Demoting a server big problem...

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jason Rivers
  • Start date Start date
J

Jason Rivers

Ok, here's the problem, i recently recieved a machine, which has been taken
off a domain, it was *Apparantly* set up as a BDC, if this was so, all the
account information, would be on that machine, Its not, so i think it was
set, as a normal server, in a domain, the domain was told its a server, i
know that much, but that might just be win 2k server? anyway, trying to
demote the server into just a stand-alone server, is becoming a problem, and
probably because the PDC is no longer existant (anywhere).

In the "Configure Your Server" wizard, it says to run * dcpromo * to demote
the server, i run that, and after putting in the password credentials, it
gives me the error:

* The domain "DOMAIN" is not an Active Directory domian, or an Active
Directory domain controller for the domain could be contacted *

so now i'm stuck with no users on a computer, the remains of what was once a
domain, and no means of setting new user accounts for FTP, because the
active directory is still there.

Any idea's on how to demote this, or do i have to re-install windows (which
i would like to avoid)

-J-
 
Jason Rivers said:
Ok, here's the problem, i recently recieved a machine, which has been taken
off a domain, it was *Apparantly* set up as a BDC, if this was so, all the
account information, would be on that machine, Its not, so i think it was
set, as a normal server, in a domain, the domain was told its a server, i
know that much, but that might just be win 2k server? anyway, trying to
demote the server into just a stand-alone server, is becoming a problem, and
probably because the PDC is no longer existant (anywhere).
Click to expand...

If it is a BDC then it is NOT an "ordinary server". It cannot be demoted.
(It could in theory be upgraded to Win2000+ and then demoted, but not as
long as it continues to run WinNT.)
In the "Configure Your Server" wizard, it says to run * dcpromo * to demote
the server, i run that, and after putting in the password credentials, it
gives me the error:
Click to expand...

Then it is NOT a BDC but rather a DC running Win2000+ -- Win2000 does not
have BDCs and PDC but just DCs.
* The domain "DOMAIN" is not an Active Directory domian, or an Active
Directory domain controller for the domain could be contacted *

so now i'm stuck with no users on a computer, the remains of what was once a
domain, and no means of setting new user accounts for FTP, because the
active directory is still there.

Any idea's on how to demote this, or do i have to re-install windows (which
i would like to avoid)
Click to expand...

Perhaps you should just re-install if you don't want this DC.

Alternatively if you have installed recent service pack (SP3 I think, but
certainly
SP4) then you can do a "DCPromo /forceremoval".

The force switch was added in a service pack.
 
OK thanks for the updates on PDC/BDC change to 2k, the /forceremoval seems
to of worked fine,

thanks

-J-
 
To add some details here.

/forceremoval was added in a post-SP3 hotfix and was first included in SP4.

Note that when you do a forceremoval on a dc that it will not clean up the
information about itself in the rest of the environment. You would want to
do this by hand after the forceremoval is done (the process is called a
metadata cleanup). Here is an article that walks you through this process:

http://support.microsoft.com/defaul...s/Q216/4/98.ASP&NoWebContent=1&NoWebContent=1

~Eric
 
/forceremoval was added in a post-SP3 hotfix and was first included in
SP4.

Well, that explains why I knew it was in SP4 and thought that sometimes SP3
machines might have it. <grin>

--
Herb Martin
Eric Fleischman said:
To add some details here.

/forceremoval was added in a post-SP3 hotfix and was first included in SP4.

Note that when you do a forceremoval on a dc that it will not clean up the
information about itself in the rest of the environment. You would want to
do this by hand after the forceremoval is done (the process is called a
metadata cleanup). Here is an article that walks you through this process:

http://support.microsoft.com/defaul...s/Q216/4/98.ASP&NoWebContent=1&NoWebContent=1

~Eric

--
Eric Fleischman [MSFT]
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights
Use of included script samples are subject to the terms specified at
http://www.microsoft.com/info/cpyright.htm


Jason Rivers said:
OK thanks for the updates on PDC/BDC change to 2k, the /forceremoval seems
to of worked fine,

thanks

-J-

all
the it
was server,
Click to expand...
to credentials,
it was
once
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
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