Backup Domain Controller Upgrade Is Unsuccessful During Demotion to Member Server

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This article was previously published under Q259544

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SYMPTOMS

During an upgrade of a Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 backup domain controller (BDC), you may receive the following error message after you first restart in Windows 2000 and begin the Dcpromo process:

The domain domainname is not an Active Directory domain, or an Active Directory domain controller for the domain could not be contacted.

The error message is displayed when you select the Leave as member server option. The process works fine if you select the Make a Domain Controller option.

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CAUSE

This behavior can occur if the Lmhosts file contains invalid entries for domain controllers on the domain.

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RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, remove all incorrect entries in the Lmhosts file.

NOTE: Check the local Lmhosts file for lines that look similar to the following example

X.X.X.Xbdcname #PRE #DOM:yourdomain

where X.X.X.X represents your Internet Protocol (IP) address. The incorrect entry is likely to be the first #PRE #DOM that references your domain.

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