Remove a Domain Controller from Active Directory

[Scott B. Williams]

I have a domain controller that was sent back to Dell
without DCPROMO being run on it to remove it from our
domain. I cannot find a Q article that tells me how to
remove references to this DC from active directory. Does
anyone know how to do this?

Thanks,

Scott

 

[Cary Shultz [A.D. MVP]]

Scott,

Not that big of a problem. Install the Support Tools on your existing
Domain Controllers. You will need to use ADSIEdit. The Support Tools can
be found on the Windows 2000 Server CD as well as on the WIN2000 Service
Pack CD in the Support | Tools folder. I would opt for the Service pack
CD....

Take a look at the following MSKB Article:

How To: remove a DC after an unsuccessful dcpromo ( same thing as not
running dcpromo! )
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=216498

BTW - the process is called Metadata Cleanup!

HTH,

Cary

 

[Scott]

Cary:

Thanks for the info. I found the same article originally
and thought it maybe the one to use. One last question
though. On step 5 of the procedure, do I try to bind to
the DC I am trying to delete or to any DC? SInce the DC I
am trying to get rid of is no longer up I am having to
bind to another DC. I just want to ensure that when I do
step 15 I am not deleting the DC I am bound to.

Thanks,

Scott

 

[Cary Shultz [A.D. MVP]]

Scott,

You ask the question that everyone asks! I usually point this out but did
not in my response to you. Sorry!

You can not bind to a DC that you will be removing. If you were to bind to
the DC that you wanted to remove then you would receive an error message to
the effect "cannot delete the DC to which you are bound". So, you would
have 'wasted' 15 seconds but would have the experience under your belt. I
usually remember things that I have done better than things that I have
read.

Anyway, in this particular case there would have been no damage done! This,
unfortunately, is not always the case! So, it is definitely better to ask.
As my father taught me well, "Measure twice, cut once".

You will need to bind to a functional DC....one that you are not removing.

HTH,

Cary