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Q260698: XADM: Demotion of Domain Controller Disables Exchange Server

Article: Q260698
Product(s): Microsoft Exchange
Version(s): WINDOWS:2000; winnt:4.0,5.0,5.5
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): exc4 exc5 exc55
Last Modified: 11-JUN-2002

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Exchange Server, versions 4.0, 5.0, 5.5 
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Server 
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IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SYMPTOMS
========

If you run the Dcpromo utility to demote the final domain controller in a domain
to a member server, all of the domain accounts are lost. This includes the
accounts that are used for the Exchange Server services. After you restart after
the demotion, the following error message is displayed:

  At least one service or driver failed during system startup. Use Event Viewer
  to examine the event log for details.

The following error messages are logged in the system log:

   - Event ID: 7001
  Source: Service Control Manager
  Type: Error
  Description:
  The Microsoft Exchange Event Service service depends on the Microsoft Exchange
  Information Store service which failed to start because of the following
  error:

  The dependency service or group failed to start.

   - Event ID: 7001
  Source: Service Control Manager
  Type:Error
  Description:
  The Microsoft Exchange Message Transfer Agent service depends on the Microsoft
  Exchange Directory service which failed to start because of the following
  error:

  The dependency service or group failed to start.

   - Event ID: 7001
  Source: Service Control Manager
  Type: Error
  Description:
  The Microsoft Exchange Information Store service depends on the Microsoft
  Exchange Directory service which failed to start because of the following
  error:

  The dependency service or group failed to start.

   - Event ID: 7001
  Source: Service Control Manager
  Type:Error
  Description:
  The Microsoft Directory service depends on the Microsoft Exchange System
  Attendant service which failed to start because of the following error:

  The dependency service or group failed to start.

   - Event ID: 7000
  Source: Service Control Manager
  Type:Error
  Description:
  The Microsoft Exchange Message Transfer Agent service depends on the Microsoft
  Exchange Directory service which failed to start because of the following
  error:

  The service did not start due to a logon failure.

CAUSE
=====

This issue can occur because when you demote the last domain controller in a
Windows 2000 domain, you remove all of the user accounts from that domain,
including the account that is used as the Exchange Server service account. When
Exchange Server is initially installed, permissions are given to the service
account by means of the Windows NT Security Identifier (SID) of the account.

Because of this, even if you run the dcpromo command again, recreate the domain
controller with the same domain name, and create an account that is identical to
the original service account (with the same user name and password), the system
attendant and directory service may start, but no account will have Service
Account Administrator permissions in Exchange Server.

Because no account can start the Exchange Server Administrator program to assign
permissions, the only option available is to remove Exchange Server and
reinstall it by using a new service account. You can successfully import the
databases that were previously used, Priv.edb and Pub.edb, to the new
installation of Exchange Server to minimize data loss.

RESOLUTION
==========

To resolve this issue, restore the existing databases (Priv.edb and Pub.edb) to
a new installation of Exchange Server on the computer running Windows 2000
Server:

1. If you have not already done so, run the "dcpromo" (without the quotation
  marks) command to create a new Windows 2000 domain.

2. Copy the Priv.edb and Pub.edb files from the Exchsrvr\Mdbdata folder to a
  temporary folder.

3. Manually remove the existing Exchange Server installation:

  a. Stop all of the Exchange Server services by using the Services Microsoft
     Management Console (MMC) snap-in.

  b. Delete all of the Exchsrvr folders on all of the drives.

  c. Delete the Exchange Server information from the registry:

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems
that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot
guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor
incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

     1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).

     2. Locate the following key in the registry:

  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/System/CurrentControlSet/Services

     3. Delete all of the installed Exchange Server services. These services
        include the following:

         - MSExchangeDS
         - MSExchangeDX
         - MSExchangeFB
         - MSExchangeIMC
         - MSExchangeIS
         - MSExchangeKMS
         - MSExchangeMSMI
         - MSExchangeMTA
         - MSExchangePCMTA
         - MSExchangeSA

     4. Locate the following key in the registry:

  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Exchange

     5. Delete Exchange. When the following message is displayed

  Registry Editor will delete the currently selected key and all its subkeys.

        Click Yes.

     6. Locate the following key in the registry:

  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/EDB

     7. Delete EDB. When the following message is displayed

  Registry Editor will delete the currently selected key and all its subkeys.

        Click Yes.

  d. Restart the server.

4. Reinstall Exchange Server by using a newly created service account. Be sure
  to install Exchange Server by using the exact same organization and site name
  that you used in the previous installation (if the organization and site
  names are not exactly the same, you cannot use the Priv.edb and Pub.edb
  databases from the previous installation).

5. If you were previously running Exchange Server 5.5 Service Pack 3, when the
  installation is finished apply Exchange Server 5.5 Service Pack 3.

6. Delete all of the items (.edb files and all .log and .chk files) in the
  Exchsrvr\Mdbdata folder, and copy the original Priv.edb and Pub.edb databases
  (from previous installation) to the Mdbdata folder.

7. Start the Exchange Server Information Store service.

  NOTE: If the following error message is displayed

  Windows could not start the Microsoft Exchange Information Store on Local
  Computer. For more information, review the System Event log. If this is a
  non-Microsoft service, contact the service vendor, and refer to
  service-specific error code 1011.

  run the "isinteg -patch" (without the quotation marks) command at a command
  prompt in the Exchsrvr\Bin folder, and then restart the Exchange Server
  Information Store service.

8. Start the Exchange Server Administrator program and in the left pane, locate
  the server name of the server on which you are installing Exchange Server.

9. Click the server name, and click Properties on the File menu.

10. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Consistency Adjuster.

  NOTE: This creates entries in the Exchange Server directory for each mailbox
  in the Priv.edb database.

11. In the DS/IS Consistency Adjuster dialog box, under Private Information
  Store, click to select the first two check boxes.

12. Under Filter, click to select the "All inconsistencies" check box, and then
  click OK.

13. When the following message is displayed:

  The DS/IS consistency adjuster will take ownership and change permissions on
  all public folders from unknown sites; the implications should be fully
  understood before continuing this operation. Choose Help for a more detailed
  explanation.

  click OK.

Additional query words:

======================================================================
Keywords          : exc4 exc5 exc55 
Technology        : kbwin2000Serv kbwin2000ServSearch kbwin2000Search kbExchangeSearch kbExchange500 kbExchange550 kbExchange400 kbZNotKeyword2
Version           : WINDOWS:2000; winnt:4.0,5.0,5.5
Issue type        : kbprb

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