Specs of the software and server -

OS - Windows Server 2003 SP 2
IIS - Microsoft-IIS / 6.0
.net Framework - 2.0.50727.3082

Database - Microsoft SQL Server 2005 SP3 running on the same server

Host - DotNetNuke Community Edition 5.1.1

If there's any other spec or bit of information, let me know and I'll post what I can.

Background - This DNN install / server is going to be intranet only. We use it as part of a public school system and will be used internally for sharing documents, posting information, and just all around internet web usage. I have setup the Active Directory authentication system, and its working fine. New users to the DNN install can login with their AD information and are automatically created a DNN sync'ed account and put into the appropriate user groups / security roles.

Problem 1 - The first time a user goes to the website, before ever visiting it, and sometimes just randomly the first time they open the browser, the user is directed to the WindowsSignin.aspx page, where they immediately get the 401 Unauthorized Access message, or they immediately are prompted with the popup box asking for their username and password.

I have Unauthorized Access to the WindowsSignin.aspx page disabled within IIS, and I also have <identity impersonate="true" userName="usernameX" password="********" /> uncommented and setup, with the usernameX having the same permissions on the DNN install as the ASPNET and NETWORK SERVICE accounts.

In the web.config file, I also have <add name="Authentication" type="DotNetNuke.Authentication.ActiveDirectory.HttpModules.AuthenticationModule, DotNetNuke.Authentication.ActiveDirectory" /> uncommented as well.

Solution - What I would like to have happen, is when a user visits the page initially, reguardless of whether its their first time visiting, or a repeat session, I just want the user taken to the homepage without an error. If they were logged in before, they obviously should still be logged in.

Problem 2 - If the user manages to get through the previous issue on their first initial trip to the site, they are sometimes, depending on whether the computer is setup for Integrated Windows Authentication, DNN creates a user - DOMAIN\username. If the user then logs out and logs back in with their domain account by the way most users understand it to be, which is USER@DOMAIN, another user is generated in DNN - USER@DOMAIN - with the same information that the DOMAIN\USER account has.

Solution - I need these to be the same account, not 2 different ones. Duplicate accounts are hard to keep up with.

Problem 3 - When a user is on the login screen and they enter their AD information - user@domain and password - into the appropriate boxes, and presses the enter key, the system does not let them login, instead returns that they have entered invalid information. If the user enters the same exact data into those boxes, but instead of pressing enter, clicks the Login button with the mouse, it works fine. This is happening with both Safari and Internet Explorer 7 and 8.

Solution - Both should work?

Any help would greatly be appreciated. If there's more information you need to help me out here, I'd be happy to post what I can.

John