Windows 2000-Based or Windows Server 2003-Based Computer Is Inaccessible from the Domain

When you try to connect to a Windows 2000-based computer or a Windows Server 2003-based computer from other computers on the network, you may receive one of the following error messages.

• From a Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0-based computer, you receive the following error message:
  Error = There are currently no logon servers available to service the logon request.
• From a Microsoft Windows 98-based computer, you receive the following error message
  Error 2215: computername is not accessible. The logon server cannot be found
  where computername is the name of the Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003, based computer.

The Windows 2000-based computer or a Windows Server 2003-based computer is logged on to the domain and can connect to everything else on the network, but Event Viewer shows that the computer cannot contact the domain controller. The Netdiag utility reports that the computer is logged on to the domain through cached credentials.

This behavior can occur because the cached credentials allow the Windows 2000-based computer or a Windows Server 2003-based computer to log on to the domain even though the computer is not communicating properly with the domain controller. When a domain user attempts to gain access to shares on the Windows 2000-based computer or a Windows Server 2003-based computer, the Windows 2000-based computer or a Windows Server 2003-based computer tries unsuccessfully to contact the domain controller and verify the user's credentials. Because the computer cannot contact the domain controller, the errors occur.

To resolve this behavior, join the Windows 2000-based computer or a Windows Server 2003-based computer to a workgroup named WORKGROUP, and then restart the computer. Rejoin the computer to the domain, and then restart the computer again. The computer no longer logs on through cached credentials.