Adding Dell laptop to domain?

Question

Ok here is the scenario. I do volunteer work at a free clinic that supplies free medical services to low income families. They have a small network consisting of a single Windows 2003 server setup as a domain. There is a DSL modem, a D Link gateway, and a D Link 8 port switch. There are 7 client computers running Windows XP Pro. All of these client computers are working perfectly. Here is the problem. I have a Dell laptop running XP Pro that I would like to have access to the network as I sometimes work from home and would like to transfer that work to the server. At present I have to save all my work on a thumb drive and upload it to one of the client computers and then transfer it to the server. This way is very time consuming. The clinic has a business administrator but no network administrator since the former administrator moved on to a different position elsewhere. What can I do to get connected?

Answer 1

You have to have administrator privileges to the server so that you can have your machine added to the list of authorized machines.

It is not a procedure that I would recommend to the faint of heart. In addition to messing with server software, there is another huge downside to what you are talking about.

Setting up a machine for a domain involves having the server place a hidden file on your machine that Windows will access to check log in credentials when you are not connected to the domain server. This file is what allows you to log in.

But that is the only way you can log in. You can no longer log onto your home network and access your home system. You would not be able to share files with your desktop at home or at another location. Domains do not allow this for security reasons.

So let's say that you HAVE to connect to another network because you HAVE to print something right now. You go to Control Panel>Users on the laptop (since you have administrator rights to your machine, that's easy), change from the domain to a work group and enter your work group name. Windows let's you do all this, does not say a peep, and when you are done, you get a polite pop up asking you to reboot.

Guess what?? - You can no longer log onto your laptop!!! That hidden file that the server loaded was wiped out with NO warning at all as soon as you messed with the domain name. All normal log ins and user names are GONE!!! Now the only way to log onto your machine is to have the ORIGINAL password used by the person that set up the laptop in the first place. The only hope you have is that the guy at Dell used "administrator" and "blank". Otherwise you are up the smelly creek with no paddle and your next step will be format C:

Sorry for the long post - but I thought you would want to know