Making a Windows 2000 Box a SBS Client

I could not believe that when I created my new client install disk from Microsoft Back Office Small Business Server 4.5 and put it in the new Windows 2000 machine, setup told me since it had detected Windows 2000, I had to manually configure the system. It told me to see the help file which of course did not exist. No problem I thought, I will just install TCP/IP and join the domain. Well that would not work either, the error message kept saying conflicting credentials. How could  this be, I am logged on as the administrator? Well here is what I found out after many hours of banging my head on the wall.

Windows 2000 calls the administrator account domainname.adminsitrator however, SBS will not accept the qualified name in the join domain dialog box. The only work around I have found is to create a new user on the SBS system with admin privileges called anything other than administrator. Then run the new client wizard and create a new NT computer account* using the new admin account. Let the wizard create the setup disk but , DO NOT USE the disk it will create. Log on to the new machine as the local administrator (not the new account) and right click on "My Network Places" next choose properties. On the menu bar pick Advanced and then Network Identification. On this screen click the button labeled Properties. Now set the computer name to the name you used when you ran the wizard and then choose member of domain. Fill in the SBS Domain and use the credentials of the new account you just created. When the computer reboots log on to the domain using the new account name and the SBS Client install will proceed form the server scripts.

I have asked a number of Microsoft people to get the SBS Team to create a patch for SBS but so far no luck. I could not even find Knowledgebase article about it.

Good Luck, and Happy Computing.

* It is necessary to create the account using the wizard so SBS will create all the install scripts on the server for your new computer. Even though you will not use the setup disk you will use the server scripts once you force the new computer onto the domain.

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