Computer Object thinks it is a container - Help

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Guest

Hello,
Windows 2003 AD - single site - 2 healthy DCs.

I was cleaning up AD this morning, getting rid of objects that no longer
exist and I stumbled onto a problem. When attempting to delete a former
employee's computer object (which was removed from the network a year ago), I
rec'd a strange error message saying:

"Object ASMITH1 is a container and contains other objects. Are you sure you
want to delete object ASMITH1 and the objects it contains? This operation
could take a long time if ASMITH1 contains a large number of objects."
Continue Y or N?

This "ASMITH1" computer object sits in on OU with 40 other computers objects
and the "type" field at the top of the column identifies it is a computer.
The icon is exactly like all the other computer object icons.

I did a search in AD for ASMITH1 as a computers and found it. I also tried
searching for ASMITH1 as a Organizational Unit but it was not found.

I am uncomfortable deleting this object because I don't know what objects it
may be containing. For all I know it could be some corrupted alias for the
root of AD.

Anyone have any thoughts?
 
-=gu=- said:
Hello,
Windows 2003 AD - single site - 2 healthy DCs.

I was cleaning up AD this morning, getting rid of objects that no longer
exist and I stumbled onto a problem. When attempting to delete a former
employee's computer object (which was removed from the network a year ago), I
rec'd a strange error message saying:

"Object ASMITH1 is a container and contains other objects. Are you sure you
want to delete object ASMITH1 and the objects it contains? This operation
could take a long time if ASMITH1 contains a large number of objects."
Continue Y or N?

This "ASMITH1" computer object sits in on OU with 40 other computers objects
and the "type" field at the top of the column identifies it is a computer.
The icon is exactly like all the other computer object icons.

I did a search in AD for ASMITH1 as a computers and found it. I also tried
searching for ASMITH1 as a Organizational Unit but it was not found.

I am uncomfortable deleting this object because I don't know what objects it
may be containing. For all I know it could be some corrupted alias for the
root of AD.

Anyone have any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Most objects in AD can be containers for other objects. They don't have
to be an Organizational Unit to be a container (for example the builtin
Computers and Users container in the root of the domain).

It could possibily be a container for other objects such as printers. To
check this, in ADUC turn on View->Users,Groups, and Computers as
Containers. Now click on the computer, and in the right plane you'll see
what objects it contains. If it printers, you can most likely move it
out of the computer container and into an OU (might want to check and
verify, I'm not 100% sure).
 
Excellent Joseph! Thanks for your help. When I took your suggestion, that
computer object had an object below it called "Router Identity". I feel
comfortable deleting it now. I see a couple other computer objects have the
same thing. Could you tell me what "Router Identity" is and how it was turned
on or added?
I really appreciate the ability to be able to post messages in MS newsgroups
and get other's responses. Thanks!
 
More info: On the computer objects that have the "Router Identity" object
below, when the computer object is highlighted the description of RI says:
rRASAdministrationConnectionPoint.

These users weren't RAS admins though. Odd.
 
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