Dial-Up Networking Password Is Not Saved (148925)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
  • Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition
  • Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition
  • Microsoft Windows 98
  • Microsoft Windows 95
This article was previously published under Q148925
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SYMPTOMS

When you are making a Dial-Up Networking connection, if you try to save your password by clicking to select the Save Password check box, your password may not be saved. This problem may occur even when you successfully connect to the server, and when your password has not changed. This problem may also occur if your user name contains characters that are not allowed in a file name; for example, the user name "user/name" may result in a .pwl file name of User/name.pwl.

CAUSE

This problem can be caused by any of the following situations:
  • Your password list (.pwl) file is damaged.
  • The Rna.pwl file (if it exists) is damaged.
  • Password caching is disabled.
  • Automatic logon is enabled.
  • One or more of the files that are associated with Dial-Up Networking is missing or damaged.
  • User profiles are disabled, but the ProfilesList key is present in the registry.
NOTE: This problem can occur after you install the Windows 95 Password List update that is included with Windows 95 Service Pack 1 (SP1).

For additional information about this update, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

143003 Descriptionof Microsoft Windows 95 Service Pack 1 Updates



NOTE: An additional cause is that the Client for Microsoft Networks is not installed. To resolve this: install client for Microsoft Networks.

RESOLUTION

Windows 2000

Verify that the Network settings of the Dial-up Networking connectoid are correct:
  1. Right-click the Dial-up Networking connectiod, and then click Properties.
  2. Click the Network tab, and then confirm that Client for Microsoft Networks is installed and that it is selected.

Windows 95 and Windows 98

  1. Rename your .pwl file.

    NOTE: If you are using a personal certificate, export it before you rename your .pwl file. If you do not, the personal certificate may be unavailable when you send mail. For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

    190296 OLEXP: Unable to use Personal Certificates in Outlook Express

    To rename your .pwl file, type the following line at a command prompt, and then press the ENTER key (where Windows is the name of the Windows folder and user_name is the user name that you use to log on to Windows):

    ren c:\Windows\user_name.pwluser_name.xxx

    After you rename your .pwl file, restart your computer.

    When the Enter Network Password or Welcome To Windows dialog box is displayed, type the password that you normally use, and then click OK. When you are prompted to confirm the password that you entered, type the password again in the Confirm New Password box, and then click OK.

    NOTE: If there are no .pwl files present on the drive (for example, if you press the ESC key when you are prompted for a password when Windows starts) password caching is not enabled. You must first log on to the network to create a .pwl file.
  2. Rename the Rna.pwl file in the Windows folder; to do so, type the following line at a command prompt, and then press the ENTER key (where Windows is the name of the Windows folder):

    ren c:\Windows\rna.pwl rna.xxx

    After you rename the Rna.pwl file, restart your computer.

    NOTE: The Rna.pwl file may not exist on your computer. This file is not required in some configurations.
  3. Verify that password caching is enabled; to do so, you need to use Registry Editor.

    WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

    View the DisablePwdCaching value (a DWORD value) in the following registry key:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Network

    If password caching is disabled, the DisablePwdCaching value has a value data of 1. To enable password caching, change the value data to 0.

    NOTE: If the DisablePwdCaching value does not exist, add this DWORD value with a data value of 0 to the preceding registry key. You may need to remove this value altogether and then restart your computer to make caching work.
  4. Disable automatic logon. To do so, delete the AutoLogon value (a binary value) from the following registry key:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Network\Real Mode Net

  5. Remove Dial-Up Networking, and then reinstall it:
    1. In the Network properties, record each Network component and its configuration information:
      1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Network.
      2. Click a component on the Configuration tab, click Properties, and then record all of the component's settings. Repeat this process with another component until you record all of the component configuration information.
    2. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Add/Remove Programs.
    3. Click the Windows Setup tab.
    4. Click Communications, and then click Details.
    5. Click to clear the Dial-Up Networking check box, click OK, and then restart your computer if you are prompted to do so.
    6. Repeat steps a through c.
    7. Click to select the Dial-Up Networking check box, and then click OK.

      NOTE: You may receive version conflict error messages during this process. If this occurs, click No when you are prompted to keep a newer version of each file.
    8. If you are using the Microsoft Network (MSN) version 2.51, reinstall the MSN program.
  6. Even though user profiles are disabled, remove the ProfilesList key from the registry.For additional information about how to remove this key from the registry, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

    156826 How to Disable and Delete User Profiles

If you are running Windows 95, you may need to add Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) to the Network properties:
  1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Network.
  2. Click Protocol, click Add, click Microsoft in the Manufacturers box, click TCP/IP, and then click OK.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

141858 No Windows or Network Logon Dialog Box at Startup

For additional information about problems that may occur when you attemptto save passwords in Windows, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

135197 Damaged Password List File Does Not Save Passwords

137361 Save Password Check Box Is Unavailable

141858 No Windows or Network Logon Dialog Box at Startup

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:8/11/2006
Keywords:dun kbDialUp kbnetwork kbprb kbtool kbWinME win95 win98 win98se KB148925
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