Active Directory and Login Items.

I am glad that you were able to see the Login Items because I am not able to do it. I actually tried the follwing that someone sent to me. It did worked for the individual that sent it to me but did not work for me because of other problems.


Script Editor found in /Applications/AppleScript. For each server share you want to connect to enter

mount volume "smb://WORKGROUP;userID:password@servername.domain.com/share"

Replace these parts of the string with the appropriate information:
WORKGROUP (or domain)
userID
password
servername.domain.com (or you can use the IP address)
share

Please let me know if this works for you.

Someone actually mentioned to me once that when you connect your Mac to AD then you can no longer view the log-in items. That's why I was a little shocked to hear that once upon a time you were able to do that.

Maybe you can help me with my problem: Mac 1 cannot connect to some servers; whereas, Mac 2 can connect to the servers in which Mac 1 cannot. Any solution.

Message was edited by: AKG8R

I just ran into this problem (unable to access Login Items after connecting a Mac to Active Directory) as well, and while I don't know what the answer is, I can point you in the right direction. We have been using active directory for a while, and I can assure you that we retain the ability to manage our login items.

Yesterday I was setting up a new iMac, and had to bind it to the network by hand because the image that we had been using (which we got from our IT group with all of the settings pre-set) had become corrupted . The new computer experienced the exact same symptoms you describe. I knew that the Mac on my desk worked fine, so I copied all of my Directory Access settings, and put them into the new machine. I logged out and logged back in, and it works fine.

Trouble is, I don't know which of the things I changed did the trick. I changed the following under Advanced Options: Under User Experience, I checked 'Create mobile account at login' ('Require confirmation...' is unchecked); I unchecked 'Use UNC path...'; and 'Default user shell' remained checked and unchanged. Under Administrative, I added our domain server and 'Allow authentication...' is unchecked. I also added a Workgroup and WINS Server in the SMB/CIFS settings, but I think the Active Directory stuff was what solved the problem. Hope this helps - good luck.

I'm not familiar with the 'Workgroup Manager' thing that you refer to, but we have several network volumes that we access at login. I access the volume initially from the Finder by clicking on 'Go / Connect to Server...'. There sometimes are issues with apple's default protocol (AFP), so you usually have to add 'smb://' before the address. Also, Mac wants forward slashes where Windows uses backslashes. I have had trouble coming up with the exact right server address, but trial and error usually gets me there. Once the volume has been accessed (which is often seamless within AD - most of the time I don't have to type my username or password), I drag the icon from the desktop to the Login Items menu, bringing us back to the original problem. It's why I was looking for this answer to begin with, in order to mount network volumes. I was pleased that you drew the connection between the Login Items problem and Active Directory, that really set me on the path to fixing the problem. Thanks for that.

Our IT guys advocated an AppleScript for mounting the login volumes, but even then, the script has to be put in the Login Items list. Just dropping the volume from the desktop to the list eliminates the middleman. If the user does have to input their username and password when the volume is accessed, the system will prompt for that when it attempts to mount the volume.

I'm afraid I'm just an average Mac Geek, and not a network tech-- I don't really know a lot about Active Directory, or even if my answers are of the depth or nature you are seeking, but I hope this helps. Good luck.

I've had the same issue on Tiger and Leopard. I think the issue may be related to the fact that when an AD user logs onto the Mac, their account shows up as Managed. This implies that certain user preferences such as logon items are managed centrally by a directory server. I've seen other information on the web that supports this, along with steps on how to set up Open Directory to manage login items. I've also noticed that AD users don't appear in the account list when that user isn't logged on (i.e when you log on as a different user, the Network or AD user doesn't appear in the list), unless the account is also a mobile account.

Having said all of this, I did have login items available in the past. The issue cropped up before I upgraded to Leopard, but I'm not sure what happened to disable them.

I have one theory that I want to test. If the user account is created locally, prior to binding the machine to the domain, the login items would be available. It's possible that the login items will remain available to the user after the machine is bound to the domain. I haven't had a chance to test this yet.

I've had this issue under both Tiger and Leopard as well. I initially ran into it a year ago when first returning to working on the Mac, and happened to Google this article which explains the issue rather well:

http://www.macworld.co.uk/forums/msgs.cfm?msg=69993&forum=4

I then hoped that it would be resolved under Leopard, but unfortunately it wasn't.

I don't know whether anyone has submitted this as a bug to Apple, but it's really infuriating when trying to set Login Items for users. What I've resorted to doing as a workaround is to have a user drag the application into the dock, then Control-clicking the icon and selecting "Open at Login" in order to set the login item.

While we're on the subject, is there a way to set login items that run in the user's context at login? I'm thinking about something like a login hook (like http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301446), but I want it to run as the user -- not as root.

Thanks!

I had this same issue with a 20" Intel iMac. I found that the issue lied with the Work group management on the AD account. To solve the problem log out of the computer at the login window type in your user name and password, then hold down option when logging in. This will bring you the managed settings and you can disable the settings. I have also shut off "Use UNC path from Active Directory....." in the Directory Utility 10.5 (formally know as Directory Access 10.4). Let me know if this works for anyone else.

Thanks. Now that you mention it, I did this before, it totally slipped my mind. It doesn't seem to remember my choice though. Oh well, I don't make changes that often. It's better than buying OSX server just for this.

Thanks a million Ginger_Kid! This worked for me! What a relief.