Logon Problems - "Applying Computer Settings"

[mattpant]

Hi Guys,

I've been having problems with a selection of computers all in the same room for some time now and it is really bugging me what it might be.

The computers can work fine for days on end then one day when you try to log in, you enter the username and password and it logs in but then stays on the "Applying Computer Settings" message for ages, if you leave the computer on that screen, eventually it will load up the desktop (After about 30mins)

When this problem occurs, it happens on the same machines each time in that room (About 16 out of 30).

DNS is running ok. DHCP is fine, Network drivers are up to date as are Windows Updates, and I'm puzzled!

If you restart the computers about 10 times, they will then continue to work normally (Until the next time)

I've found that re-ghosting a machine and adding it back to the network cures the problem but again, until the next time! I've also found that removing the computer from the domain then adding it back to the domain and OU fixes the problem, but again, only 'til it occurs again.

Thinking it may have been a problem with the network switch, I changed over patch leads into a different switch to try but still the problem occured, the computers that are playing up are plugged into 2 different switches anyway, so I don't think it's a faulty switch.

Event Viewer doesn't seem to be pointing out any clues, has anybody on here come across similar problems or know what it might be?

Regards,

Matt

[Ric_]

I had issues with a load of machines that would intermitantly refuse to talk to some 3COM switches. I found using a different NIC or rebooting the switch fixed the problem for a bit.

[mark]

Do you have any scripts running - can you run them visible to see if it isn't a problem there?

Don't think it's that but maybe worth a try??

[Dos_Box]

Are you sysprepping the PCs when you Ghost them? Duplicate GUIDs can produce problems like this.

[mattpant]

@Ric - I thought it may have been something like that to start with, but doens't appear to be, I've restarted the switches, but no difference, I moved the PC to a network point in the room that I know the computer works on, and I've even taken the computer out of the room to a different room to try and still it won't log on.

Thinking it may have been a batch of faulty NICs or Motherboards I took a Hard Drive from a Non-Working computer to a Working computer in the hope that the non-working would start working, but still nothing (But this help rule out any hardware faults) just to take it further, I put the HDD from a Working Computer into an Non-Working computer and.. it worked! Confussed yet! lol

What I don't understand is why there is only 16 or so out of the whole room not working when they all came from the same Ghost Image and all in the same OU group!

@Mark Yeah there are scripts running at logon/startup but I don't think it is a problem with that.

@Dos_Box yeah the machines are/have been sysprep so shouldn't be a problem with duplicate GUIDs

We use to have computers in this OU group with the same computer names, which have now been removed from this OU group into a new OU group with different computer names, that shouldn't make any difference should it??? IE, we have replaced all the old computers from this IT room with new ones and have reused the old computers elsewhere in the school.

Cheers,

Matt

[Ric_]

Did you blitz the computers that were taken out? There may be something on them that is interfering.

As Dos_Box will tell you, it's probably DNS related

[mark]

Anybody know of any good DNS resources/ guides to help?

[_Bat_]

Anybody know of any good DNS resources/ guides to help?

Ummm... if it is a DNS problem, good luck! Over the past two or three weeks DNS has been on our minds constantly because it simply refused to work properly! We suspect that our DNS server passed on some bad DNS before we managed to demote and replace it (it has been in the process of dying for a while). For some reason it works now, but i'm still not entirely sure what we did that got it to work and it took two weeks to do whatever it was.

I don't think any of us are really keen on DNS though...

[mattpant]

Thanks for the replies... I'm in the middle of formatting a machine and re-doing it in case it's a simple software error or corrupt file that is giving us the problems.

On the note of DNS, if that was the problem, would you expect me to have problems with more machines around the school, as it only seems to be a problem with the same 16 machines or so in the same room.

Cheers,

Matt

We use to have computers in this OU group with the same computer names, which have now been removed from this OU group into a new OU group with different computer names, that shouldn't make any difference should it??? IE, we have replaced all the old computers from this IT room with new ones and have reused the old computers elsewhere in the school.

So you renamed the old computers and used the same names for the new ones? If so try fluching the servers DNS cache and then re image the computers and name them with a new names that have never been used.

[ufuo]

It might be a problem with network congestion. Check the bandwidth of the network to that room from any of the problem computers especially when the problem comes up again. It could be that the problem occurs occassionaly due to any reason ranging from a faulty return path, faulty patch cable or even a switch. All of these can lead to a slow network link.

If you join a computer to a domain over a slow network its identification and authentication and therefore its performance on the network is very unpredictable.

You might also want to try out a different network card with its most recent updated drivers on one of the problem PCs and watch out if when the problem occurs again it also affects this particular pc.

[Face-Man]

We have had the same issues here from time to time. It only seem to occur with us when Ghost tryed to allocate the same computer name. I think there must have been some remaint in the DNS settings. Since I've started using new names every time the problem has not reoccured.

[ChrisH]

Anybody know of any good DNS resources/ guides to help?

If you want a good book on the subject try this Mark