While working remotely through Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) environment, you try smartcard logon, but the message appeared- ‘The system could not log you on. The domain specified is not available. Please try again later.’

Generally, it happens when you disconnect the PC from the AD DS environment and log on again. 

So, what can you do now if the error message appears? Don’t worry about that, because we’re going to guide you in this article on fixing this issue in the easiest way.

How to Fix the Domain Specified Is Not Available Error

Whenever you try to log on to the AD DS environment but cannot get access, you need to check the validity of the issue first. To do that, you have to type on the target command prompt- ‘certutil –dcinfo verify’. If the message appears, then you can follow the fixes described below-​

• Validate the credential
• Hotfix

Method 1: Validate the Credential

The problem may remain in the authentication. If so, you need to validate the domain. Follow the steps below to do that-

Step 1: Firstly, you have to open the client certificate. You will get it from the certificate manager.

Step 2: Then, you have to switch to the ‘Details’ tab. While scrolling down, you will find a certificate extension named ‘Subject Alternative Names ’.

Step 3: Here, ‘User Principal Name’ containing an authoritative domain with a logon user name would exist. You will get it while checking.

Step 4: Finally, the client workstation might contact the specified domain to validate the credential (certificate authentication). Here, you need to check the event log.

After doing that, you might get the related info from the domain controller or client controller. But if this won’t work, then try the alternative method below.

Method 2: Hotfix

A hotfix can be an alternative system to fix the domain-specified issue. However, the hotfix is available only for a Windows Server 2008 R2-based Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) environment.

So, if your existing server supports hotfix, the message- ‘Hotfix download available’ may appear.But if you don’t find it, contact the Microsoft Customer Service and Support section.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I Fix the Domain Unavailable?

The domain not available issue can be easily solved using the Local Security Policy. Just turn off the local caching of logon information to fix the problem.

How Do I Fix the Specified Domain that Does Not Exist or Cannot Be Contacted?

To fix the specified domain either does not exist or could not be contacted error, you need to replace the IP address of the primary domain controller with the preferred DNS IP on each client workstation that is joining the domain.

Why Does It Say Domain Not Available?

If you receive an error saying the domain is not available, then first you need to ensure the device is connected to the corporate network. If you are going to use your domain credentials outside the corporate network, then you need to authenticate against the domain first.

Final Words

Commonly, the possible cause of the issue is, the cached account might be disabled on the computer for logging out. As a result, the operating system deleted the credential.

So, if the issue arises, you can follow the described fixes or take customer support from either the client or domain controller.