Question : DC Promo fails to remove AD. NTDSUtil fails with "The connected server will not remove its own metadata."

Dear Expert,

I'm trying to remove AD from a server.  Using dcpromo failed, so I've tried a manual removal using ntdsutil from another host on the network.  Using metadata cleanup options I can connect to the AD Controller, select the domain, site and server ok, but the removal fails with "The connected server will not remove its own metadata."

Appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks
Jason

Answer : DC Promo fails to remove AD. NTDSUtil fails with "The connected server will not remove its own metadata."

If this is the only DC then ntdsutil is not an option.  You have 2 options, either format the box or lets figure out why dcpromo is failing.  To start, try stopping the netlogon service before you run dcpromo.  Make sure the service is set to automatic startup as well.  If that doesn't help, check the dcpromo.log and post the errors from this log here if necesarry.