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BDC can't join the domain

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I installed a BDC on my NT4.0 network and it crashed after a day because of a hardware problem. I've fixed the hardware problem, reloaded the WINNT 4.0 setup but it will not let me join the domain. I've removed the BDC from Server Manager on the PDC, stopped the replication I think! and rebooted the PDC. The error message I get is, "The domain controller for this domain cannot be located". I install win98 on this system and it joins the domain fine with the same hardware and as I've mentioned this was a BDC for a day! Is there a registry change that needs to be made to the sam database?Hope you can help. Thanks alex

14 replies

by matt5968

I had similar problem. Go back and check the tcp ip adresses and subnet mask. being one digit off will make a difference..

by james a bailey

Unfortunalty all you can do is reinstall NT Server. Make sure you do not interrupt the synchronization process.

by james a bailey

this is because it has a different version of the SAM databse then your PDC (thats what is sounds like anyway). This happened when you removed it from the domain as a bdc.

by asamol

The bios was set to PnP I changed it to nonPnP and all is well
thanks alex

by lee v.

When you join a domain from an NT system, you must supply a valid username and password for an administrator of the domain you are joining. With Windows 9x this is not required. If you didn't fill in those fields when you attempted to join the domain from your new BDC install, be sure to do so. Otherwise it is attempting to use your local account information. Also, you may try to change the name of your BDC machine ever so slightly (from MyBDC to MyBDC1 as an example) to force the recognition of the new SID of the new install.

You didn't say if your new "hardware" has a fresh NT install or if you chose to update a previous install. Also, there could be issues if your PDC has SP4 or later, and your new install obviously isn't, because the SAM databases changed in SP4 and are not backward compatible. I would guess this is not your case since it was BDC for a day, but it is something to keep in mind.

by asamol

The bios was set to PnP I changed it to nonPnP and all is well
thanks alex

by muralirajan_100

If you are having the correct user name and password/rights in order to join in the domain. Then updated the BDC SP to SP5.

Try to connect it will.

by asamol

The bios was set to PnP I changed it to nonPnP and all is well
thanks alex

by mark.ward

alex, basically the reason for the error message you are getting is that you server is not communicating with your pdc across the lan. as you have had a hardware failure it will be down to you network card not talking across the lan. this is most probably down to a resource confilct with another device. remove all other non essential devices during the install just have video, net, disk contoller you can add other hardware later. or try changing the resources the net card is using. some netcards will install happilly even if the resources allocated to it are not the same as the ones you allocate during setup. It will not be anything to do with replication to the new BDC as this process does not happen until the BDC is a member of the domain.

by asamol

The bios was set to PnP I changed it to nonPnP and all is well
thanks alex

by mark.ward

alex, basically the reason for the error message you are getting is that you server is not communicating with your pdc across the lan. as you have had a hardware failure it will be down to you network card not talking across the lan. this is most probably down to a resource confilct with another device. remove all other non essential devices during the install just have video, net, disk contoller you can add other hardware later. or try changing the resources the net card is using. some netcards will install happilly even if the resources allocated to it are not the same as the ones you allocate during setup. It will not be anything to do with replication to the new BDC as this process does not happen until the BDC is a member of the domain.

by asamol

The bios was set to PnP I changed it to nonPnP and all is well
thanks alex

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