By John O'Donnell, Microsoft CRM Most Valuable Professional  Microsoft CRM 1.2 is a complex piece of software. But one thing in its favor is that it's built using Web technologies. This means troubleshooting Microsoft CRM connectivity issues can be remarkably similar to troubleshooting problems you might have connecting to any other Web site.
If your users can't connect to Microsoft CRM, you might need to get back to basics: 1. | Ensure the Web service is running and validate network connectivity to the Web server. A simple PING command can tell you whether the Microsoft CRM Web server is responding. | 2. | Check whether your users are employing the correct URL to connect to Microsoft CRM. You might laugh at this suggestion, but I've seen this happen many times. | 3. | Don't rule out hardware issues. Hard disk problems and RAM errors certainly can cause a computer to fail, as can other hardware problems. |
That said, there's no need to panic every time a user says he cannot connect to Microsoft CRM. Typically such problems are fairly easy to resolve. This frequently asked questions (FAQ) page covers some of the most common connectivity issues. On This PageQ. When I try to connect to Microsoft CRM, the browser window closes. What should I do?A. This has to be the number one question asked in the Microsoft CRM newsgroups. The answer is simply that you have some form of pop-up blocker installed that is preventing you from connecting to Microsoft CRM. For example, the Google toolbar and MSN Messenger 6.2 have pop-up blockers installed. The answer of course is to disable your pop-up blocker, or even better, disable pop-up blocking just for your use of the Microsoft CRM Web site. Q. What should I do if I get a User Access Error message when trying to connect to Microsoft CRM?A. If you receive the User Access Error shown in Figure 1.1, it's likely that your Microsoft CRM administrator has not actually given you a license for the product. However, every Microsoft CRM user must be granted a license from the pool of licenses your company has. The Microsoft CRM Web site is not free to use.  Figure 1.1 This is the screen you will see in Microsoft CRM 1.2 if you attempt to connect to the system without a license. Q. What should I do if I get a Service Not Running error when I try to connect to Microsoft CRM?A. The Microsoft CRM Web server contains a service called the Microsoft CRM Security Service. If this service is not running, you will not be able to connect to Microsoft CRM, as Figure 1.2 shows. The simplest solution is to have your Microsoft CRM administrator start the service. For details on resolving this problem yourself, see the Troubleshooting the Microsoft CRM Security Service FAQ page.  Figure 1.2 If you get a Service Not Running error, contact your product administrator. Q. What should I do if I get a License Error message when attempting to connect?A. If your Microsoft CRM user account has been moved to another business unit of your company, your security role will have been removed from the system and you will get the error shown in Figure 1.3. To remedy this, your Microsoft CRM administrator must restore your security role to your user account.  Figure 1.3 If you get a License Error message, ask your Microsoft CRM administrator to restore your security role. John O'Donnell is a Microsoft CRM Most Valuable Professional (MVP). He works in the Microsoft Business Solutions (now Microsoft Dynamics) practice of Avanade as a Microsoft CRM application specialist. He is involved in all stages of the Microsoft CRM implementation process, from pre-sales to user training. If you see him in the Microsoft CRM newsgroups, be sure to say hello.-
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