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adprep.exe is not a valid Win32 application

Hello,
We upgrading 2003 DCs to 2012 DCs. I was getting this error when running adprep from 2k3 DC server:
adprep.exe is not a valid Win32 application. All our DCs are 2003 servers

I was using 2012 DVD. Anyway, I found a workaround to run adprep on member server which is 2008 R2 and it worked!!! I am wondering if I need to run adprep /domainprep /gpprep on the Infrustructure master?? MS says that you have to but it also says that you have to run forestprep on the schema master and I didn’t have to run on the schema master as long as server was on the same domain as schema master.

Please advise if I can run adprep /domainprep /gpprep on the member 2008 server in the same domain that is NOT an infrastructure master.

Otherwise please let me know how to make this error disappear.

Cliff Galiher

Just run the wizard for ADDS in server manager after installing the role. It will detect all schema versions, contact the right servers, and upgrade them as requires. Manually running adprep is not required at all in 2012. Letting the wizard decide which server(s)to contact and run against against is safer and easier. It'd have avoided the 32 bit adprep issue that you already worked around as well.

David Johnson, CD

adprep.exe is a 64bit applicaiton, you need to run adprep32.exe

kola12

You should run adprep32.exe for 32 bit environment.

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Cliff Galiher

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creative555

ASKER

I absolutely agreee with Cliff regarding adprep32. besides it doesn't even work. I ran 64 bit ADPrep from just member server and confirm that everything worked and was updated. thanks so much for confirming it! So, we dont need to run it from schema master or infrastructure master, just as long as the server 2008 or higher.

it_saige

@creative555 - As I told you in your other question. You can add the Active Directory Domain Services role to the 2012 server, run the wizard and you have no fuss, no muss. If you ran ADPREP on your 2008 server from the 2008 media, you will not be at the correct level for a Windows Server 2012 domain controller. Read what Cliff told you earlier:

Just run the wizard for ADDS in server manager after installing the role. It will detect all schema versions, contact the right servers, and upgrade them as requires. Manually running adprep is not required at all in 2012.

And what Cliff told you just now.

Adprep32.exe does not exist on 2012 media and has officially been deprecated.

This means that you do not manually run ADPREP when you add a 2012 Domain Controller (the process of promoting a domain controller, does this for you automatically).

However, if you are adding a 2008/2008R2 Domain Controller, and have the incorrect schema version, then you do *need* to manually run ADPREP as instructed by Microsoft.

As I posted in your other question, to verify your schema version, from powershell run the following command:

Get-ADObject (Get-ADRootDSE).schemaNamingContext -Property objectVersion

Open in new window

You can validate your schema version against this list of versions:

69 = Windows Server 2012 R2
56 = Windows Server 2012
47 = Windows Server 2008 R2
44 = Windows Server 2008
31 = Windows Server 2003 R2
30 = Windows Server 2003
13 = Windows 2000

-saige-

creative555

ASKER

THank you so much! Great Answer