I am trying to connect a new Windows 7 laptop to our domain. I am getting an error that says "An attempt to resolve the DNS name of a domain controller in the domain being joined has failed. Please verify this client is configured to reach a DNS server that can resolve DNS name in the targe domain." I have read several posts about this particular problem and have verified that everything appears to running correctly on both the server and laptop. I also set up a static ip on the laptop and input the DNS server address. I believe that the problem is with the length of the domain name (15 characters). I know there was a problem with Windows 7 beta and the long domain names. Is there still a problem? Is there a fix for this? Any help or assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

You did use the IP of the Ad for the DNS right???

Nanccam, The open issue was reported as resolved. Maybe separating the DNS lookup from the Domain join process will help. Can you resolve the DC locator records through NSlookup, while in that configuration? nslookup set type=srv _ldap._tcp.dc._msdcs.domain.com http://support.microsoft.com/kb/247811If you need extra help, you can reach us at: InitialAssist@cbfive.com See my blogs at http://www.cbfive.com/blog - Jared Crandall

Hi, Firstly, please check if you can ping DC with its FQDN Based on my research, I would like to try the following: 1. Ensure that the TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper Service is started: 1) Log on to the client computer by using an account that has administrator permissions 2) Click Start, click Run, type “services.msc” (without quotations) in the Open box, and then click OK. 3) In the list of services, double-click TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper Service. 4) In the Startup type list, click Automatic, and then click Apply. 5) Under Service status, click Start to start the TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper Service. 6) When the service is started, click OK, and then quit the Services snap-in. 2. Boot to clean boot and see if you can join domain: How to troubleshoot a problem by performing a clean boot in Windows Vista or in Windows 7 3. If you have a Windows 7 client which is not in a domain, please also check if you can join it to this domain. Thanks. Nicholas Li - MSFT