I have Windows 2000 Server (SP3) and have set it up as the Domain Controller on our network and have Active Directory installed. It has 2 NICs in there, one is the cable modem which is shared for the rest of the network users and the other NIC is for the LAN. However, if for whatever reason I have to reboot, it takes an age (literally more than 10mins!) to get to the 'Press Alt+Ctrl+Del to login' it sort of hangs on preparing Network connections, but the bar across still goes as if its doing something

However if I unplug the modem, reboot its ready in about 2 mins. Anyone have any ideas as to how to either speed this up or something? Something I have missed and not set up properly?

Cheers.

I am not an expert on this topic but my guess would be that it's a DNS error.

Have you looked the your Event Viewer logs.

Did you run NETdiag and DCdiag prior to promoting to DC ?

Er no. Can you run it by me as to what to do? Im a newbie at all this Domain stuff!

Your AD is out on the internet, trying to syncromize it's DNS with the "rest of your net"
and that beeing the internet makes it take some time.

I had sort of the same problem when i first tried to use 2000 as domain server.
This was MUCH easier back when I was using NT Server, without Active Directory.

just check where ure DNS is pointing to..if tit is poiting to an ISP then it would take some time to login ..i facced the same problem some times back. The DNS was pointing to my ISP and my phone lines were down..it took nearly 1/2 for the login screen to come


Cheers
TheMysterio

So how do I change where the DNS looks to, or what should I change to make it not look through that Cable Modem?

please check wheather u have ICS enabled and in the network properites do not chek the box which says Optain Ip address automatically

are you on static or dynamic ip cable? if it's dynamic, you've got to leave the dns servers set to automatic, what you might be able to do is change your dns server conifg for active directory and set it up so that your dns server only handles requests for local addresses and everything else is forwarded to your isp's servers, i'm not sure how to do it, but if you can't figure it out i'll ask the network tech @ school / work and let you know how :)

@ Sephiroth :)

I believe you would have to configure a forward lookup zone and point it to the outside dns servers :)

The reverse lookup zone would be for any internal (local subnet) dns queries.

*I think* :P It's been a while since I have had time to look into my dns server but I think that's how I set it up ;)

And yes, I ran into the same problem with dns settings (in the tcp/ip properties of the local adapter) configured to point to my ISP's dns servers; It took AGES to log in, removing the external ip's from the settings fixed the problem in no time :D

/JD

Yeah the IP is set to automatic for the Cable Modem Network Card, ICS is enabled so the other LAN adapter has 192.168.0.1 set as its IP. So how do I turn Active Dir off looking at the Cable Modem IP?

Oh and its a static IP.

Cheers for your help peeps so far!