<div>
the failed server was virtual and the backup I have is a VM copy of the failed server. &nbsp;Does that make any difference?<br />
<br />
I've just never had a DC offline that long and don't want to power it up and cause more problem.
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the failed server was virtual and the backup I have is a VM copy of the failed server.  Does that make any difference?

I've just never had a DC offline that long and don't want to power it up and cause more problem.

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The DC is too old, and it will be tombstoned!<br />
<br />
Create a new DC.
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The DC is too old, and it will be tombstoned!

Create a new DC.

<div>
If it is a year old (backup) it is going to be past the tombstone lifetime and you will run into issues/lingering objects.<br />
<br />
I'd build a new one and cleanup the old one.<br />
<br />
Thanks<br />
<br />
Mike
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If it is a year old (backup) it is going to be past the tombstone lifetime and you will run into issues/lingering objects.

I'd build a new one and cleanup the old one.

Thanks

Mike

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odd my answer posted late...wasn't trying to step on toes
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odd my answer posted late...wasn't trying to step on toes

<div>
Yeah...just too old; create new...<br />
<br />
@mkline71 - no toes stepped on...all good :)<br />
<br />
Regards,<br />
~coolsport00
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Yeah...just too old; create new...

@mkline71 - no toes stepped on...all good :)

Regards,
~coolsport00

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<div class="content wysiwyg-content">
I have a client I just picked up and they had a RAID controller go bad in a server with VMWare eSXI 4.1 on it. &nbsp;They had a backup copy of the 2003 Domain Controller on another server that is about a year old.<br />
<br />
Would it be a major catastrophe to start up that server and let it replicate? &nbsp;Or should I just try to clean up Active Directory of the DC and then build a new one?
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I have a client I just picked up and they had a RAID controller go bad in a server with VMWare eSXI 4.1 on it.  They had a backup copy of the 2003 Domain Controller on another server that is about a year old.

Would it be a major catastrophe to start up that server and let it replicate?  Or should I just try to clean up Active Directory of the DC and then build a new one?

Starting up old VM image of 2003 Domain Controller

Windows Server 2003 was based on Windows XP and was released in four editions: Web, Standard, Enterprise and Datacenter. It also had derivative versions for clusters, storage and Microsoft’s Small Business Server. Important upgrades included integrating Internet Information Services (IIS), improvements to Active Directory (AD) and Group Policy (GP), and the migration to Automated System Recovery (ASR).

Windows Server 2003

Active Directory (AD) is a Microsoft brand for identity-related capabilities. In the on-premises world, Windows Server AD provides a set of identity capabilities and services, and is hugely popular (88% of Fortune 1000 and 95% of enterprises use AD). This topic includes all things Active Directory including DNS, Group Policy, DFS, troubleshooting, ADFS, and all other topics under the Microsoft AD and identity umbrella.

Active Directory

VMware, a software company founded in 1998,  was one of the first commercially successful companies to offer x86 virtualization. The storage company EMC purchased VMware in 1994. Dell Technologies acquired EMC in 2016. VMware’s parent company is now Dell Technologies.

VMware has many software products that run on desktops, Microsoft Windows, Linux, and macOS, which allows the virtualizing of the x86 architecture.  Its enterprise software hypervisor for servers, VMware vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi), is a bare-metal hypervisor that runs directly on the server hardware and does not require an additional underlying operating system.