A problem I just faced: I was trying to use Visual Studio 2005 on my Windows XP box to connect to a Team Foundation Server (TFS) via VPN to check out some source code. I would attempt to connect to the server, and would then receive the error message that USERA did not have permission to access the server.  The problem was, I didn’t want to connect to the server as USERA, but rather as USERB. It would never give me a login prompt, however, just repeat the message that I could not connect as USERA.

I was VPN’ed into the system via Cisco, and thus hadn’t yet given any Windows network credentials, so I was puzzled from where it was getting the opinion I wanted to be USERA.

After trying to delete the server multiple times and add it back in, it finally occurred to me that I had connected to that server via Network Places. I opened the Network Places window, but the server didn’t show up there.

Finally I started hunting through control panels. I hit upon User Accounts, opened that, and clicked the Advanced tab. I clicked the Manage Passwords button, and there under Stored User Names and Passwords, wouldn’t you know it, an entry for the server in question. I selected it, clicked Remove, and Closed out of the User Accounts Control Panel.

I tried to connect to TFS through File > Open from Source Control, selected my server, and got the login box I expected instead of an error message. Progress!

Moral of the story: be very careful when you select the option for Windows to remember your login credentials. It may have unintended consequences. And if you let your OS  (or any application/system) cache your login information, be sure you know where to go to change it in case you need to.