Group Policy are not applying properly - event id 1054

Description:

You have a group policy setting that you want to deploy during computer startup. However it seems that the policy is not applying properly. Running gpresult command from the client machine shows no error. Running gpresult wizard from GPMC for the problematic machine shows GPO Core processing error preventing some policies from applying successfully. Running gpupdate /force will correct the situation and the settings will be applied successfully. 
At event viewer of the problematic computer, you found event id 1054, “Windows cannot obtain the domain controller name for the computer network. (The specified domain either does not exist or exist or could not be contacted). Group Policy processing aborted.”

Resolutions:

Please follow Microsoft's Knowledge Base Article KB840669 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/840669

As Per KB 840669, create a new DWord value on registry on:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Name: GpNetworkStartTimeoutPolicyValue
Value: 120

Restart the client computer. Settings can be applied successfully.

Red X or Cross on Network Connection Icon - Windows 2008 R2

Description:

You found there's a Red X or Cross on Network Connection Icon.
Found some services stopped and cannot be started with access denied error.

Resolutions:

Ø  Check and add the registry permissions on the following key: 

•Regarding the BFE service, we have given “NT Service\BFE” account the following allow permissions on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BFE:

Query Value

Set Value

Create Subkey

Enumerate Subkeys

Notify

Read Control 

•Regarding the NLA service, we have given “NT Service\NLASvc” account the following allow permissions on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NLASvc:

Query Value

Set Value

Create Subkey

Enumerate Subkeys

Notify

Read Control

•Regarding the DPS service, we have given “NT Service\DPS” account the following allow permissions on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\DPS:

Query Value

Set Value

Create Subkey

Enumerate Subkeys

Notify

Read Control

Also it was necessary to give the same permissions to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\WDI\Config

• Regarding the Windows Firewall service, we have given “NT Service\mpssvc” account the following allow permissions on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\mpssvc:

Query Value

Set Value

Create Subkey

Enumerate Subkeys

Notify

Read Control

Also it was necessary to give the same permissions to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\SharedAccess

•Regarding the DHCP Client service, we have given Local Service account full control permissions on:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\DHCP

•Regarding the Distributed Transaction Coordinator, we have given “NT Service\MSDTC” account the following allow permissions on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSDTC:

Query Value

Set Value

Create Subkey

Enumerate Subkeys

Notify

Read Control

Also it was necessary to add Network Service account with “read, write, read & execute”  permissions to the file C:\WINDOWS\system32\MSDtc\MSDTC.LOG

> All of the services can be started after adding the security permission. Restart the computer to make sure.

Note:
If the issue happens again ,you may want to check for the group policy, or local policy, or application that modified the security permission on those above registry.

Windows PowerShell Syntax

> To list all the PowerShell commands available for group policy module:

Get-Command -module GroupPolicy

or

Get-Command *-GP*
 

> To list all the PowerShell commands available for active directory module:

Get-Command -module activedirectory

or

Get-Command *-AD*

 

> For more detail information about certain PowerShell commands:
 

Get-Help (commandname) -detailed

Get-Help (commandname) - examples

Get-Help (commandname) -full

or

Get-help (commandname) -online

 

MBSA Cabinet File Download Location

If you want to manually download the cabinet file for Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) v2.2, here's the url:

http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=76054

The name of the file is WSUSSCN2.CAB

Using SMTP for Active Directory Replication

SMTP replication is used only for replication between sites.
You also cannot use SMTP replication to replicate between domain controllers in the same domain—only inter-domain replication is supported over SMTP (that is, SMTP can be used only for inter-site, inter-domain replication).
SMTP replication can be used only for schema, configuration, and global catalog partial replica replication. SMTP replication observes the automatically generated replication schedule.