Using Winscl.exe to Remove Corrupt WINS Entries by Version ID

• Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.51 and 4.0

SUMMARY

You can use the Winsdmp.exe and Winscl.exe Resource Kit utilities to remove corrupt entries from the Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) database.

This article explains how to use Winsdmp.exe to determine the version ID of the corrupt entries and how to use Winscl.exe to remove those entries.

In certain cases (such as when names contain extended characters or spaces) it is necessary to remove entries based on their version ID, rather than name (using the DN option). The DN option fails when you attempt to remove these entries with extended characters or spaces. Also, the DN option only removes single entries, and does not remove ranges of entries.

NOTE: The WINS Server must be running when you use Winscl.exe to modify the WINS database.

MORE INFORMATION

1. Run Winsdmp.exe to dump the WINS database.

   Example:

   WINSDMP 130.0.10.1 > Winsdata.txt

   The following is an example line that information that WINSDMP provides:

      130.10.10.10,"TEST           ",0,17,3,0,0,502,0,820870950,1,130.0.25.14
   
      The following table lists each item in the example above on the left
      side and the corresponding explanation for the example item on the
      right side:
   
         Example Item        Explanation for Example Item
         ------------        ----------------------------
         130.10.10.10        The IP address of the owner of the entry
         "TEST"              The NetBIOS name of the entry
         0                   The 16th character of the NetBIOS name
         17                  The number of characters in the name
                             (15 for NetBIOS name + 2 for ID)
         3                   Type of Record
         0                   State of Record
         0                   Version ID (High order)
         502                 Version ID (Low order)
         0                   Static Flag
         820870950           Time Stamp
         1                   Number of records in entry
         130.0.25.14         IP Addresses assigned to entry
   
      The possible Record Type values are defined as:
   
         UNIQUE        = 0
         NORMAL GROUP  = 1
         SPECIAL GROUP = 2
         MULTIHOMED    = 3
   
      The possible Record State values are defined as:
   
         ACTIVE    = 0
         RELEASED  = 1
         TOMBSTONE = 2
   
   

2. Use the data from the dump to compile a list of entries (or a range of entries) to be removed from the WINS database. Then use the Winscl.exe utility to delete the individual entry or the range of entries.

The example below uses low order bit of the version ID (which is 502 in the earlier example) and the high order bit (which is 0 in the earlier example) to remove a single WINS entry.

Example: (with annotations in <<<   >>>)

TCP/IP or named pipe. Enter 1 for TCP/IP – 1   <<<enter 1 here>>>
Address of Nameserver to contact--130.0.10.1   <<<this is the IP address

Address of Owner Wins -- 130.10.10.10   <<<this is the IP address of the

Min. Vers. No (<high part> <low part> -- 0 502   <<<this is the minimum

Max. Vers. No (<high part> <low part> -- 0 502   <<<this is the maximum

NOTE: If the Maximum Version Number is different than the Minimum Version Number it will delete the full range. The version number can also be obtained from the WINS Manager in the Show Database window under version ID column. The version ID shown in this window is in HEX. It needs to be converted to decimal to use with Winscl.exe. For example, if the version ID is 201 for the record that needs to be deleted, the Minimum version number becomes 0 513 when used with WINSCL.

For more information on using WINSCL.EXE, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q137582
   TITLE     : Using WINSCL.EXE