# Am not able to copy user account - The name reference is invalid.



## nirbod (Jul 22, 2011)

I had 3 servers which are in one domain on separate offices. OS on the servers is WS2003 SP2,and there is no exchange installed on them.
The problem is one of our employee in company left, so there will be other guy which will work on his place. So I took the laptop remove it from the domain, delete the old user account and the old computer account and try to recreate them again with the new user account name. There are two problems 1. If I try to copy any user account from ADUC and rename it its giving me “Windows cannot create the object (user name) because: The name reference is invalid."
Bear in mind that if I try to creat this new user account by selecting NE user, and filling all data, then its successfully created and appear in ADUC, but when I join this computer to the domain and when its asking me “please type the name of the user which will use this computer” Im typing the new user account which I create manually the windows 7 (client computer) says "The user account XXX in the domain XXX does not exist. Please check the name and try again". I try with manually IP address and DNS but still not help me. I also try to rename one of the other account with the name of the new user and then to join this PC again but still gives me the same errors.

Any help will be appreciated thanks


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## loda117 (Aug 6, 2010)

ok so you are running windows 7 
so first of all make sure the computer has joined the domain 
if you have not done that then take the computer out of the domain to workgroup restart 
then join it to domain again 
then at the logon screen type in your domain\user for example "mydomain\loda117 and then type the password you have created in AD that should work


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## nirbod (Jul 22, 2011)

Hi thank you for you assistance.
Ok so the user PC is windows 7 , but the previous employee leave, so I have to create new domain user and this user need to use this PC.
In this domain we have limitation every domain user have to logon only to his PC.
So I already remove the PC from the domain, I also delete the old employee domain user (for example Bill), and try to rejoin with the new domain user for example the new domain user is "john". In ADUC we dont have user templates, so to create john I just try to copy some of the other domain users, but then I receive this error message "The name reference is invalid.", then I try to create John's account manually from the OU - NEW- User and it was successful. 
With this domain name "john" when I try to join the PC to the domain I receive error that this username is not in the domain or domain name is wrong. I make many checks and all is correct, we have 3 servers in this domain, and they are replicated, if I create this user "john" on one of these servers, the other will have it also. I make a doublecheck for that. So John is in ADUC, but the PC doesn't want to be joined to the domain with this domain user.
I also have 2 other old domain users which were disabled in ADUC, if I try to join this PC with some of them, everything is fine - no errors, but only with this account I have difficulties because its new.
Now I start reinstalling windows 7 to make sure that this is not the problem.

There is one more thing which happen and its strange, when I start joining this PC to the domain and when its asking me to type the use who will use this PC, then Im typing "John" and of course I receive the error "the user is not in the domain, or domain name is wrong". Then if I restart my PC the PC shows me that is in the domain, I can login with the "John" password, but for example the bat script which have to start when he is logged in its not starting. For all of my domain users I have configure bat script which give them printers and share folder so its important to start.

I also try to rename one of this old domain user accounts to the name of "John" and when I try to join this PC to the domain again I still had the same error for Joht account.

Hope that will help, thanks


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## nirbod (Jul 22, 2011)

The isssue is resolved, after I reinstall the windows and I was able to join this PC with the new Domain user which I create manually.
Thanks


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## djaburg (May 15, 2008)

When I've joined computers to domains, I normally get asked for credentials for joining the domain (admin user), and then when I restart I get the option to then login with a username. In windows 7 you normally type the username as domain\username and then enter the password. If you're seeing things different, I'm not sure why.


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## Wand3r3r (Sep 17, 2010)

"In this domain we have limitation every domain user have to logon only to his PC."

Pretty amazing a windows reinstall fixed this. this would be set via the users profile.


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## nirbod (Jul 22, 2011)

well yes when I join the pc to the domain first asking me for the user with permission to add this pc (admin user) and then asking me for user who will use this PC, and after I was typing the user who will use this PC it was asking me what kind of user will be this person - I select standard user or power user and then the at the next step the error appear.
About the limitation I was change all settings to allow this user account to be able to use this PC but reinstalling the windows fix this issue somehow.
Now Im not only able to copy domain users in ADUC.


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