Cannot Open Active Directory Snap-ins: Naming Information Cannot Be Located Because No Authority Could Be Contacted for Authentication

When you are logged on as an administrator, you may be unable to open the Active Directory snap-ins on the domain controller. When you attempt to open Active Directory Users and Computers, the following error message occurs:

This behavior can occur when the Domain Name System (DNS) is not properly installed. Active Directory relies on DNS's being installed and functioning properly, as well as on having the SYSVOL share created.

To resolve this behavior, configure DNS properly and then attempt to open an Active Directory snap-in.

If the same error message appears again, perform the following procedures:

1. Use the DCPROMO utility to remove Active Directory, and then restart the server.
2. Use DCPROMO to reinstall Active Directory and promote the server to domain controller.
3. Confirm that the SYSVOL share has been created.

After installing Active Directory, check the File Replication Service log in Event Viewer to make sure it was installed successfully.

For information about how to set up DNS for Active Directory, refer to the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:


For information about how to use the DCPROMO utility to install Active Directory, refer to the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: