Cannot open the 'AD Users and Computers' Administrative Tool

[Norphy]

No destruction, you just loose your personalised settings.

[Michael]

Are you using Windows XP x64 by any chance? Have a look here

[tarquel]

Ok norphy - I'll give it a go

@michael:

Interesting to know - but all Windows XP's [and servers] are 32bit.

Cheers
Nath

[Michael]

If you go to My Computer > Tools > Folder Options and click the File Types tab, what program are *.MSC files associated with? On my machine it is associated with the MMC console.

I presume you have checked to see that dsa.msc does exist in C:\WINDOWS\system32? I've attached the file which is from my XP SP2 workstation (if you want to try manually copying the file). Rename the file to dsa.msc The .msc file extension isn't allowed on EduGeek so I renamed it to dsc.doc

[tarquel]

@Michael:
lol nice idea with the file types but nothing to do with that - the error message is too specific for one thing.

If you look at most of my posts in the thread, you'll notice that I said it happens on both the workstations and the servers [and the adminpak is installed on them all]


@all:

Sorted it

By clearing out the administrator profile

Simple as that - thanks Norphy for reactivating my brain to remember to try that - and a pint for all you too [if you are/I am at the conf - dont think it would travel in the post hehe].

Cheers
Nath

[bossman]

Are u using mstsc (microsoft terminal services client) to connect to the servers, if so by default it only allows two conections. So u must have two connections to the server already. If you log in to the server again using this method (mstsc) and then log the administrator out by the usual method you should find that it will allow connection. Hope this remedies the fault. also you can go into the terminal services on the server and set the connections to unlimited if you want but i wouldn't condone this action for safety reasons.

[buzzard]

Best way to resolve the "two" connections setting is to set it to disconnect idle connection after X amount of time

[tarquel]

bossman & buzzard:

Thanks guys, but its not that i.e. I'm not using the microsoft terminal services client.

Its just bog-standard loading it up on the server and loading it up on the client workstations - The same version but somewhere along the line, it corrupts the profile and the rest is history i guess hehe

Easily solved with a quick wipe of the MMC part of the profile - but strange how I never had that problem until recently [start of the thread date-ish].

I now cant reset a user's password now lol when going to reset password using the AD U&C console. I get:

Windows cannot complete the password change for user <nameofuser> because:

Access is denied

hehe How does that make sense? I'm the administrator hehe

It does work however, by not being on the domain [my machine i use is not attached to the domain yet hehe] and installing the adminpak and using the AD C&U console - then connecting to the domain.

That works.

I think it must be my roaming profile on the administrator account ]no laughing now lol]

Cheers
Nath