Disconnecting from a Trusted Domain Network (108505)

SYMPTOMS

If you have a Windows NT computer that participates in a trusted domain structure that is sometimes disconnected from the main network, you may experience problems accessing it from another computer when it is disconnected from the main network.

An example of this scenario is the following:

A field engineer has two computers. One computer runs Windows NT and participates in a trusted domain. The other computer runs Windows for Workgroups. The computer running Windows for Workgroups is connected to the Windows NT computer, but the computer running Windows NT is not connected to the main network. Accessing the Windows NT computer from the Windows for Workgroups computer can result in the following error message:

Access Denied

The Windows NT computer will look for the Domain Controller when it is accessed and it cannot find one, so it returns the above error message.

WORKAROUND

When you are not connected to the main network, you can change the Windows NT computer to be a member of a workgroup instead of a member of a domain. You can do this with the Network applet in Control Panel.

Now the Windows NT computer will not look for the Domain Controller. You must have a user with the permissions you want defined in the local account database or this will not work.

Don't forget to rejoin the domain you were in when the Windows NT computer is reconnected to the main network.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Windows NT and Windows NT Advanced Server version 3.1. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.