Errors Connecting to Server During Over-the-Network Setup (95655)

SUMMARY

You may receiving the following errors when you install or upgrade a Microsoft LAN Manager MS-DOS workstation with an over-the-network (OTN) installation disk:

Error 1: Access Denied

Cause: The server you are using for the network installation share must have a guest account.

Error 2: Bad command or filename

Cause: The guest and USER accounts must have read and execute (RX) privileges for the C:\LANMAN\NINSTALL directory.

Error 3: Connection refused or syntax error

Cause: The guest account must not have a password. Any or all of these can be caused by an incorrectly configured guest account on the server with the network installation share. Ways of correcting this are found in the MORE INFORMATION section below.

Because this article deals with several problems arising from one cause, it differs in style from the usual PRB article.

MORE INFORMATION

The OTN boot disk uses the LAN Manager basic workstation redirector. The program UNIQSTRT (listed in the AUTOEXEC.BAT of the OTN install disk) generates a random name so it can start the redirector with "net start workstation unique_name."

A LAN Manager Basic MS-DOS workstation is not actually "logged on" to the domain and validated by the NETLOGON service, so no password is required. If you want to access a share with a password from an MS-DOS basic workstation, you must enter the password when you request access to the share (for example, NET USE \\SERVER\SHARE PASSWORD). If you fail to give the correct password for the account, you receive the following error:

connection refused or syntax error

Therefore, if there is a password on the guest account, the OTN installation fails when it tries to access the install share on the server.

There are several ways to remove the password on a guest account:

You can use NET ADMIN (Accounts, Users, Guest Zoom and then put spaces in the password field, then backspace over the entire thing. (It's not elegant, but it works.)
You can use the NET USER command, as follows:
net user guest ""
If you know what the password on your guest account is, you can use the NET PASSWORD command:
net password oldpassword ""

If there is some reason you want to have a password on your guest account, edit the NET USE line in the OTN install disk's AUTOEXEC.BAT as follows:

   net use \\server\ninstall guestpassword

Another problem can occur when you change the default name for the guest account using the optional entry "guestacct" in the [server] section of the LANMAN.INI.

When you set up a server in a domain, LAN Manager installs a user account with the username guest and no password in the user accounts database. The "password required" parameter for the guest account is set to "no" (NET USER GUEST /PASSWORDREQ:NO).

When you create any other user account, the default value for the /PASSWORDREQ parameter is "yes." If you don't change the password required parameter for your new guest account, the rules about password size will apply, and you may not be able to remove the password for your guest account. (You can use the Net Accounts command to check the minimum password length.)

For example, the command

net user guest_account_name ""

may return the error message:

NET2245: The password is shorter than required

To resolve this problem:

Change the password required flag
net user visitor /passwordreq:no
-or-
Change the minimum password length
net accounts /minpwlen:0