrity.....and no - a lot of them just can't do their jobs properly. You
can't help wondering how some of them manage to get themselves dressed in the
morning! It's a pity, and it drives us nuts in IT. Unfortunately, Government
being what it is, once people are in a job, you can't force them to do
anything......if they want to be computer dunces we can't force them
otherwise.
 
Hi Honez,

We are using DHCP. As I said, the reason I can't find the users in WINS is
because the XP clients have the messenger service turned off. The PCs are all
listed OK there.

That nbtstat thing works a treat. I think I will stick a big sticker on each
PC with the serial number on it...that should help.

Our users are just Domain Users - ABSOLUTELY NO ADMIN RIGHTS!! I am aware of
the bad karma making our dummies (sorry, users) administrators would bring
down on our network!

I normally edit a PCs description field in the ADUC and add the user name,
but I am not the only one who puts PCs on the network, and I don't always
remember to do it myself. We also seem to re-assign PCs on a regular basis,
so this makes my method somewhat unreliable.

I think the idea of a spreadsheet is probably the best idea. It's just one
of those things that I never seem to have time to do.

And finally, yes, I am the sysadmin here. I actually have my MCP
qualification (I've done the Win2K and Win2K Server exams), but I fear I
ain't a very good MCP, so I just leave that out when I do posts to these
newsgroups. It's probably bad enough when people read my posts and think
'What a twit'......if they saw that I was an MCP as well they would probably
think I was an even greater twit!

Gerry

PS By way of explanation, 'twit' is not a misspelling (ie I didn't hit 'i'
instead of 'a'!!) - twit is a word we use in Australia to describe morons
like myself!
 
Have you ever worked in Local Government?
Click to expand...

No,..I just involutarily fund them. Ok,..there was this short "temp" job a
long time ago....
computer skills when people are hired. People here generally aspire to
mediocrity.....and no - a lot of them just can't do their jobs properly.
Click to expand...
You

Ok, I understand.
 
"Ageing Brilliantine Stick Insect"
I think the idea of a spreadsheet is probably the best idea. It's just one
of those things that I never seem to have time to do.
Click to expand...

The speadsheet is the method I use. I also started naming the machine name
according to the serial number then use the Description in AD to put in the
Username or Job Function. If a "part" has to be warranteed by the Supplier,
I can know the serial number by the machine name and the position of the
machine by the Description. A quick ping of the machine name gives me the
IP# or use Nbtstat -a to get both the IP and MAC. You can also get
information from the machine lists in WINS, DNS and DHCP.
And finally, yes, I am the sysadmin here. I actually have my MCP
qualification (I've done the Win2K and Win2K Server exams), but I fear I
ain't a very good MCP, so I just leave that out when I do posts to these
newsgroups. It's probably bad enough when people read my posts and think
'What a twit'......if they saw that I was an MCP as well they would probably
think I was an even greater twit!
Click to expand...

All I had was an old MCP (Win95),...yep 95, not even 98. For a long time
that is all I had. Ms awarded me the MVP a year and a half (or so) ago
based on my work in these newsgroups. I took some classes at a local
college to prepare for the Cisco CCNA and passed that about two and a half
years ago. I will probably never have the MCSE,..it isn't even really a
goal for me right now. If some place doesn't want to hire me without it and
doesn't care about the years of "live" experience in the field, then "screw
'em", I don't need to work there anyway. By the way, I also only have a
GED,...I only finished my first semester of my 2nd year in Highschool
(dropped out at 16).
 
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