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gtwibell

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Can't get past 'applying computer settings'.

System: W2K3 server (DC), Exch2K3, 2xXP clients on network.

After a network (hardware) problem, which involved removing then re-installing drivers, the server won't get past 'applying computer settings'. I've waited upwards of 30 minutes before rebooting. Have run chkdsk from the recovery console (found and fixed a couple of errors) and even tried an in-place upgrade (i.e. repair) of the W2K3 installation. but the problem persists. Somewhere in the middle of all this, purely coincidentally, one of the XP workstations had its hard disk fail and is now off the network.

I don't have an emergency repair diskette but I do have recentish back-ups on tape and DVD/RW.
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What90
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mbr1971

Could be a corrupt Domain Controller Policy?

Haven't finished researching the effects of this...  Is it the DC that is having the problems? Do you have any other DC's in your domain?  Can you perform an authoritative restore of AD from backup?  (don't do this until we are out of alternatives)

Cheers,

Martin.

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ASKER

Sorry - I did mean to come back here and conclude this enquiry. The problem was down to the Exchange 2003 installation which had got corrupted somehow. Disabling Exchange's various components from the recovery console one by one finally enabled me to get the server booted up. So I reinstalled exchange (and amazingly didn't lose any data or settings) and everything is back up and running again.

It was What90's response (for which I say a heartfelt thanks) that set me on the route to finding the problem.

GeoffT.
Hi Geoff,

Thanks for the update and I'm very glad you got it all working in the end.
Sounds like a heck of a job!