Why can't I join a Windows NT 4.0 domain from a Windows XP or Windows 2000 client?

John Savill

October 24, 2001

1 Min Read
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A. XP and Win2K use DNS instead of NetBIOS to name domains. As a result, if you've installed only TCP/IP on the XP or Win2K client and you've disabled NetBIOS over TCP/IP, the client can't join an NT 4.0 domain. To enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP, perform the following steps:

  1. From the Start menu, select Settings, and click Network and Dial-up Connection.

  2. Right-click Local Area Connection, and select Properties from the context menu.

  3. Click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and click Properties.

  4. Click Advanced, and select the WINS tab.

  5. Click "Enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP."

  6. Click OK, and ignore the WINS error.

  7. Click OK to close all dialog boxes.

If you don't want to use NetBIOS over TCP/IP, you can instead use NetBEUI on all clients.

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