"All Active Directory Connectors in the Windows forest must be upgraded" error message when you install Exchange Server 2003

When you try to install Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, you may receive the following error message:



Note In this error message, the word "Collaberation" is a misspelling of the word "Collaboration."

This issue may occur in one of the following scenarios:

• An earlier version than the Exchange 2003 version of the Active Directory Connector (ADC) program is installed on an Exchange computer or on a domain controller in the Active Directory forest.
• The Exchange computer that is referenced in the error message that is mentioned in the "Symptoms" section is no longer in production.

To resolve this issue, use one of the following methods.

Method 1

If no Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 computers are installed in the Active Directory forest, you must remove any versions of the ADC program that are earlier than the Exchange 2003 version from any computer where it is installed. To remove an earlier version of the ADC program:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
3. On the Change or Remove Programs tab, click Microsoft Active Directory Connector.
4. Click Change/Remove.
5. Click Next.
6. Click Remove All, and then click Yes.
7. Click Finish.
8. Install Exchange 2003.

Method 2

If a version of the ADC program that is earlier than the Exchange 2003 version is installed in the Active Directory forest, you must upgrade the ADC program to the Exchange 2003 version. To do this:

1. Insert the Exchange 2003 CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive on all domain computers where any version of the ADC program that is earlier than the Exchange 2003 version is installed.
2. Open the ADC\i386 folder, and then double-click Setup.exe.
3. When the Active Directory Connector (ADC) Installation Wizard starts, click Next.
4. Click Reinstall to upgrade to the Exchange 2003 version of the ADC program.
   
   Note If you click Remove All, any Connection Agreements that are hosted on this server will be deleted, and you must re-establish the Connection Agreements on another server if you want to preserve them.
5. Click Finish.
6. Install Exchange 2003.

Method 3

If the error message in the Symptoms section refers to an Exchange computer that is no longer in production, you must use the ADSI Edit tool to remove any Active Directory objects that refer to the Exchange computer that is no longer in production. To do this, follow these steps.

Warning If you use the ADSI Edit snap-in, the LDP utility, or any other LDAP version 3 client, and you incorrectly modify the attributes of Active Directory objects, you can cause serious problems. These problems may require you to reinstall Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server, Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, or both Windows and Exchange. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems that occur if you incorrectly modify Active Directory object attributes can be solved. Modify these attributes at your own risk.

1. Start the ADSI Edit tool. To do this, click Start, click Run, type adsiedit.msc, and then click OK.
   
   The ADSI Edit tool is included on the Microsoft Windows 2000 Server CD-ROM or the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 CD-ROM. To install the ADSI Edit tool on a Windows 2000 Server-based system, run the Setup program from the Support\Tools folder on the Windows 2000 Server CD-ROM. To install the ADSI Tool on a Windows Server 2003-based system, right-click Suptools.msi in the Support\Tools folder on the Windows Server 2003 CD-ROM, and then click Install. .
2. Expand the Configuration container, and then expand CN=Configuration,DC=example,DC=com where example is the name of your domain).
3. Expand CN=Sites, expand CN=Default-First-Site-Name, expand CN=Servers, expand CN=Server Name, and then click CN=Exchange Settings.
4. In the right pane, expand the container that corresponds to the retired Exchange 5.5 computer. Delete any subcontainers under the server container, including the ADC servername subcontainer.
5. Close ADSI Edit.
6. Install Exchange 2003.