You cannot connect to an 802.1X wired network after you upgrade to Windows XP Service Pack 3

After you upgrade a Windows XP-based computer to Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3), and then you restart the computer, you cannot connect to an 802.1X wired network to which you were previously able to connect.

In Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), both the wired and wireless connections are handled by the Wireless Zero Configuration (WZCSVC) service. Additionally, this service is always running. In Windows XP SP3, this WZCSVC functionality is divided into the following separate services as part of Network Access Protection (NAP) integration:

• The WZCSVC service
• The Wired AutoConfig service (DOT3SVC)

The WZCSVC service in Windows XP SP3 manages only wireless connections. The Wired AutoConfig service manages wired connections, and the startup type of this service is configured as Manual. Therefore, you cannot connect to an 802.1X wired network until you manually start the Wired AutoConfig service.

To resolve this problem, use one of the following methods, as appropriate for your situation.

Method 1: Manually start the Wired AutoConfig service

If you are an end-user who has already installed Windows XP SP3, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type services.msc, and then press ENTER.
3. Locate the Wired AutoConfig service, right-click it, and then click Start.

Method 2: Deploy Windows XP SP3 by using a GPO

If you are an administrator who wants to automatically start the Wired AutoConfig service and to deploy Windows XP SP3 on multiple client computers, follow these steps on a domain controller:

Step 1: Pre-deployment

1. Create a file that is named "Dot3svc_start.reg," and then save this file to the following location:
   \\Domain name\sysvol\Domain name\scripts
2. Add the following text to the file that you created in step 1:
   Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
   
   
   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Dot3svc]
   “Start”=dword:00000002
3. Create a file that is named "Dot3svc.bat," and then save this file to the following location:
   \\Domain name\sysvol\Domain name\scripts
4. Add the following text to the file that you created in step 3:
   regedit /s \\Domain name\sysvol\Domain name\scripts\dot3svc_start.reg
5. Create a new GPO, and then add Dot3svc.bat to the Shutdown scripts object. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. Drag the batch file and the .reg file that you created in step 1 to the \\Domain name\SysVol\Domain name\Policies\GUID of the selected GPO \Machine\Scripts\Shutdown folder.
   2. On the same computer that you used in step 1, start the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in. To do this, click Start, click Run, type dsa.msc, and then click OK.
   3. Right-click the domain, click Properties, and then click the Group Policy tab.
   4. Click New, and then type a descriptive name for the new GPO. For example, type Dot3svc start. Then, press ENTER.
   5. Click Edit to modify the new GPO that you created in step 5d.
   6. Expand Computer Configuration, expand Windows Settings, click Scripts(Startup/Shutdown), click Shutdown, and then click Add.
   7. Locate and then click the batch file that you created in step 3, and then click Add.
   8. Click OK, click Yes, and then click OK two times.
      
      Important Changes are not applied to domain user accounts until the users log on to the domain.
6. In the same GPO that you created in step 5, set the Wired AutoConfig service startup type to Automatic. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. Start the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in.
   2. On the File menu, click Add/Remove Snap-in.
   3. Click Add, click Group Policy Object Editor, click Add, and then click Close.
   4. In the Welcome to Group Policy Wizard, click Browse to locate the policy that you want to edit.
   5. Click Default Domain Policy, and then click OK.
   6. Expand Computer Configuration, expand Windows Settings, expand Security Settings, and then click System Services.
   7. In the details pane, double-click Wired AutoConfig.
   8. Click to select the Define this policy setting check box, click Automatic, and then click OK two times.

Step 2: Deployment

1. Make sure that the clients process the shutdown script. When they do this, the Dot3svc registry key is created after the computer is restarted.
2. Use standard procedures to deploy Windows XP SP3 to the clients.

Step 3: Post-deployment

After you have confirmed that Windows XP SP3 is installed correctly and that the Wired AutoConfig service starts, remove the GPO that you created.

For more information about changes that have been made to the 802.1X-based wired network connection settings, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: