restarting active directory domain services

If the DC does not communicate with at least one other DC, then only enable the Force the removal of this domain controller option. In the Credentials section, select a user account (for example, Domain or Enterprise Administrator) that has the right to remove DC, and click Next to continue. Click Demote this domain controller to start the wizard. Immediately afterward, a new window will appear informing you that you can not simply remove the role and that you will need to demote DC first. In the new window, click the Remove Features button. Under Server Roles, uncheck the Active Directory Domain Services role. In the Server Selection section, select DC and click Next to continue. In the Before You Begin section, click Next to continue. Open Server Manager, click Manage and then Remove Roles and Features. In the event of a failure, you will have to correct the error, such as transferring the FSMO roles and then proceed to the DC demotion.ĭemote Domain Controller using Server Manager You will be asked to enter the local administrator password and after a few seconds, the corresponding success or failure message will be displayed. It’s good to have a look at the other parameters to try this one that suits your case. The basic syntax of the command for a typical simulation is as follows. Think of it as a simulation without any change being made yet. Before you start demoting the Domain ControllerĪlthough not necessary, we will first use the Test-ADDSDomainControllerUninstallation cmdlet to test any dependencies or potential problems that will occur when removing the Domain Controller from Active Directory.

If it does, then you will need to transfer the FSMO roles to another DC. Otherwise, if DC is not working then you will need to proceed with a forced removal from Active Directory.īefore you begin the demote process, you will need to determine if the DC holds one of the FSMO roles. We will also see how the demotion process takes place, both using the Server Manager GUI and PowerShell. In the following scenario, we assume that the Domain Controller is online, functional and communicates with at least one other DC of the infrastructure. In today’s article, you’ll see how to demote a Windows Server 2016 Domain Controller from a company’s Active Directory infrastructure.

Restarting active directory domain services