Windows XP Professional Joining a Domain

You should have checked first your Network adapter, then you should verify / configure the
network setup to make sure that your network is working properly.

Note : Windows XP Home Edition is NOT able to join a domain, but can access data on a Domain Server.

BEFORE joining the Domain (Windows NT / 2000 Domain server), make sure that you can
communicate with the domain server :

	In the Control-Panel, select the System icon: (or right-click "My Computer" on the desktop and select Properties) Select the tab : Computer Name First, make sure that your system is configured as a workgroup, using as name for the workgroup the EXACT same name as the domain, which you like to joing later.
	Check in "My Network Places": that you can see the shared resources on the Domain server (in my example: on the system P120SVR).
	You can also select to "View workgroup computers", and since your workgroup name is the same as the domain-name, you should now see all systems in the domain. note: If you need to connect to a Windows 2000 Active Directory Domain server, which is configured without NetBIOS over TCP/IP, nothing will be shown here, in such cases use in "My Network Places" the "Search" to locate the Domain server.
	Once you have communication to the Domain server, THEN go again to the Control-Panel, select the System icon: (or right-click "My Computer" on the desktop and select Properties) Select the tab : Computer Name Select now to "Change"
	Select to be a "Member of ... Domain", enter the name of your Domain ( NOT of the Domain Server ). Click on OK. If your network administrator has already created the "Computer Account" on the Windows NT4 or Windows 2000 Domain server, then you are done.
	If the "Computer Account" does not yet exist on the Domain server, then you will be prompted for a Username and password : This is NOT any username defined on your Windows XP system, but a username defined on the Domain server, which has the rights to add systems to a Domain (usually the Administrator).
	You need to get this Welcome message.
	Since joining a domain is a major change in the security configuration of your system, you will be reminded that you have to restart your system.
	You will be back in the "System Properties", where you are reminded to restart your system, which you should do now.

These screen dumps have been made using :
"VMWARE Workstation 3.0" of VMWARE.
( more details on this very powerful program )

When now restarting the system or making a log-off, you get "Welcome to Windows "
(regardless of the style of Logon Windows was previously configured ) :

where you need to press AT THE SAME TIME the 3 keys Ctrl , Alt and Delete to get
the "Log On to Windows" :

If you see only the lines for Username and Password, you MUST select "Options > >" :

This will display the additional line : "Log on to: ", which allows you to select, whether you like
to log on to your local system ( using the User database defined on your own system
( this computer ) ") or whether you like to log on (selected from the drop-down arrow)
to the Domain-server, using the User database defined on the Domain-server (see the explanation
for NT4 Windows NT4 Workgroup versus Domain for some more details on the difference).

When selecting to "Log on to " a Domain server, then the Username and password
need to be defined on the Domain server (they can be different ! ).

Once you a Logged on to the Domain, you have on YOUR system only the rights / permissions,
as they are defined on the Domain server, which is most office environments has now the effect,
that you have no more permissions to make any changes :

	Example : When now selecting the Control-Panel the System icon: tab: Computer name you have not anymore the permission to use "Change" If you need to make a change : - Logon to the Domain as a user, which has Permissions to make changes (usually the Administrator ) or
	- do NOT log-on to the Domain, but log on to your local computer, using a user name defined in the LOCAL User database as Administrator.

These screen dumps have been made using :
"VMWARE Workstation 3.0" of VMWARE.
( more details on this very powerful program )