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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 :
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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.
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Check in "My
Network Places":

that you can see the shared resources
on the Domain server
(in my example: on the system
P120SVR).
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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.
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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"
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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. |
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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). |
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You need to get this Welcome message. |
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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. |
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You will be back in the
"System Properties", where you are
reminded to restart your system,
which you should do now. |
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 :
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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 )
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- 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. |
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