Autodial Fails to Dial Automatically

When you try to access a network resource that is not accessible, Windows NT Remote Access Service (RAS) does not attempt to Autodial.

For example, if you start Internet Explorer with the Start Page set to an Internet Web site when you are not connected to the Internet, Autodial fails to dial.

There are several causes or scenarios where Autodial may fail. The causes and resolutions are discussed below:

Multiple Shells

If your computer has multiple programs defined for the Shell value under the HKEY_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\ CurrentVersion\Winlogon registry key.

Roaming Profiles

If you log on to your Windows NT computer with a user account that uses roaming profiles, then Autodial may not work if you do not Shut Down the computer between log on sessions.

PPTP

If you have the Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol installed on your Windows NT computer, then Autodial may not work.

SLIP account

If you are using a SLIP account to connect to the Internet, then the Autodial addresses may not get added to the registry. In this scenario, Autodial may not work correctly.

Multiple Shells

If you have multiple shells defined in the registry you will need to edit the registry to remove the multiple shells to get Autodial working.

Roaming profiles

If you are encountering this issue due to multiple users and roaming profiles, then you will need to shut down the computer before logging on as a new user.

PPTP

To resolve this issue if you have PPTP installed, you will need to upgrade your Windows NT computer to the latest Service Pack.

SLIP Account

There is no known work around for Autodial not working due to using a SLIP account. A PPP account is required.

To verify that the automatic dialing feature is properly configured, perform the following steps:

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Dial-Up Networking.
2. Click More, and then click User preferences.
3. In the Enable Auto-Dial By Location dialog box, select each location for which you want the automatic dialing feature to operate.
4. Click OK and then restart the computer.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT version 4.0. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.