Question

An attempt to resolve the DNS name trying to connect to a domain with Vista

Asked by: FMCBOP

I have a Microsoft Server 2000 server that works with XP computers.   We have a Vista laptop that won't connect to the domain.  I can map drives but when I change the laptop from workgroup to the domain, I get a "An attempt to resolve the DNS name ... has failed".  I added the PC name to AD computers, gave the user and computer every admin right I can think of.  We need to login to the domain for our apps to run.

This Question has been solved and asker verified All Experts Exchange premium technology solutions are available to subscription members.

Subscribe now for full access to Experts Exchange and get

Instant Access to this Solution

  • Plus...
  • 30 Day FREE access, no risk, no obligation
  • Collaborate with the world's top tech experts
  • Unlimited access to our exclusive solution database
  • Never be left without tech help again

Subscribe Now

Asked On
2008-08-19 at 14:41:36ID23661323
Tags

Microsoft

,

Vista

,

An attempt to resolve the DNS name trying to connect to a domain with Vista

Topics

Domain Name Service (DNS)

,

Windows Vista

,

Active Directory

Participating Experts
4
Points
250
Comments
22

Trusted by hundreds of thousands everyday for fast, accurate and reliable tech support.

  • "The time we save is the biggest benefit of Experts Exchange to Warner Bros. What could take multiple guys 2 hours or more each to find is accessed in around 15 minutes on Experts Exchange." Mike Kapnisakis, Warner Bros.
  • "Our team likes having a resource that is more secure than just using Google and most experts using this service really know their stuff. It's nice to look here first versus using Google." Dayna Sellner, Lockheed Martin
  • "Anytime that I've been stumped with a problem, 9 out of 10 times Experts Exchange has either the accepted solution or an open discussion of the potential solution to the problem." Kenny Red, eBay Inc.

See what Experts Exchange can do for you.

Got a question?

We've got the answer.

Experts Exchange has been collecting answers to technology questions since 1996…3 million and counting! If you have a question, chances are we already have your answer.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Need individual assistance?

Our experts are ready to help.

If you can't find the exact answer you're looking for, ask our exclusive community of 50,000 experts. You’ll get a personalized answer from a trusted professional.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Want to learn from the best?

Read articles from industry experts.

Thousands of free tech tips, tricks, how-to’s and tutorials are available in our peer reviewed articles section. See for yourself how smart our experts are, no login required.

Screenshot of an Article

Working on a long term project?

Store your work and research.

Save solutions to your questions, answers you’ve discovered through searching plus helpful articles in your personal knowledgebase for easy future access.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Access the answers to your technology questions today.

Subscribe Now

30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.

What Makes Experts Exchange Unique?

Members of the expert community talk about why the experience at Experts Exchange is different than what you will find anywhere else.

Trusted by the world's most respected brands.

image of each brand's logo

Faithfully serving IT professionals since 1996.

Experts Exchange Logo

Try it out and discover for yourself.

Subscribe Now

30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.

Related Solutions

  1. DNS error only applies in VISTA help!!
    Hello hope someone can help. I have just bought a new PC with Windows Vista home basic edition installed. I have set up a wireless network using a netgear ADSL router and USB pen. The network works fine and both my PC and my laptop (which runs XP) can connect to the router...
  2. Vista Home DNS Resolution
    I am troubleshooting for a friend who has a home network setup with a desktop and laptop. Both connect to the internet through the same cable. (They switch the cable to the device they want connected.) The desktop runs Microsoft windows XP Pro and connects fine. The laptop is...
  3. Connecting Vista to a XP Workgroup
    Hi, I have a home workgroup with 3 XP computers on it. We recently purchased a new laptop running vista and are having trouble getting it properly connected to the XP workgroup. I have already successfully joined the Vista computer to the workgroup and can see the vista com...
  4. Vista laptop on multiple workgroups
    I have a Vista Business laptop. Can it be configured to automatically recognize and join a home workgroup or office workgroup? For now it is joined to the office workgroup and I really only need it to recognize a shared printer and shared folders on another home computer. ...
  5. Vista Business
    i have a Vista laptop that is on my windows 2003 domain. we have a external hard drive that has a ethernet connection so it has a subnet IP address. i can not map to it. I can map to it from 6 differnet XP pro PC's. Vista issue. it says \\marketing is not accessible. You migh...

Free Tech Articles

  1. WARNING: 5 Reasons why you should NEVER fix a computer for free.
    It is in our nature to love the puzzle. We are obsessed. The lot of us. We love puzzles. We love the challenge. We thrive on finding the answer. We hate disarray. It bothers us deep in our soul. W...
  2. SCCM OSD Basic troubleshooting
    SCCM 2007 OSD is a fantastic way to deploy operating systems, however, like most things SCCM issues can sometimes be difficult to resolve due to the sheer volume of logs to sift through and the dispe...
  3. Migrate Small Business Server 2003 to Exchange 2010 and Windows 2008 R2
    This guide is intended to provide step by step instructions on how to migrate from Small Business Server 2003 to Windows 2008 R2 with Exchange 2010. For this migration to work you will need the fo...
  4. Create a Win7 Gadget
    This article shows you how to create a simple "Gadget" -- a sort of mini-application supported by Windows 7 and Vista. Gadgets can be dropped anywhere on the desktop to provide instant information, ...
  5. Outlook continually prompting for username and password
    There have been a lot of questions recently regarding Outlook prompting for a username and password whilst using Exchange 2007. There are a few reasons why this would happen and I will try to cover t...
  6. Backup Exchange 2010 Information Store using Windows Backup
    There seems to be quite a lot of confusion around the ability to backup Exchange 2010 using the built in Windows Backup feature. This stems from the omission of this feature prior to Exchange 2007 s...

Cloud Class Webinars

  1. Avoiding Bugs in Microsoft Access
    Alison Balter takes and in-depth look at avoiding bugs in Access. In this webinar you will learn about using the immediate window to debug your applications, invoking the debugger, using breakpoints to troubleshoot, stepping through code, setting the next statement to execute, ...
  2. Top 10 Best New Features in Visio 2010
    Scott Helmers gives live demonstrations of the top 10 new features in Visio 2010. This webinar will teach you how to create compelling diagrams by adding shapes to the page with a single click, linking the shapes in a diagram to data in Excel (or SQL Server, or SharePoint), ...
  3. IT Consultant Business Secrets Revealed
    Michael Munger, Experts Exchange tech pro and IT consultant, pulls back the curtain on his very successful businesses and answers question on every IT consultant and business owner should know about. He shares secrets on what he did to solve the 5 most common problems in IT, ...
  4. Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
    Quest CTO, Mike Billon, gives an overview of the steps involved in building a dunamic disaster recovery plan. Through case studies and an examination of software/hardware tooles for monitoring and testing, you'll gain a better understandin of where you are, where you want ...
  5. Organize Your Visio Diagrams with Containers and Lists
    Scott Helmers uses cross functional flowcharts, wireframe diagrams, data graphic legends and seating charts to teach you: how to ustilize all three new structured diagram components in Visio 2010, the best practices for organizeing shapes in previous version of Visio, how to organize ...
  6. How to Us Objects, Properties, Events and Methods in Microsoft Access
    Alison Dalter gives an in-depbth look at objects, properties, events and methods in Microsoft Access. In this webinar you will learn about using the object browser, referring to objects, working with properties and methods, working with object variables, understanding the ...

Join the Community

Give a Little. Get a Lot.

Join the community of experts here and help other tech pros by answering question in your area of expertise. You can earn FREE access to all Experts Exchange's premium features and resources.

Join the Community

Answers

 

by: pzozulkaPosted on 2008-08-19 at 14:45:17ID: 22264193

Have you tried manually assigning a DNS Host Name on the DNS server?

 

by: Chris-DentPosted on 2008-08-19 at 14:45:37ID: 22264196


It is Vista Business or higher and not Home, right?

Otherwise, are you putting in "domain.com" or "domain"? If you've only tried "domain" I suggest you try the DNS version of the name, "domain.com".

HTH

Chris

 

by: KCTSPosted on 2008-08-19 at 14:45:50ID: 22264198

Check that the Vista machine is pointing at your DC/DNS server as its preferred (and only) DNS Server

 

by: FMCBOPPosted on 2008-08-19 at 15:28:30ID: 22264497

Thanks for the responses.  First the laptop is running Windows Vista Ultimate with SP1.  I am not familiar with Vista.  I tried to find where to set up a preferred server and cannot find it.  This laptop is using ethernet to the router.  I click on the Join a domain wizard and it prompts me for a username, password and domain.  My domain in this case is HEATING.  I enter my admin userid, password, and HEATING.  If I enter "HEATING.com", I get an error that it cannot find the domain.  After I enter the info, I get another window the says "Windows cannot find an account for your computer in the HEATING domain.  (Your computer domain can be different from your user account domain.) In this window, I enter the computer name (RAMSEY-PC) and the computer domain (HEATING).  It takes me to another windows asking for the domain user name, password, and domain.  I enter my user name and password that is in AD and HEATING.  No matter what user name I use I get the "Your computer could not be joined to the domain because - An attempt to resolve the DNS name of a DC in the domain being joined has failed.


pzozulka suggested manually a DNS host name on the DNS server.  I'm not familiar on this.  I added the computer name in AD.  

 

by: pzozulkaPosted on 2008-08-19 at 16:38:59ID: 22264934

Run an ipconfig /all in command prompt to check the primary and secondary DNS servers assigned to this machine.

 

by: FMCBOPPosted on 2008-08-19 at 20:09:19ID: 22265824

There's only a primary server and it's the ip address for the server.

 

by: Chris-DentPosted on 2008-08-20 at 01:10:52ID: 22267072



Hey,

If you open up AD Users and Computers you should have a reference to your domain name in the left hand pane. That should be the DNS version of the name, is that just "Heating" or is it set to "Heating.com"?

If it is Heating.com it suggests that you have problems with the records registered on there which may need further investigation. Check the domain name first though.

Chris

 

by: FMCBOPPosted on 2008-08-20 at 08:53:07ID: 22270997

In the AD Users pane, it has HEATING.local.  I looked under the Domain Controller and it has sei16301.heating.local.  Where the server name is sei16301.  I also disabled the firewalls on the laptop thinking that it may be blocking it.

 

by: Chris-DentPosted on 2008-08-20 at 08:55:39ID: 22271033


Excellent :)

In that case, when attempting to join the name try putting in "heating.local" and see if it lets you?

Chris

 

by: FMCBOPPosted on 2008-08-20 at 11:56:53ID: 22272758

I've tried heating, heating.com, heating.local, sei16301, sei16301.heating, sei16301.heating.com and sei16301.heating.local.  Basically every possible combination.  When I try anything other than heating, I get an error that states that a domain cannot be found.  

 

by: Chris-DentPosted on 2008-08-20 at 11:58:45ID: 22272775


On the command line on that machine, run "nslookup heating.local" and see if you get an IP back? We need the IP of your Domain Controller there.

Using "Heating" is likely to require you to enable Network Discovery if it's not already.

Chris

 

by: FMCBOPPosted on 2008-08-20 at 13:50:41ID: 22273766

I ran nslookup heating.local
Results -
Server is unknown
non-existent domain
192.168.0.1    

I tried nslookup with heating, sei16301, sei16301.heating.local   and got the same message.
192.168.0.1 is the ip address of my server.

 

by: Chris-DentPosted on 2008-08-20 at 13:58:31ID: 22273853


If you open up the DNS console from Administrative Tools on your server, then expand Forward Lookup Zones, can you see "heating.local"?

Chris

 

by: FMCBOPPosted on 2008-08-21 at 08:39:22ID: 22280721

Just checked.

heating.local is listed in the Forward Looking Zones.  Under it, it has AD-integrated and the status is running.

 

by: Chris-DentPosted on 2008-08-21 at 08:41:14ID: 22280746


And 192.168.0.1 is really the IP of your server? Not the Default Gateway / Router?

Chris

 

by: FMCBOPPosted on 2008-08-21 at 08:52:22ID: 22280869

You're correct, 192.168.0.1 is the gateway.  The ip address of the server is 192.168.0.11.

 

by: Chris-DentPosted on 2008-08-21 at 08:53:32ID: 22280882


Ahh okay, change the DNS Server used in the systems TCP/IP configuration to 192.168.0.11. You need it to have that to work correctly with AD (same applies for all your clients / servers).

Chris

 

by: FMCBOPPosted on 2008-08-21 at 11:43:21ID: 22282914

I don't know how many times I looked at the DNS ip address and didn't notice the .1 instead of .11.  Next time, I'll make sure to have the server with a .2 or .3.  That solved one problem and the other was that the user had a second firewall enabled that blocked the server.  Laptop is now connected and apps are working.  Thanks for all your help Chris.

Rick

 

by: Chris-DentPosted on 2008-08-21 at 14:48:17ID: 22284633


You're welcome :)

Chris

 

by: sau_loPosted on 2008-09-02 at 23:20:43ID: 22374558

I am having the same error msg.  Do I have to set up DNS server on my DC in order to have Vista join the domain ?

 

by: Chris-DentPosted on 2008-09-03 at 01:59:43ID: 22375163


Yes.

Active Directory is entirely reliant on DNS for name resolution. Attempting to use AD without proper DNS configuration leads to all manner of fun.

Normally that simply means that all clients and servers must point to a DC, and only a DC, for name resolution (DNS servers in TCP/IP configuration).

Chris

 

by: sau_loPosted on 2008-09-08 at 14:35:54ID: 22421884

Added DNS server on DC as suggested by Chris.  Now, vista can join domain.
Thank you.

20120131-EE-VQP-002

3 Ways to Join

30-Day Free Trial

The Experts

98% positive feedback on 31,087 answers since March 2000. angeliii is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional for his work with MS SQL Server & Develoment.

He has also proven his knowledge of Visual Basic Programming, PHP Scripting and Oracle Databases.

The Experts

97% positive feedback on 10,752 answers since July 2000. lrmoore has more than 18 years experience in the networking industry.

The six-time Mircosoft MVPs specialties include firewalls, virtual private networking, and network management.

Testimonials

"...and excellent source for support... Kind of like having your very own IT dept." Electriciansnet

Testimonials

"I was apprehensive at signing up at first. However... it has already made my life as an IT administrator much easier." JaCrews

Testimonials

"WOW! You guys have great, active, and knowledgeable people on here." moore50

Business Clients

Business Clients

In the Press

"If you’ve got a question... Experts Exchange can supply an answer.”

In the Press

"...an invaluable aid for both IT professionals and those who require tech support."

In the Press

"where IT professionals provide quick answers on just about any topic"

Business Account Plans

Loading Advertisement...