Tips from NCR Experts
I took an NT Server that was acting as a Primary Domain Controller (PDC) offline, and the Backup Domain Controller (BDC) became the PDC. When I brought the original PDC back up, both domain controllers acted as the PDC. How can I fix this problem?
You need to demote the original PDC to the BDC. To demote the original PDC,
follow these steps:
1. Go to Control Panel, Services;
select Net Logon; and click Stop. Alternatively, go to the original BDC and stop
the NetLogon service at the DOS prompt, with the command
net stop netlogon
2. Click Start, Programs,
Administrative Tools, and select Server Manager. Choose the machine name of the
original PDC and then select Demote To Backup Domain Controller from the
Computer drop-down menu. Completing this step will change the original PDC to a
BDC.
3. Go to Control Panel, Services;
select Net Logon; and click Start. Alternatively, you can restart the NetLogon
service on the original BDC at the DOS prompt, with the command
net start netlogon
4. Resynchronize the domain from
Server Manager.
(You can promote the original PDC to PDC using Step 2. You need to demote
the current PDC to a BDC immediately after this step.)
If this process does not work (possibly because of security
ID--SID--corruption), you can perform the following steps. However, try this
resolution as a last resort; Microsoft does not support it. Using the Registry
editor incorrectly can cause serious systemwide problems, and you may need to
reinstall NT to correct them.
1. Physically go to the domain
controller that you do not want to be the PDC, and log on as Administrator.
2. To start the Registry editor, click
Start, Run; enter regedt32 in the Open box; and click OK.
3. Select HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SECURITY.
By default, the Administrator has Special Access rights on the SECURITY key. You
need to change these rights to Full Control. To make this change, implement the
following steps:
a. Select Security, Permissions from the menu bar.
b. Select the Administrator's name.
c. In the Type of Access drop-down box, choose Full Control and
select the Replace Permission on Existing Subkeys check box. This
configuration gives the Administrator full control over the SECURITY key and all
subkeys.
d. Return the SECURITY key permissions to Special Access at the end of this
process. Select the Administrator's name, and under Special Access, Other,
select WRITE DAC and READ CONTROL. Return to this step after changing the
Registry value in Step 5.
4. Select HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SECURITY\Policy\PolSrvRo.
This key has the field <No Name>: REG_NONE.
Double-click this field to edit its values.
5. Change the value from 03000000 to
02000000, and exit the Registry. Changing this value sets the machine as a BDC
instead of a PDC.
6. Reboot the server.
7. Resynchronize the domain, from
Server Manager.
I have found that the Windows NT Server FTP service does not function
correctly when I access it with Netscape browser software. The error typically
occurs when the home directory is a subdirectory rather than the root directory
of a drive. I frequently get the error message "Can't find the file <filename>
in the root directory." What causes this error?
This error probably occurs because you have the NT FTP service configured to
output DOS-style directories, and Netscape uses UNIX conventions when it
navigates. This configuration explains why the error typically does not occur
when your home directory is the root of a drive and you are accessing a file.
To fix this problem, you need to configure the service to output UNIX-style
directories. Run regedt32 (the NT Registry editor) to add or modify the
MsdosDirOutput Registry value at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE on <FTP SERVERUNCNAME or
Local Machine>\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ftpsvc\Parameters.
To add the value, follow these steps:
1. Select Edit, and then Add Value.
2. In the Value Name box, enter the
name exactly as follows: MsdosDirOutput.
3. In the Data Type drop-down box, set
the data type to REG_DWORD.
4. Click OK.
5. When prompted for the string, enter
0 for UNIX listings.
6. Click OK.
7. From Control Panel, Services, stop
and restart your FTP Server service (you don't need to reboot).
If you're running Internet Information Server (IIS), you don't need to
modify the Registry. To make this change, start IIS, click the FTP server
properties, go to the Directories tab, and select UNIX under Directory Listing
Style.
Replacing or upgrading applications within the NT operating environment
sometimes invalidates an NT service pack. What causes this problem, and how can
I fix it?
During the replacement or installation of a software component (such as SQL
Server or Systems Management Server--SMS), the files needed for the upgrade come
from the application source, which may predate the service pack. During the
application installation, some of the files the service pack installed may be
overwritten with older versions from the application source. Reapplying
the service pack after an upgrade or software product installation will correct
this condition.
My server hangs approximately once every two months and displays the
fatal message, "NT Blue Screen Error ... STOP 0x0000007F (0x00000000,
0x00000000, 0x00000000, 0x00000000) Unexpected_Kernel_Mode_Trap."
What causes this problem?
An incorrect version of BHNT.SYS causes this problem when you use the
Network Monitor on a Windows NT Server 3.51 system with SMS 1.1. If NT is
installed on a FAT partition and the Network Monitor is not started
automatically, you can reapply the latest service pack to the system.
Alternatively, you can perform the following steps:
1. Go to the <winnt-root>\system32
directory, and find the file BHNT.SYS. Rename this file BHNT.OLD.
2. Go to the latest service pack,
uncompress the BHNT.SYS file, and place the file in the system32 directory.
3. Reboot the system.