Re: Domain vs Wkgrp chngd VB app,now launch's Off.Instl

From: Norman Yuan (normanyuan_at_RemoveThis.shaw.ca)
Date: 02/24/04 

Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2004 22:35:27 GMT

See comments inline

"Jim" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:EF51DFF0-BF95-445F-85B5-F0C7063C4346@microsoft.com...
> Background (questions are at the bottom):
> =========================================
> I have a company laptop running Window 2000 Pro. While not really a Visual
Basic programmer, I inherited support and maintenance for a small
application. I was making changes and testing on the laptop at work
normally. The laptop is configured for a domain here at work although I did
not have the network cable connected. The actual VB development is done on a
desktop machine, then the program is copied to a memory stick and installed
on the laptop.
>
> I took the laptop home to continue development on my desktop PC there.
Since I have a 10bT network at home, I thought I would make my life easier
by connecting it, then I could transfer the install package without using a
memory stick or CD. My home network is setup for a workgroup not a domain as
there is no central server. I configured the laptop for workgroup instead of
domain. I set the workgroup name to match the home network. When I restarted
the laptop, the user name and password that I was using was no longer valid.
I somewhat vaguely understand this as the user name was part of the domain
not the local machine. I haven't quite figured out the details but that
suffices for now.
>
> I was lucky that the Administrator (local machine I guess) had a default
password. I was able to create new user accounts, etc.
>
> Now I attempted to run the VB application that had been installed before.
I was not re-installing it, just running the previously installed
application that had been working. When I did, it started the Microsoft
Office 2000 Installer. The installer prompted that I was attempting to use a
component of Office that was not installed and asked for the CD. I tried
again logged in as Administrator and got the same results. I did not have
the CD so I had to cancel and give up for the night.
>
> When I took the laptop back to work, I could not get it to connect back to
the domain, even though I used the proper domain name, user name and
password. I got the message user name or password is invalid. I had our MIS
department get it reconnected to the domain. MIS renamed the computer. They
said they had to rename it because the server already knows about the old
name and will not allow rejoining the network with an identical name. This
did not make sense to me and I had heard of someone else I know that was
able to get re-joined to domain without changing the laptop name.
>
> Anyway, the domain connection was working again and so was the original
user name and password. Interestingly enough, now when I ran the VB
application it was able to find the Office component it was looking for and
did NOT start the Office 2000 Installer.
>
> Questions:
> =========================================
> Why did the VB application cause the Office Installer to run?

It is a common problem when a VB/VBA program starts, Windows installer
launches to try to configure MS Office, if Office is installed on the
computer.

I have found, if you have a user account (local or domain) activated on a
computer the first time, and run a VB/VBA program before running any of apps
in Office, you get this annoying thing. To avoid this, try run an app in
Office, say Word, before running any VB/VBA program. When a new user account
starts an app in Office, Windows Installer will starts and configure MS
Office (to create user ID information saved in C:\Doc and settings, I
guess). Let it finish and then quit the Office app. From now on, you run
VB/VBA program with this user account will not have that problem any more.

>
> I realize it wanted to use some component, but why couldn't it be found in
a workgroup configuration?
>
> When an application like Office is installed in a domain configuration, is
the machine essentially split into virtual machines such as local machine
and domain machine?
>
> Why couldn't I reconnect to the domain at work after reconfiguring
correctly?

To join your PC to LAN, you must choose either a Work group, or a Domain.
Right-clicking "My Computer->Properties->Idenfity(Computer
Name)->Change...". So, when you are back to office from home, you have to
change your computer from "Work group" to "Domain" in order to join in
office's Client/Server LAN (you must have domain admin's right to do so, or
ask your MIS to do it for you).

When you are bach home, you will have to change it back to WOrk group status
again

Alternatively, you can choose not to join your computer to domain, just
connect the network cable. When you try to access resorces on office
network, you will be ask what user account/password you are to use to access
network, you can use your user account credentail in the domain to get into
the network. This approach, of caourse, may cause some inconvenient, such as
your roaming profile does not apply to your out of domain computer and
office-automated scripts do not run when logging on and off...

>
> Why did MIS have to change the computer name to re-join the domain?

The computer name does not have to be changed, but if you have changed your
computer name and the name is not present in office network domain, your MIS
must add a new computer name to the domain. He/she simply does not like to
add one, now that your computer's previus name is still there. It is that
you did not have to change computer name when you connected it to your home
peer-to-peer network.

>
> =========================================
> Apologize for the length of this post, but without the whole story, the
questions are not as clear.
>
> Any help is appreciated,
>
> Jim
>
>

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