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Using Windows Server 2008 to manange my network with XP SP/3 clients, i was able to create in the domain GPO mappings to auto map drives when a user logged in based on what OU the pc belonged to, who the user was, and / or what Security group the user belonged to.
Just to play around, we have upgraded two pc's to windows 7 build 7000, one x86 and the other x64. First, the install was flawless! Thanks MS! For the 64-bit machine, however, we had to swtich to x86 because we couldn't locate a good x64 Realtek package that would install in compatibility mode. No matter, we'll revisit that later. That isn't the problem though.
We were able to join the 2 PC's to our domain. On the server, we moved the pc's to the correct OU (using the right-click menu option MOVE rather than dragging the pc name to the OU). We did a gpupdate /force on the server and rebooted the client's. It appears the GPO's took effect cause certain settings have changed (ie users can't modify Windows Update settings as we use a WSUS server and all clients point to that), as well as Firewall and a few other things. However, drive mappings are no longer automatic. Every user gets two shares mapped automatically, and more depending on their Security Group and / or OU. XP clients worked flawlessly. We understand Win7 is beta for now, but was wondering if we were missing something, or is this a problem that maybe we should send feedback on? Manually mapping the shares works ok, and it appears Permissions / Security works ok that way.
ideas?
Figured it out. We've never used Vista so that probably explains why this wasn't working. In XP, we only had to enter the users name then select the domain (if different from last logon). I guess starting in Vista, the default login is <computer_name>\local user. To login to a domain, you have to type <domain>\<domain user> for Win 7, and i suspect its that way for Vista also? Anyhow, clicked switch user, then entered the domain followed by the user name and everything works like a champ. Kinda wish there was an interface like XP where you just have to enter the user name, then select a domain from a drop down list.
Just to play around, we have upgraded two pc's to windows 7 build 7000, one x86 and the other x64. First, the install was flawless! Thanks MS! For the 64-bit machine, however, we had to swtich to x86 because we couldn't locate a good x64 Realtek package that would install in compatibility mode. No matter, we'll revisit that later. That isn't the problem though.
We were able to join the 2 PC's to our domain. On the server, we moved the pc's to the correct OU (using the right-click menu option MOVE rather than dragging the pc name to the OU). We did a gpupdate /force on the server and rebooted the client's. It appears the GPO's took effect cause certain settings have changed (ie users can't modify Windows Update settings as we use a WSUS server and all clients point to that), as well as Firewall and a few other things. However, drive mappings are no longer automatic. Every user gets two shares mapped automatically, and more depending on their Security Group and / or OU. XP clients worked flawlessly. We understand Win7 is beta for now, but was wondering if we were missing something, or is this a problem that maybe we should send feedback on? Manually mapping the shares works ok, and it appears Permissions / Security works ok that way.
ideas?
Figured it out. We've never used Vista so that probably explains why this wasn't working. In XP, we only had to enter the users name then select the domain (if different from last logon). I guess starting in Vista, the default login is <computer_name>\local user. To login to a domain, you have to type <domain>\<domain user> for Win 7, and i suspect its that way for Vista also? Anyhow, clicked switch user, then entered the domain followed by the user name and everything works like a champ. Kinda wish there was an interface like XP where you just have to enter the user name, then select a domain from a drop down list.
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It looks like you had some challenges with drive mappings when upgrading your network clients to Windows 7, especially after coming from a Windows XP environment. I'm glad to hear that you were able to figure it out and resolve the issue.
The difference you noticed in the login behavior between XP and Windows 7/Vista is indeed due to changes in the authentication process. In Windows 7 (and Vista as well), when logging into a domain, you need to specify the domain name along with the user credentials ('<domain>\<domain user>') to log in correctly. This is different from the simpler login method in XP, where you only needed to enter the username and select the domain.
For ease of use and a more familiar login experience, you mentioned that you wish there was an interface like XP where you could just enter the username and select the domain from a dropdown list. While Windows 7 doesn't offer that exact feature natively like XP did, you can still streamline the login process by following these steps:
1. Create a Shortcut: You can create a desktop shortcut to easily access the domain login screen. Here's how you can do it:
- Right-click on the desktop.
- Select New > Shortcut.
- Enter 'rundll32.exe keymgr.dll, KRShowKeyMgr' as the location of the item.
- Click Next and enter a name for the shortcut.
2. Task Creation: Another method is to create a task that takes you directly to the domain login screen. Here's how:
- Press Win + R to open the Run dialog.
- Enter 'control userpasswords2' and press Enter.
- Uncheck 'Users must enter a username and password to use this computer.'
- Click Apply and enter the domain details.
- Restart the computer.
By using these methods, you can simplify the domain login process on Windows 7 and make it more user-friendly. If you encounter any more issues or need further assistance, feel free to ask!
The difference you noticed in the login behavior between XP and Windows 7/Vista is indeed due to changes in the authentication process. In Windows 7 (and Vista as well), when logging into a domain, you need to specify the domain name along with the user credentials ('<domain>\<domain user>') to log in correctly. This is different from the simpler login method in XP, where you only needed to enter the username and select the domain.
For ease of use and a more familiar login experience, you mentioned that you wish there was an interface like XP where you could just enter the username and select the domain from a dropdown list. While Windows 7 doesn't offer that exact feature natively like XP did, you can still streamline the login process by following these steps:
1. Create a Shortcut: You can create a desktop shortcut to easily access the domain login screen. Here's how you can do it:
- Right-click on the desktop.
- Select New > Shortcut.
- Enter 'rundll32.exe keymgr.dll, KRShowKeyMgr' as the location of the item.
- Click Next and enter a name for the shortcut.
2. Task Creation: Another method is to create a task that takes you directly to the domain login screen. Here's how:
- Press Win + R to open the Run dialog.
- Enter 'control userpasswords2' and press Enter.
- Uncheck 'Users must enter a username and password to use this computer.'
- Click Apply and enter the domain details.
- Restart the computer.
By using these methods, you can simplify the domain login process on Windows 7 and make it more user-friendly. If you encounter any more issues or need further assistance, feel free to ask!
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