Dial-Up Networking Dialog Box Prompts for Domain Name

ID: Q148899

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows 95
  • Microsoft Windows 98

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to establish a Dial-Up Networking connection with another Windows computer, you may receive a User Logon dialog box in which you are prompted for a user name, a password, and a domain name.

NOTE: In the Novell environment, the domain name prompt is replaced with a preferred server prompt.

When you click OK, you may receive the following message:

The computer you have dialed in to has denied access because the username and/or password is invalid on the domain.

After you receive this message, the connection is terminated.


CAUSE

The user name, password, domain name, or preferred server name you are using is incorrect, or the password cache files have become damaged.


RESOLUTION

This behavior can occur in either of the following situations:

  • The Windows Dial-Up Networking Server is connected to a LAN that uses a Microsoft Windows NT or Novell NetWare server for user validation.


  • The Windows Dial-Up Networking Server is not connected to a LAN and does not use a Windows NT or NetWare server for user validation.


In the first situation, if user-level security is enabled, the Dial-Up Networking (DUN) Server provides pass-through user validation to a Windows NT or NetWare server. In this case, correcting the erroneous user name, password, domain name, or preferred server name resolves the issue. It is important to remember when you are using user-level security that a user must have a valid account on the network and must be added to the DUN Server's access list before the user can attempt access.

With share-level security, the server can be password-protected. In this case, the DUN Server does not provide pass-through user validation.

In the second situation, in which the DUN Server does not provide pass- through user validation, the following items can cause the behavior described in this article:

  • There is a password for the server but you are using an incorrect password.


  • There is no password for the server but you are providing a password.


  • The RNA password list cache (.pwl) file is damaged.


If you are providing a password when one is not needed, remove the pass- word from the Dial-Up Networking connection with which you are attempting the connection. If you do not know whether a password is needed for the server, you have forgotten the password, or the .pwl files are damaged, follow these steps on both computers (that is, on both the client and the server):
  1. Close all open programs.


  2. Restart the computer. For Windows 95, when you see the "Starting Windows 95" message, press the F8 key, and then choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu.

    For Windows 98, press and hold down the CTRL key after your computer completes the Power On Self Test (POST), and then choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu. For more information about Windows 98 startup, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
    ARTICLE-ID: Q178548
    TITLE : No "Starting Windows 98" Message at Startup
    NOTE: You must restart your computer to a command prompt to follow these steps correctly. If you rename the Rna.pwl file in an MS-DOS session within Windows, the cached copy of the file is flushed back to disk when you shut down and restart the computer.


  3. Type the following line, and then press ENTER

    cd <windows>

    where <windows> is your Windows folder.


  4. Type the following line, and then press ENTER:

    ren rna.pwl rna.xxx

    Renaming the Rna.pwl file resets the password settings for Dial-Up Server and Direct Cable Connection.


  5. Restart the computer.


After you restart the computer, when you start Dial-Up Networking or DUN Server loads, you receive an error message stating that the password list file is damaged or missing. Acknowledge this message to continue. A new Rna.pwl file is created automatically.

NOTE: If you have installed Microsoft Windows 95 Service Pack 1, password list files can become damaged even after you remove them and they are re- created automatically. To resolve this issue, obtain the Mspwlupd.exe update file and run it. You can obtain this file from the following page on the Microsoft site on the World Wide Web:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows95/downloads/contents/wurecommended/s_wuservicepacks/w95password/default.asp

Additional query words: corrupted

Keywords : kbnetwork kbtool dun win95 win98
Version : WINDOWS:95
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbprb


Last Reviewed: February 19, 1999
© 2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use.