more "/ as sysdba" weirdness...

This is usually not an issue that comes up very often, but I am stumped in this case.

Installed 9i on Windows server 2003, patched up to 9.2.0.6 and created db with dbca(new database) using defualt sys and system pwds. Vendor for new app was onsite and had a "canned prog" to create user and tablspaces for said new app so I let him fly at it as I was busy in other areas. Now new app may be going into production soon, so in I go to change sys and system passwords, put into archivelog etc... I make sure logged in user on machine "domain\newuser" is part of ora_dba group, then go in to connect / as sysdba and immediatly get ora-01031, ok, that doesnt make sense but try "connect sys/change_on_install as sysdba" and get ora-01017 (invalid user/password). What the ^%$#! That cursed vendor must have changed these! Call the vendor to ask about this but they are clueless, so I connect as app user which fortunatly was granted alter user privilege and I alter both system and sys to new passwords, rename the password file and create new one with (same) new password, connect as sys and make neccesary changes, log_archive_start=true scope=spfile, log_archive_dest=xxx etc.. and shutdown the DB. Still at same prompt (sys as sysdba) I type in startup mount so I can alter database archivelog, and I get another ora-01031!!! so I enter connect sys/newpwd as sysdba and get connected (to idle instance) and type startup nomount and still get 01031, so here I am unable to even start the DB back up. So I stop the service and restart, DB comes up ok, connect as system/newpwd ok, but now cant connect as sys for anything. Doublecheck that user is part of ora-dba as it is on all my other servers and everything is fine, machine is logged on to domain etc., sqlnet.ora is SQLNET.AUTHENTICATION_SERVICES= (NONE) and I've tried changing it back to NTS, commenting it out et.. all to no avail. The remote_login_passwordfile was orinigally set to exclusive, but I changed it to "none" with an alter system scope=spfile and I still cannot get in as sys.

I've been googling this for 45 minutes to no avail, sys user looks the same as all other DB's and I have never run into this before. According to Oracle doc's (and usenet posts)I should be able to connect / as sysdba no problem, but at this point I'd be happy to connect sys/pwd as sysdba and I cant even do that! I can bounce databae using net stop etc. but that does me no good when trying to change to archivelog and is not the way I like to start/stop the DB in any case

anything obvious I have missed here or other ideas to try?? Received on Thu Mar 10 2005 - 14:33:16 CST