What does <domain name>\<computer name>$ mean?

I'm experiencing a supposed ASP authentication problem, and the error is that access is denied to a user:

MYDOMAIN\MYCOMPUTER$

Where MYDOMAIN is a placeholder for the domain name, and MYCOMPUTER is the computer name. Does this have a special meaning? I'm thinking it might mean "local system account" or it may designate a computer account.

Solution 1:

As a few others have mentioned, it is the computer account itself not the user account.

ASP authentication errors like this are typically due to the computer account itself being passed as the authentication token instead of your user account.

If you are wanting Windows User account authentication for the ASP page instead try the following 2 options:

On the directory security tab in your IIS application directory, you need to set "Integrated Windows Authentication" to true so it knows to ask for your username and password.

OR

Try adding this key to web.config:

<identity impersonate="true" UserName="YourDomain\=Your windows username" Password = "your windows password" />

More information about ASP impersonation settings can be found here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa292118%28VS.71%29.aspx

Solution 2:

User Accounts with a naming scheme of DOMAIN\MACHINE$ are so-called machine-accounts and represent the named machine within that domain. Those accounts are created when you join that computer to a domain.

Solution 3:

The domain\machine-name$ naming convention is used to denote the computer account of a domain joined machine. In regards to its usability, any service running as Local System or Network Service on that machine will authenticate across the network as domain\machine-name$.

This naturally has associated security implications as well. If on a computer object in Active Directory, domain\machine-name$ is granted full-control for example, then any service running as system or a network service on that computer will be able to modify any aspect of that computer account in the Active Directory, including being able to modify permissions on the account itself.

Solution 4:

This should refer to the account of your computer in the Active Directory.

You should check if your user has the right to access to this computer.