Question : Windows 2003 AD with a Sync Issue

All,
I have a desperate issue:
Let me see if I can explain this&
I have a domain with 6 satellite locations each with their own respective domain controller.
At the main facility I have what I thought was the Primary AD Controller and for a while a virtual machine that was a second controller.  The second controller was shut off due to sync issues with what I thought would be the primary. I noticed in the event logs of all of the DCs that I had sync errors for a while. I opened the registry up and noticed in the HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\NTDS\Parameters Src Root Domain Srv had the name of the virtual DC that has been shut off. As a matter of fact& the primary DC has the name of the virtual DC in the same registry key. Please correct me if I am wrong, the name that is in this key is the server that is basically the boss.

To cut to the chase I need to know what I can do about this& None of my DCs are syncing at all.

I would hazard a guess that when the virtual DC was shut down it had never been demoted properly.

To say that I am desperate would be a gross understatement.

Thanks in advance.

Answer : Windows 2003 AD with a Sync Issue

If that old DC wasn't demoted properly you will want to do what is known as a metadata cleanup and get rid of it.  There is an official microsoft article but I like these guides for metadata cleanup

http://www.petri.co.il/delete_failed_dcs_from_ad.htm

http://msmvps.com/blogs/ad/archive/2008/12/17/how-to-remove-a-failed-or-offline-dc.aspx

Daniel links to the MS article if you want to look at it KB216498

Thanks

Mike