Possible Causes of the NetBT Event ID 4320 (131740)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
  • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.5
  • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.51
  • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0
  • Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.5
  • Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.51
  • Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0
This article was previously published under Q131740
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SYMPTOMS

The following error message may appear in the Event Viewer tool:
Event ID 4320 Source NetBT
NOTE: This article may also apply to Event ID 4319.

CAUSE

There are several possible reasons why this error message may be generated:
  • There is a computer on the network with the same name.
  • Identical user name logged on to multiple computers.
  • Inactive or duplicate names in the WINS database.
  • Corruption in the DHCP database.
  • Conflicting network adapters in a multihomed computer.
  • IPCONFIG /ALL returns incorrect host name.

RESOLUTION

Computer on the Network with the Same Name

For information on translating the IP address of the computer posting the duplicate name error from the Event information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

120752 How to Diagnose Event ID 4320 or 4319

If the IP address is all zeros, have the customer look to see if there are any Windows for Workgroups computers on the network with the same name. Windows for Workgroups computers will sometimes return all zeros for their IP address with this error.

Identical User Name Logged on to Multiple Computers

The user names will register with a <03h> and that will be the name in conflict. Have the user log off of all computers and log back on to just one.

Inactive or Duplicate Names in the WINS Database

Check the database to verify there are no duplicate entries.

For additional information, see the following article or articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

164016 Event ID: 4320 Duplicate Name on Network

Corruption in the DHCP Database

For a possibly corrupted DHCP database, clear DHCP related entries in the registry, as well as delete any .mib files, and then reinstall DHCP. It may be possible, if you reinstalled without cleaning out old settings in the registry, that the problem entries are still there.

Conflicting Network Adapters in a Multihomed Computer

Other computers on the network may indicate that the multihomed computer's second card is in conflict with its first. Those computers will then send the name release message.

IPCONFIG /ALL Returns Incorrect Host Name

Edit the registry and change the computer name in the TCP/IP parameters section.

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

  1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe) and go to the following subkey:

          HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip
      \Parameters
  2. Double-click the Hostname value and edit the string data.
If none of these steps solve the errors from being logged and the your network is acting normal, there is not a problem. Windows NT 3.5 will log this error at times when there is not a problem. Windows NT 3.51 will not have the same problem. Even though there is not a solution for 3.5, be assured that, if you have gone through all the steps above, you are not having a problem.

For additional information, see the following article or articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

131739 Windows NT 3.5: NetBT Event ID 4320

164016 Err Msg: Event ID: 4320 Duplicate Name on Network

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:5/7/2003
Keywords:kbprb KB131740
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