Workstation Service Does Not Start (197157)

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Terminal Server Edition
Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
Microsoft BackOffice Server 4.0
Microsoft BackOffice Server 4.5
Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0
Microsoft Windows NT Server, Enterprise Edition

This article was previously published under Q197157

SYMPTOMS

When you start or reboot a computer that has two network adapters installed, the Workstation service may not start and the following error messages may appear in Event Viewer:

   Event ID: 3870
   Source: Workstation
   Description: <computer name> is not a valid computer name.

   Event ID: 7023
   Source: Service Control Manager
   Description: The Workstation service terminated with the following
   error: A duplicate name exists on the network.

CAUSE

This behavior can occur if both network adapters attempt to register the same NetBIOS name with the Microsoft Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS).

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, disable the NetBEUI protocol that is bound to one of the network adapters. To do this:

Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double- click Network.
Click the Bindings tab, and then click All Adapters in the Show Bindings For box.
Click the plus sign next to the second network adapter.
Click NetBEUI Protocol, and then click Disable.
Click Close, and then restart the computer.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the products listed above.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about NetBIOS names and WINS, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.

103470 NetBIOS Name Conflicts When NetBEUI Used on Multiple NICs

Modification Type:	Minor	Last Reviewed:	7/13/2004
Keywords:	kbenv kbnetwork kbprb KB197157