Tony_W

Help!

I've built a server with Win 2003 server Small Business Edition, and have 5 Desktop PC's to complete the LAN.

How do I set up each Desktop to logon via accounts set up on the server? In otherwords the server holds the user accounts/settings/mail e.t.c. rather than the Desktop.

(I can do the standard, local user accounts on each PC no problem but want everything to be configured via the server instead of individual machine)

Do I have to start all over again and re-install Win XP on each desktop and make some different settings during the load, or can I configure the PC to go to the server to logon wihtout a re-load?

Any help much appreciated. Scoobynet has never let me down before!!

Tony

ChrisB

If you have SBS, there's a wizard on the server which will set-up the client PCs for you.

Or, I set them up manually.

When logged onto the local PC as an Administrator, right click My Computer and choose Properties.

Goto Computer Name and click change. Check the Domain box and type in the domain name you entered when you installed SBS.

Reboot the PC as prompted. When it reboots, you can click options on the logon box and you should be able to logon against the domain rather than the local PC.

HTH,

Chris.

Neil Smalley

What are benefits for doing this for say 5 pc's , as opposed to using the standard P2P windows networking?

Tony_W

Thanks Chris. I'll give it a try.

The benefits are one set of accounts/settings which can be backed up, rather than having be-spoke accounts on the PC's.

If everything is in one place it's easier to adjust as well.

I set up a school system with 35 PCs where every PC has 8 users on it. This is great as it doesn't rely on the server being up (It used to crash all the time until I rebuilt it) for the kids to do some work, although with it up it stores all documents on the server for easy backup.
The problem comes when you want to add software, you then have to go to every PC and update the desktop/program lists, or ghost everything form scratch.

I want to avoid it this time round with this small office set up.

I'm sure there's loads of other benefits as well...
Tony

Tony_W

Chris,

It won't work.

I can ping from PC to server okay, so they are connected.

I've tried opening the browser and using the SBS wizard though http://SERVER/ComputerConnect

It starts but then says a list of users and computers could not be found on the server, but they are there because I can pull them up on the server!

Anyone any advice?

Tony_W

Think I've sorted it.

going through Network connections on the server the domain has been cut short by one letter , so I can now adjust the Desktop machine accordingly.

It now logs on!!

Bloody computers

Thanks for the help chris.

Tony_W

It's just sat there now saying loading your personal settings....been like this for 4 mins now. Just when you think you've cracked it.

Hurray, settings completed , now have login via Server...