2000SBS unable to be viewed by network clients

If it was reformated and reinstalled then all of the SID's (Security ID's) were wiped out.  You need to re-attach the workstations using the connection disk.  Basically reinstalling your entire network.

Also, you should be running SP4 on your server.

Jeff
TechSoEasy

Cheers Jeff,

The server is currently working through all the updates as we speak.

All the pcs were connected using the Network ID wizard, is this not enough or shall i use something else?

Perhaps I jumped to conclusions... did you restore the server's system state (ie, Active Directory) before reconnecting it to the Network?  Or did you rebuild AD?

Jeff
TechSoEasy

We rebuilt the AD.
problem i have noticed is that if i don't log the server on i can get the pc's to see the server and it acts fine. when i login the server drops off of the network, only to the point where i can't see it. I can still ping it thou.
I have ran adaware, antivirus.
I have also found things on admin share's not being available and that hasn't worked.
I have tried login on as another user and that does the same. There isn't anything in the startup folder or in the reg under runservices apart from MS update.
If i log the server off after being logged on it still plays up. Needs a complete reboot to get it work properly then left to stand on the log on screen

cheer

Since you rebuilt the AD, the client workstations should have been removed from the domain and readded using a newly created setup disk.

Jeff
TechSoEasy

We have added the workstations using the network wizard on the workstations. We shouldn't need to use a disk should we. Never have done before

Well, otherwise you need to configure all the clients manually:  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316418

Jeff
TechSoEasy

already done it that way. I have a fairly good idea on networking. and have tried various other ways of connecting it.
Any other idea's ?

If you restored your System State / Active Directory, etc. before you had applied the same service packs and patches (Windows Server 2000 SP4, and SBS SP1a http://support.microsoft.com/kb/326914) then you could experience this type of problem.  Honestly, this is not an area I'm very well versed in, but every disaster recovery method I've seen has always stated that you need to reinstall the server to it's exact operational state before restoring AD and data.

If that's not what's causing the problem.. it could be due to automatic updates on the client side the week before you posted this question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917767

Beyond that, you will need to scour the event logs and see what is actually NOT happening.

Jeff
TechSoEasy

what i have noticed is in the registry i have under
hkey_local_machine\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\run and runservice

there is a link :-
name -                                           data
microsoft update adbpro        -      msupdate33.exe
microsoft windows update 32 -      winupdate32.exe

when i delete the adbpro line from the reg it regens itself. yet the winupdate32.exe doesn't.
i'm assuming that the winupdate32.exe is part of normal ms update ?
i don't no what msupdate33.exe does or what adbpro is.
any ideas

Well, probably not a good assumption because that's what virus writers expect.  What Anti-virus are you running on your system?

Jeff
TechSoEasy

Symantec Norton Antivirus Corp edit

it was a spybot virus in the end
cheers jeff