Services Using UNC Names May Fail (177681)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.51
  • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0
  • Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.51
  • Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0
This article was previously published under Q177681
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information on how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" online Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" online Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SUMMARY

A service uses UNC names to connect to remote resources. The service may fail to start when set to automatic.

CAUSE

The reason for this behavior is that the name of the remote server cannot be resolved through DNS because not all network services are initialized when the service is started.

MORE INFORMATION

When a connection request comes in and the name would resolve over DNS, the "TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper" passes this request to the sockets interface. However, this service is one of the last services started in the startup sequence so this link may not be available.

For additional information on a related issue regarding the Netlogon service in Windows NT 3.51, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

ARTICLE-ID: 155886
TITLE : Domain Controller Not Found When Using DNS

RESOLUTION

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And Values" online Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" online Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it.

To resolve this issue, you need to make LAN Manager workstation dependent on LMHOSTS. Follow these steps:

  1. Start Regedt32.exe.
  2. Expand the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry key to the following subkey:

    SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanManWorkstation

  3. In this key, double-click the existing DependOnService entry in the right pane.
  4. In the Multi-String Editor, add a line containing the string "LMHOSTS" (without the quotes) and click the OK button.
  5. Open the following registry key:

    SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LmHosts

  6. In the right pane, double-click the existing DependOnGroup value.
  7. In the Multi-String Editor, remove the line containing the string NetworkProvider, and then click OK.
  8. Restart the computer.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:8/9/2001
Keywords:kbprb KB177681
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.