Brand new PC cannot join Windows Server... DNS keeps reverting back

[BAD311]

Hello all,

I installed a new Windows 2012 Server with RC2 on it about 2 months ago... At the time I joined 3 computers to the domain... 2 of those machines were brand new out of the box... No issues joining domain whatsoever...

Another PC, also brand new 2 months ago, was installed but we never joined it to the server until some software was installed and setup by an accountant... The software is in and now I need to add the machine to the server... I change the DNS to point to the server... I download the connection utility from servername/connect in browser and begin joining PC to domain... When I get to the part to enter username/password and click next, it acts like it's going forward with install but after a few minute it times out and gives me an error saying it cannot join server. I diagnosed issue relating to the DNS reverting back automatic vs. manual... and the DNS will go from 192.168.1.120 (server) back to the router automatically of 192.168.1.1.

I can't get the IP to stay no matter what I do... If I try joining domain via Computer > Properties > Computer name, domain, workgroup settings... it asks for server/user/pass and it too fails and changes the DNS back to the router...

Yet the other computers did this no problem and I've probably done this about 250 times in the past 6 months on other networks with no issue.

PC is running Windows 7 Pro 64-Bit with latest patches, security fixes.

Server has DHCP disabled/not setup. Router is DHCP. DNS is setup on server.

Thoughts? Ideas? Thanks guys!!

 

[silicon]

Can the new software be the problem?

 

[mikeymikec]

I wonder if a PC can join a domain while running in safe mode + networking.

 

[BAD311]

I'm not sure on the SM+N...

I can try it for sure.

I'm wondering if I should reinstall OS?

 

[Zalez]

Have you tried on the computer that is having the issue, turning automatic ip configuration off and setting the ip address manually as well as the dns? Then join the domain.

 

[BAD311]

Zalez, yes, that's what I mentioned in original post, or was at least trying to say... If I manually put in the IP of the server in IPv4 settings it kicks it out and resets to automatic when I launch/run the connect utility.

 

[Zalez]

So you set the ip address manually and the dns manually? Do you happen to have control over the router?

 

[BAD311]

I only assigned DNS to the computers to point to the server. The IP's are automatically assigned by the router. Yes I have access to the router.

I want to keep workloads off of the servers and have the routers do their jobs with dhcp/mac filtering.

 

[Zalez]

Ok, is it safe to assume you have the router handing out the dns server address for the dns?

If not that would be the first thing I would do. If you still have issues or that was already done, I would set the ip and dns manually on the problem computer to see if it can join the domain then.

 

[BAD311]

Zalez, yes, router is dishing out DNS.

I think it may be a commercial version of LogMeIn somehow doing this...

I'm going to login remotely here in a bit and test that theory.

 

[BAD311]

So I started to record a video to post... and this time around I booted into safe mode with networking... I then set DNS to server IP and exited out... I launched connect utility and at each new screen after i pressed NEXT I checked the DNS... Each time I reset it to the servers DNS... and successfully got to the point where i needed to restart machine to finish joining server (yay!)... Now I'm joined to the domain and good to go!! What a PITA... I've NEVER seen this before.

 

[PrincessFrosty]

DNS settings shouldn't be changed by anything other than if you do it directly or unless they're set through DHCP, ideally in a corporate environment you want 1 authoritative DHCP server which hands out IP addresses and hands out DNS along with it.

My typical usage is to run a DNS server on the domain controller itself and that way you can have control over local zones such as the local domain name you picked, you need to ensure you have an authorative DNS entry for your local domain usually something like MYDOMAIN.local pointing to the domain controllers IP address.

Then you can do

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

to get a new DHCP lease with the new settings, and then run

ipconfig /flushdns

To flush out all old DNS entries, then do a

ping MYDOMAIN.local to see if the DNS resolves it to the domain controller, if it does then registering the device to the domain should work just fine.