SQL Windows Authentication can’t login to SSMS locally
![ssms02](https://www.virtualizationhowto.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/ssms02.png)
Highlights
- Once this option is enabled on the SSMS shortcut, you won’t have to right click each time and run as administrator, it will simply prompt you to run it as administrator from any account that tries to run (as long as the setting is changed for all users.
- Â With UAC enabled and active on the SQL2K8 R2 box, Windows Authentication will fail if the application is not launched with administrative privileges even if the user account is part of the BUILTINadministrators group which in our case were properly added to the SQL box.
- Recently, a client was experiencing a really weird issue where they could connect to a recently built SQL server using SQL Server Management Studio loaded on remote workstations, however, they could not login to the console of the server or via RDP and successfully login.
Recently, a client was experiencing a really weird issue where they could connect to a recently built SQL server using SQL Server Management Studio loaded on remote workstations, however, they could not login to the console of the server or via RDP and successfully login.
Server Specs
The SQL server was running a rather unusual build and install as it was a Windows 2008 R2 x64 server with SP1 running SQL 2005. Â Also of note, the users in this particular environment exist in a Windows NT 4 domain (yes incredible, but they are still out there) and the machine accounts exist in an Active Directory domain (Windows 2003 DCs running in Windows 2000 mode). Â So we didn’t rule this out to be part of the issue until later. Â Eventually the resolution was clear.
Resolution:
- Disable UAC completely
- Rightclick and runas administrator
- Enable the run this program as administrator on the SSMS shortcut
- launch msconfig
Runas administrator:
Alternatively, you can run the SSMS shortcut as administrator each time you run the program: