The invisible workstation on my network

[navychop]

I have a laptop that logs in and works fine in the domain. Runs Outlook, the accounting system, accesses network printers and resources, just like every other workstation.

Only the server says it doesn't exist. It's not listed. Even our outside guy couldn't figure it out.

Anybody ever come across this? Any explanation?

 

[Pepper]

Not listed... where?
What OS and edition?
Does the user actually login using a domain account, or just happen to have local name and password that match the domain account?

 

[harshness]

More details are required.

Some antivirus products (Norton 360 in particular) are most annoying about hiding machines on a network.

If the machine is not registered on LDAP, it can still map drives and other stuff to make software work.

If you don't share anything, your machine may or may not appear.

If the machine is set up for a workgroup (or a different workgroup where there is no domain) it may not show up.

 

[Neutron]

If it's truly on the domain you may need to unjoin it from the domain (if you can even do that at this point), and re-add it. If it still doesn't show up unjoin it from the domain, run sysprep /generalize, reboot, and rejoin to the domain.

 

[mdonnelly]

Do a tracert from that workstation to your server (or other device on your segment) and see where it goes to connect. Maybe it gets in via a gateway.

 

[Neutron]

Is it not listed in Active Directory?

 

[navychop]

Nope. SBS Console, tain't there. -d <1ms with the correct IP returned.

Definitely domain - Outlook (Exchange) and the accounting program would not work otherwise.

Trend Micro Corporate edition AV.

SBS 2008 as domain server, shortly to perform that function and as an Exchanger server only. All apps, printers, AV etc moved to the other server, 2008 R2. Well, the accounting system is the only thing to be moved over, and that happens next week when we upgrade it anyway.

Outside guy is real inclined to let it ride, as everything is working, until we replace the unit. We've had really odd behavior out of this Asus laptop before. I'd guess it's about 4 years old.

Going to have to leave shortly. Just need to reboot the SBS server after another lovely Windows update. Of course, EVERYONE is out of the building so that I won't disturb them with a nuisance reboot.

 

[Foxbat]

If you have searched the whole AD forest and can't find the PC, I'd suspect a cloned machine that has the same GUID as another machine that is showing up.

We've been having the opposite issue with some of our Windows 7 PCs: there are Computer Objects in the domain for the PCs, only the AD object doesn't have the DNS name, Operating System, or OS Version recorded. We've had to reset the object and rejoin the PC to the domain.

 

[navychop]

I'll look into that more closely. But not next week. That's when we'll be installing the new accounting system, and beginning final close out of 2011. Make that 2 or 3 weeks.

I did have to remove one PC that none of us remembered, and wasn't found in the building. Guess that's not bad. Unless it's the name of a traveling laptop that rarely connects to the domain.

I still have two XP machines, to be replaced this year. And one unopened XP OS. Anybody want it?

Of course, I still have some XP laptops with serial ports, used for setting burner controls. Due to s/w, they'll not be updated until we can get updated s/w that uses USB and W7. USB to serial is, er, "iffy" in this application. But they never connect to the domain.

And I have a few OLD laptops with who knows what. I need to create a storage area named "detritus" and then throw everything in it away.