Replacing NT Server

Let's go back to your plan to install the new server to the domain. Were you giving the new server the same name as the old? I can think of no reason why your new server could not join the domain other than that. Is the network setting the same...ipaddress valid? subnet valid?
dns server valid? tcp/ip installed? Is the network card configured with the proper driver? Please answer some of these questions and we can probably pinpoint the problem right away for you.
As for copying the old servers files onto the new drive, do you have the WindowsNT resource kit? there is a handy little tool on there I like to use called "robocopy" which will transfer all the files over while still retaining permissions.
Please note, this is not the way to go, if you do an install of winnt server to a PDC right away, all your file permissions and user information will not be there on the new server as the domain SID will be different.
Feel free to email me for any help you may need.
Good luck!

Mike

If ou've got less users & unable to install BDC with existing domain, best bet is to install a new PDC with new doamin & create users on this one. Then add the previous server to this domain.
Akash

That's very weird.
The safest and easiest way to do this is setup a new server as BDC and then promote it as PDC.
Why you can not do that?, are you binding all the protocols you need to?, ie. NetBeui, TCP, is your Network Card Ok?, make sure you load the correct drivers for it.
It should be a comunication problem between your new Server and your LAN, make sure your have the same Subnet Mask on both your old PDC and your new Server. Also make sure you give it a proper IP address, not the same as your actual PDC but one in the correct range.
Latter when you promote the BDC as PDC you can change the address.

Good luck,

@lberto
please e-mail me back,

alberto@pancarib.com