I am providing a solution that worked once in one particular situation.
No guarantees about
whether it will work in your situation.
PLEASE READ WHAT I HAVE TO SAY VERY CAREFULLY.
I WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR LOST DATA OR HARD FEELINGS.
THE ONLY SURE FIRE WAY TO DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO IS:
BACKUP YOUR DATA. BACK UP YOUR DATA. BACK UP YOUR DATA.
WIPE OUT NT ENTIRELY. RE-FORMAT THE DRIVE. RELOAD YOUR DATA.
I'VE BEEN THERE, AND I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
I'll stop shouting now.
I have two comments about the previous answers to this problem. One:
if it was as simple as
promoting a BDC to a PDC, there wouldn't be a problem with logins. A
BDC can validate a
login if it is synchronized. If the server did mysteriously get demoted
to a BDC, then Server
Manager could be used to promote it back to a PDC.
Two: I've tried the path of re-loading NTS on top of an old install. It
did not allow a change
from Server to Domain Controller.
I have attached a quoted mail thread from another list. This thread
describes a registry hack.
Read the thread carefully before attempting any changes. AND BACKUP YOUR
DATA AND
YOUR REGISTRY.
This hack is designed for NT 3.51. And it is designed to go the other
way, from PDC down to simple
Server status. It is not designed to go from a Server up to a Domain
Controller.
I tried it on NTS 4.0, to promote a Server to a PDC. I found that the
values specified in the
registry were actually the reverse of what the thread says. The values
refer to the Product Options
listed at the end of the thread, namely: "LANMANNT" and "SERVERNT". My
registry said "SERVERNT"
when it was a Server. I changed that to "LANMANNT", and my server
changed to a Domain Controller.
*****************************
This is the start of the NTISP subject thread. The solution is provided
after this.
Chuck Scott wrote:
Re: NT and Primary Domain (Chuck Scott <chuck@integrityonline.com>,
9:14)
I think you have to reload NT then choose PDC as the server type. You
should be able to
retain your files and permissions, just load it over the top of your
current installation.
Allen Wisor wrote:
Use your server manager on a BDC. permote it to PBC. Remove the
machine
that is not responding from the network. Syncronize the entire
network.
And the machine that is not responing to the network as a BDC then
syncronize the entire network again.
Phill Moran wrote:
>
> Dear all......
>
> HELP !
>
> one of my NT 4.0 Machines to a DUMP ! (literally)
> found the root of the problem to be a bad NIC bios
> replaced the NIC and rebooted, all seemed to be well
> until one of my office staff tried to log into the network.
>
> Got the result " No domain controller was found to
> validate your password "
>
> Upon inspection I found that my NT machine was no longer
> a Primary Domain Controller,
> I've tried everything I know to recify this problem, to no avail
> I can still access the NT machine and it boots just fine but now I
> cant validate anyone, does anyone know how to change my machine
back to a
> primary domain controller ?
>
> PS next week I'll invest in a backup domain controller !
> Thanks
>
> Phill Moran
> Kadena Computers & Communications
> http://www.kcc.ne.jp
> phill@kcc.ne.jp
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------
> NTISP Mailing List listserver@emerald.iea.com
--
Allen Wisor
Allen@nova1.net
Nova Internet Services, Inc.
Ph(214)904-9600 Fx(214)357-1431
----------------------------------------------------------
NTISP Mailing List listserver@emerald.iea.com
******************************
THIS IS THE START OF THE FORWARDED QUOTED THREAD:
Re: MCSE: Demote a PDC to a member server (Major <majorsb@ibm.net>,
2/19/97 22:37)
A good read on registry hacking to change function of Workstation to
Server, with licensing implications, can be had at:
http://ftp.uni-mannheim.de/info/OReilly/windows/win95.update/ntnodiff.html
Herb Martin wrote:
>
> Officially it 'can't be done', but so what. Great hack!
>
> One or two questions: Is this all there is to it? Is it a
> full demotion? Understand the Accounts Database KNOWS
> that the machine is a domain controller, the machine's
> accounts was created AS A BDC. Will the DC allow the
> 'server' to play fully????
>
> I am willing to hack on of my machines to see what happens
> but would rather just hear the answers...
>
> I would presume that it is completely legal to downgrade --
> assuming you can -- to server, after all you bought a license
> for server: you can install it as either a DC or a plain server
> at you own option.
>
> Herb Martin, MCSEx2, MCSD, MCT
> Creative Director
> HerbM@LearnQuick.Com
> Accelerated Training for Advancing Professionals
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rich Matheisen [SMTP:rmatheisen@wang.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 1997 11:55 AM
> To: mcse@saluki.com
> Subject: Re: MCSE: Demote a PDC to a member server
>
> At 18:17 2/17/97 -0500, you wrote:
> >Curious if it is possible to demote a PDC or BDC to a member server?
And
> >if so how?
>
> I'm sure that others will say "it can't be done," but it can. This
> isn't an "official" solution, but you can use regedt32 and change the
> role of a 3.51 BDC/PDC to a simple server.
>
> Find the following key
>
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
> \SYSTEM
> \CurrentControlSet
> \Control
> \Product Options
>
> and change the value from
>
> LANMANNT
> to
> SERVERNT
>
> Then restart the O/S.
>
> I'm not sure if the same technique will work in NT4 because there's a
> worker thread that watches for registry changes like this (and another
> registry key, whose name I don't recall, that also needs adjustment).
> While I'm not sure that changing the role from DC to server is
illegal,
> I _positive_ that changing it from NTW to NTS *IS* a violation of the
> license agreement.
>
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