Situation: I've got a Win2k server I log into that shares certain resources. In the good ol' days, whenever I set up any flavor of NT box, and set it up to log into the domain server, the windows log in changed. Under XP, the standard "click on the user icon and enter password" bit was replaced by a standard Windows domain login dialog box. I was given three fields - username, password and the option to change from the primary network domain or to the local machine's domain or any other I may have had access to. Now then, when I joined my Vista box to the above domain, I got the usual "you must restart to have the changes take effect" prompt. Now then, when I rebooted the machine, I was NOT prompted to log into the domain with the usual dialog box, instead, I was only given the standard dialog - where I could log in as myself - into the local domain. The option to switch user was there but that offered NO options beyond the local domain for logging in. Now then, I'm not entirely sure I'm logged into the domain. I DO seem to be logged in so far as I have access to the server, I have access to the files being served there, and it all functions as if I was logged in on XP - except, of course for the logging in bit. So has Vista got a new logging in schema or did I miss something obvious and not log into the domain?

Have you tried to log in with your UPN? This workd for me. Gr Smooker

If your name and password for the local account and the domain account are the same it may be using pass thru authentication.

Come to think of it, they are one and the same. Tho, I suppose I kinda miss seeing the good ol' NT4/2000/XP network dialog box. The Vista way of it is kinda confusing at first.

below your username and password it should tell you what domain you are logging into, won't be a box just some text saying "logging on to <yourdomainhere> to verify you can also logon with username@domain, that make sure you are getting to the domain, old 200 style domain\username has not worked in older build not sure if it was removed or not working also in 5384

I have it working just fine but I had to join the machine to the domain like the old days and then logging in requires domain\username using the netbios domain name. Johnny

you need to log in with the following format. Login: domain name\username password: password Hope this helps Buddy

I have an additional question about this. Is there a way to set the domain as the default so it doesn't have to be typed every time? We have child domains in our oganization so we join our computers to aa.domain.com . When we get to the login screen we still have to type domain\username to login. Possibly a reg hack or something? I have users complaining about having to type the domain\username everytime they unlock or login to their PC. Thanks for any advice or help. Whitefearn

The default domain to log in to can be set via Group Policy.

AWESOME Do you happen to know the GP that allows you to set it?

Computer->administrative templates->system->logon->Assign a default domain for logon

Thank you very much, that is excactly what i needed.

i am Trying to set the GP "Computer->administrative templates->system->logon->Assign a default domain for logon" however the "Assign a default domain for logon" Policy is not there. i have a 2003 DC. and the TS Servers are 2003 as well. i would like to get these Machines to default to the Domain log in not the Local Machine. how can this be done if the policy is not there

I think that is a new GPO for Vista. I believe you have to add the Vista ADMX group policy templates to your DC, otherwise your Win2003 DC only shows the older ADM GPO templates. Microsoft switched to a new XML format for the Group Policy Templates so they have to be added to DCs running Windows 2003 and later. Servers running Windows 2008 already have these new templates. That's how I understand it. I don't have the path in front of me.. but basically the ADMX templates are in Vista and just need to be copied up to the DC.

everyone keeps saying to login using netbios login 'domain\username' thats all good and fine, except i dont have the option to type jack. my username is just there as a clickable icon then i can type my password. so how do i get to the typed-in version of the login??? jessie

everyone keeps saying to login using netbios login 'domain\username' thats all good and fine, except i dont have the option to type jack. my username is just there as a clickable icon then i can type my password. so how do i get to the typed-in version of the login??? Silly question - but you have gotten the machine to join the domain... Right?

I have put off using Vista until now, it has been forced on me. I have a new machine, loaded with Vista Ultimate, and cannot get it to change to the domain. I get an error, (sorry, that is in a file at work as well ) even tho it asks me for the admin user and password. I can use the run \\domain and get to access to the domain drives, but cannot go into properties and change from workgroup to domain. should I try using the domain\username format? That seems like a likely workaround, but will work I guess, have to go back to work (at home now) and try it in the morning.

Computer->administrative templates->system->logon->Assign a default domain for logon I have been desperately searching for any information on setting this value to the local machine. Since you can log in with either domain\user or computer\user I assumed (foolishly) that you could set this GP to either a domain or computer name. Apparently it assumes this is a domain however, and won't treat it as a computer name. I realize it's odd to have a machine bound to AD and want the default login to be local instead of domain, but there it is. Sadly, I can find no way to make the default login local and save the user the confusing task of typing in the long machine names we use as a standard. Any ideas or did MS just make this impossible after XP because they eliminated the drop down menu on the login screen to make all our lives crazy difficult? This is one reason we never upgraded to Vista, but apparently they didn't "fix" this in Win 7 either so now we're stuck trying to find a way to make their downgrade work.