"The Credentials Supplied Conflict with an Existing Set of Credentials" Error Message When a Windows NT 4.0 User Logs On to a Windows Server 2003 Domain

When a Windows NT 4.0 user logs on to a Windows Server 2003 domain, the user may receive the following error message when the logon script runs:

This problem occurs if the Windows NT 4.0 user's Home folder or profile is located on a Microsoft Distributed File System (DFS) share, and the Windows NT 4.0 user logon script maps a drive to the same DFS share.

Specific user credentials are used during logon to connect to the Profile and the Home folders. The credentials are stored in the Multiple UNC Provider (MUP). When the logon script maps a drive to the Profile and the Home folders, the credentials are retained in the MUP, and this generates the error message that is described in the "Symptoms" section.

To work around this problem, log on to the domain controller as an administrator, and then change the Profile Path and the Home Folder settings in the properties of the Windows NT 4.0 user account to point directly to the network share instead of to the DFS share.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.