Orphaned 2000 DC

  • Thread starter Thread starter John Oliver, Jr. [MVP]
  • Start date Start date
J

John Oliver, Jr. [MVP]

Refresh my memory, I have a customer who recently lost his main Server which
was GC for the domain with a BSOD. Instead of restoring from tape, the
admin decided to just install a fresh copy of Windows 2000 Server and create
a new domain. As a result, the other DC in the old domain is now orphaned.
What would be the best way to get this server joined back to the new domain
without a complete reinstall of the OS? From what I am recalling and
reading, its not possible without a reinstall.
 
Use DCPROMO to demote it. Then use DCPROMO to promote it into the new
domain.

What the guy should have done in the first place is to rebuild the first
machine into a normal server and then DCPROMO that into the old domain.

--
Joe Richards Microsoft MVP Windows Server Directory Services
Author of O'Reilly Active Directory Third Edition
www.joeware.net


---O'Reilly Active Directory Third Edition now available---

http://www.joeware.net/win/ad3e.htm
 
If you want to continue to use the old domain then you should remove the new
dc and cleanup metadata and remove and readd the machine from the domain.
Then you should be able to repromote the server to a dc and a gc.

Metadata cleanup
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=216498



--
Paul Bergson MCT, MCSE, MCSA, Security+, CNE, CNA, CCA
http://www.pbbergs.com

Please no e-mails, any questions should be posted in the NewsGroup

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
 
Joe,

That is what I remember just wanted to confirm it. My lab is down right now
so I could not test this. Will the old DC throw some errors when it tries
to contact the main FSMO holder after running DCPROMO, which is now gone?
Thanks.

--
John Oliver, Jr
MCSE, MCT, CCNA
Exchange MVP 2006
Microsoft Certified Partner
 
Thanks Paul, at this point we are going to stick with new domain. So I will
run DCPROMO on the old DC and remove AD from it. Then I should be able to
join it to the new domain without reinstall. I assume it will throw some
errors when it tries to contact the old FSMO holder which no longer exists.

--
John Oliver, Jr
MCSE, MCT, CCNA
Exchange MVP 2006
Microsoft Certified Partner
 
Yes if you have troubles just do a dcpromo /forceremoval. Since it is the
last dc in the domain and forest it shouldn;t really matter.

--
Paul Bergson MCT, MCSE, MCSA, Security+, CNE, CNA, CCA
http://www.pbbergs.com

Please no e-mails, any questions should be posted in the NewsGroup

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
 
Thanks for your help.

--
John Oliver, Jr
MCSE, MCT, CCNA
Exchange MVP 2006
Microsoft Certified Partner
 
Best of luck

--
Paul Bergson MCT, MCSE, MCSA, Security+, CNE, CNA, CCA
http://www.pbbergs.com

Please no e-mails, any questions should be posted in the NewsGroup

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
 
Paul,

The only way I could get AD Removed from the DC was by running the
/forceremoval switch. Thanks again.

--
John Oliver, Jr
MCSE, MCT, CCNA
Exchange MVP 2006
Microsoft Certified Partner
 
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