Is it possible to restore active directory from a backup if so how?

[Chris Clarke-Williams]

I have a domain controller which thinks its copy of
active directory is corrupted and will not finish booting
up as a result. When I boot into active directory
restor mode and restore the backup I made of the complete
system drive (C) then reboot I still get the same error
what am I doing wrong or is this yet another Microsoft
product which just does not work?

 

[Laura E. Hunter \(MVP\)]

In order to restore Active Directory, you need to have a System State
backup, not just a file-level backup of the C: drive. A System State backup
will record the necessary registry and AD database settings that will allow
you to recover from most kinds of AD corruption.

If you don't have a System State backup, try the steps listed here:
http://www.windowsnetworking.com/kb...tory/ActiveDirectorydatabasefileNTDS.DIT.html

 

[Cary Shultz [A.D. MVP]]

Possibly restoring simply the System State will help you.

What is going on with this Domain Controller? Do you have other Domain
Controllers? If you do, it is a possibility that you simply remove this one
( via the dcpromo process ), make sure to do the Metadata Cleanup using
ntdsutil and adsiedit - as well as remove any lingering DNS entries and the
object in the Active Directory Sites and Services MMC ), reload WIN2000
Server and promote it to a Domain Controller. Normal intra-site replication
will take care of the rest. You would also need to transfer any FSMO Roles
that it might have held to another Domain Controller. If the DC is not
available then you would have to seize any of those roles ( using
ntdsutil ).

But, the bigger question is what is going on with this DC?

Cary

 

[Chris Clarke-Williams]

So in other words the system state will not be backed up
if I just back up the system drive. I've been Gatesed
again.