How To Verify the Installation of ADS and How to Remove ADS

In our last article we configured ADS. In this tutorial I will guide you how to check ads installation. ADS installation can be verify from three methods.

• My computer properties
• Login screen
• Administrator tools

My computer properties

To check wheatear ADS is installed or not on server, right click on my computer and select properties, now selectcomputer name tab.

If you see here workgroup options means ADS is not configured
If you see here Domain options means ADS is configured

In image below you can see the Domain name mean ADS is configured on this server

Login screen

Server is domain controller or not it can be verify on Login screen also.

If you see logon to option on login screen mean ADS is configured on this server

Administrator tools

Most reliable testing of ADS is checking in administrator tools. If you see all three options listed below in administrator tools means ADS is properly configured and functioning.

1. Active Directory Domains and Trusts
2. Active Directory Sites and Services
3. Active Directory Users and Computers

Removing of ADS

Sometime it required to remove ADS. In this section I will show you how to remove ADS. ADS can be removed from same three ways which were used to configure it.

• From configure your server wizard
• From manage your server wizard
• From DCPROMO.EXE

All these three option will produce same wizard for removing ADS. You can choose any of them.

To choose configure your server wizard click on start select administrator tools and click on configure your server. This will launch configure your server window. Same windows can be access by clicking on start button and select Manage your server.

Click on add / remove a role

Select Domain controller from list and click on next that will launch ADS remove wizard.

Same wizard can be directly access by running DCPROMO commands in run menu

Click on next to welcome screen

A warning message will appear as this domain controller is the global catalog server click on ok

Check mark on the box of This server is the last domain controller in the domain

Now ADS will remove all DNS information store for this domain Click on next

Wizard will finally confirm you to delete all partitions. Tick mark on Delete all application directory partitions on this domain controller.

Now set administrator password to login after the removal of ADS

Review all the option you have selected and click on next to remove ADS

Now wizard will start removing ADS it will take few minutes

Click on finish button to complete the wizard

A system reboot will require to take place click on restart now

Removing ADS form registry

We always suggest you to use ADS wizard to remove or configure active directory service. But sometimes it became necessary to find out some alternate way to get ride form ADS. Use registry editing only when wizard is unable to remove the ADS.

To remove ADS for registry run regedit command in run box

Locate this key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\ProductOptions

In left pane double click on productType

Replace the default LanmanNT to ServerNT and exit from registry

A system reboot will require to take place Restart the system

After restart you will see logon to option on login screen its normal just select local computer and login. You can reconfigure ADS after login in local computer.