W2k3 AD Server:

Hello,

We use a Windows 2k3 Enterprise Server as our primary DC and terminal server. This morning after applying MS Updates and restarting as requested, the server failed to start with the following error:

System Error, security accounts manager initialization failed because of the following error: Directory Services cannot start. Error status 0xc00002e1

After starting in DSRM, I ran

ntdsutil files integrity 

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which produced the error

Failed to initialize Databank Jet Error -50

followed, however, by an ostensibly successful integrity check. (exit code 0)

This did not seem to help things, as the server still could not start, so I assume that one or more of the files under /WINDOWS/NTDS is corrupt.

I do have current filesystem backups - would it work to simply restore the files under /WINDOWS/NTDS, or is it more complicated than that?

Thanks!