Win7 Starter not connecting to server

[SimpleSi]

Got a bit of a wierd one in my non-standard network setup

I've a bunch of Win7 Start netbooks and I set one up to auto-login as pupil no password (like all my XP Home laptops).

Added all the software and then just using Samsung's backup/restore to clone it to 8 other computers.

Went to use them for a lesson and all worked fine except for number 7 which asks for a network password and wont accept username pupil/blank password as a valid combo

I've re-imaged the machine from number 9 - number 9 works fine - number 7 still asks for password

Any ideas?

Si

[ricki]

HI Si

Can I ask some questions

Is this on a domain or a workgroup?
Does the share reside on a computer with restrictions on the share who can get in either in the share or the ntfs.
Is the time, date and location set correctly? Kerberos only works with a 5 min difference.
Have you put a time sync in as say a script at startup to a time computer on the network?
How are you mapping your drives?
I know this will be a silly question but why are you using starter would pro not be better.

Richard

[Michael]

Just use a password reset utility. You can boot from a USB CD drive. It is a little odd it doesn't work though I must admit.

[SimpleSi]

Is this on a domain or a workgroup?

My standard w2k3 setup - server acting as simple file/printer/dns/dhcp but not a domain.

Does the share reside on a computer with restrictions on the share who can get in either in the share or the ntfs.

Share has no restrictions - has worked fine with XP for years and works fine with other Win7 netbooks

Is the time, date and location set correctly? Kerberos only works with a 5 min difference.

Yep - 2 mins ahead of server

Have you put a time sync in as say a script at startup to a time computer on the network?

yep - buts its not running as its run from a network share

How are you mapping your drives?

using a bat file - net map p: \\server\classstuff - but its not making it to that stage

My intial startup script is

@echo off

rem remove \\ from begining of path
@set d=%WPKGROOT:\\=%

rem replace \ with space
@set e=%d:\= %

rem parse out server name
@for /f "tokens=1 delims=/ " %%a in ("%e%") do set WPKGSERVER=%%a


@set /A wpkgCounter=0
 
:start

ping -n 1 %WPKGSERVER% | find "Reply" > nul
if errorlevel 1 echo School Server Not Found && goto :dead
@goto alive
rem @IF ERRORLEVEL 0 GOTO alive


:dead
@set /A wpkgCounter+=1
IF %wpkgCounter% GTR 6 goto end
cscript c:\lconfig\wpkgdelay\wpkgwait5.vbs
@GOTO start

:alive
cscript c:\lconfig\wpkgdelay\wpkgwait5.vbs
start /min %WPKGROOT%\wpkgstart.bat
@GOTO end

:end
rem pause

which finds the name of the server from an enviroment variable and then pings the server and then runs a network script - since I see nothing in the cmd window I'm assuming its failing at the point where it trys to run the network script %WPKGROOT%\wpkgstart.bat

I know this will be a silly question but why are you using starter would pro not be better.

Just the money - this is what I do - just use Win98/XP Home/Win7 Starter on client machines and save on the MS tax

Like I say, the machine its cloned from works fine (its now been cloned from 2 other machines) so I'm thinking its the hardware but I'm at a loss to explain how a hardware issue causes this behaviour.

The netbook connects to the internet just fine

[Cache]

Does it do the same if you autologin onto the pc with an account using a password? If it does, doesn't explain why it does it, but might be a way forward?

[SimpleSi]

@cache - forgot to try your suggestion but tried the netbook on another network (same server name/password setup and it did the same.

SO I decided to do a complete restore back to factory setup and went through normal setup procedure as if it was just a machine for home and then tried to connect to an open share on the server - exactly the same problem - asks for a password and even if I say use a different account credemtials- itws still says no - but still goes out onto Internet OK.

Very very confused

Si

[Michael]

When you're entering the username and password, are you entering it as domain\username password?

[SYNACK]

When you're entering the username and password, are you entering it as domain\username password?

This is SimpleSi, domain is a swear word it would be more like RemoteWorkstation\username

Given that the fault has survived a rebuild it is quite odd, maybe try getting the clock closer to the server time. Also try connecting to a share on a different computer if one is avalible.

[Michael]

This is SimpleSi, domain is a swear word it would be more like RemoteWorkstation\username

The current expression on my face:

[Cache]

The only other thing I've found doesn't explain why a cloned restored backup still does it, but don't know what else is this thread:

Windows 7 can&#39t access Share in a workgroup

It suggests it's to do with the Lan Manager authentication not being sent and changing it using Group Policy, but also includes a reg key to do it which you could try:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa]
"LmCompatibilityLevel"=dword:00000001

[Duke5A]

Check DNS, maybe you've got a duplicate host name. When the client tries to connect to the server it's seeing it already has an active connection from another host that resolves to the same name and it swats it down. Since you've blown off the machine a couple times now the problem has to reside server side.

[john]

What happens if you turn and knock out say number 9 which works does 7 then work? Just wondering if you have reached some connection limit on something perhaps?

[Arthur]

How to enable Windows 7 computer to accept blank passwords while accessing through the network?

[SimpleSi]

@synack

but tried the netbook on another network (same server name/password setup and it did the same.

and

I decided to do a complete restore back to factory setup and went through normal setup procedure as if it was just a machine for home and then tried to connect to an open share on the server - exactly the same problem

(this was the second server not the 1st one - and I'm talking server in a different school on a different lan!)

I know the concept of clients auto-logging in with a username and no password is alien to 99.9999% of you but I've had 300 computers from win98 to win7 on 12 networks doing this for 10 years so that bit is tried and tested.

I've got this one rogue Win7 netbook that won't do it on 2 separate networks either as a clone of a working machine (computer name changed after cloning) or even if I factory reset it to square one and then go through the initial setting up process.

I wonder if the time is right but the day/month/year is completely out!
I'll check tomorrow.

Si

[Michael]

Just a thought, but if you're auto-logging on, why not just set a password instead of a blank password? The result would be the same thing.