Mysterious wireless network problem
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Britinga
345 pts.
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Q:
Mysterious wireless network problem
XP Pro, Wireless Network, Laptops, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003
We have a wireless network in our small high school that is usually trouble-free. Server is 2003 server; clients are XP Professional. We use roaming profiles. There is a bank of five HP laptops in the library that use this wireless connectivity. The machines are identical in model and OS. Four of these laptops function as expected. One of them returns the message "Domain not available" if anyone BUT the admin logs in. Logging in as administrator shows no errors. The network adapter works, and the signal is strong. I created an account and gave this account admin rights to the computer, but could not log in with it, even though I could use that account successfully with the other computers. Why should it work for administrator and nobody else?
ASKED: Sep 16 2009  7:30 PM GMT
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Mshen
23505 pts.
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It sounds like it is using cached credentials to log the administrator account in. Create a local user account, and see if you can log into the machine. If that is successful, the laptop is not connected to the network when it is at the login prompt. You should make sure the wireless antenna is active after a reboot and does not turn on after you login.
Last Answered: Sep 16 2009  9:40 PM GMT by Mshen   23505 pts.
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Britinga   345 pts.  |   Sep 17 2009  1:20PM GMT

But when I log in as administrator, I can browse the network, so it’s not an adapter problem, surely? I can also log in to the computer locally. How can I check to see whether it’s connected to the network before logging in?

 

Mshen   23505 pts.  |   Sep 17 2009  6:47PM GMT

First make sure the wireless antenna light is always on. If it turns on only after you login, you should see the issue.

Then login and make sure the wireless network is configured as the default network and it is the at the top of the list in Wireless Preferences.

 

KevinBeaver   7610 pts.  |   Sep 18 2009  12:00PM GMT

When I see odd behavior like this I’ve found that it’s quite often the symptom of a malware infection. Have you checked for that using multiple scanners?

 

Britinga   345 pts.  |   Sep 18 2009  5:19PM GMT

Thanks for the suggestions. I ended up doing what I should have done in the first place - removed the computer from the domain, then added it again. That solved the problem. Why, I’ve no idea - sometimes you just have to guess, I suppose.

 
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