Solutions to common systems management problems
I'm having problems with several Windows 2000 Support Tools (i.e., the utilities in the Win2K CD-ROM's \support\tools folder), including dcdiag.exe and netdiag.exe. I've installed Win2K Service Pack 2 (SP2), and I suspect I might be using outdated versions of these utilities. Where can I find updated versions of these tools?
As you surmised, Microsoft has updated several Win2K Support Tools to fix bugs and add functionality. The Microsoft article "Service Pack 2 Adds Updates to Several Windows 2000 Support Tools" (http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q292/0/03.asp) discusses the updated tools in Win2K SP2 and the errors that can occur when you use earlier versions of the tools (including dcdiag.exe and netdiag.exe).
When you install Support Tools for the first time, be sure to install them from the current service pack (e.g., SP2) rather than from the version in the \support\tools folder of the original Win2K CD-ROM. If you don't have the most recent service pack on CD-ROM, you can download the Support Tools (and the Microsoft Windows 2000 Resource Kit Deployment Tools, which are included in the same folder but not installed with the Support Tools) at http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/downloads/servicepacks/sp2. (Look for the links to Deployment Tools and Support Tools under the Learn More section.)
If you've already installed the Support Tools and simply want to update your installation, Microsoft provides a patch. You can download this patch at http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/downloads/servicepacks/sp2/supportpatch.asp.
I run an Active Directory (AD)—based Windows 2000 network. Yesterday, after rebooting a Win2K domain controller (DC), I received the following message: Lsass.exe - System Error. Directory Services could not start because of the following error: There is not enough space on the disk. Error Status: 0xc000007f. Please click OK to shutdown this system and reboot into Directory Service Restore Mode, check the event logs for more detailed information.
What caused this error? And how can I restore functionality on this DC?
Low disk space is problematic for any computer, and Win2K DCs are no exception. When a Win2K DC begins to run out of disk space, you typically receive the message you describe and see one or more critical events appear in the Win2K event log. (Table 1 lists the most common of these events and their descriptions.)
If any disk volume that houses critical AD structures (e.g., ntds.dit, log files, Sysvol folder) runs out of disk space, AD can't start. To help you avoid this problem, Win2K issues early warning messages and events about the low disk space condition. However, if you ignore the warnings, never see them, or run administrative scripts that perform large directory import operations against AD, you can end up in a bind.
To resolve the problem, you have two choices: You can make more space available on the disk, or you can move one or more AD database components to a separate disk on the DC. The first method simply requires you to reduce the number of files or folders on the same disk drive as the directory database. The second method is ideal when you can't move data to another disk to free up space. If all disks are at capacity, you might need to install additional disks in the DC. To follow the second method, you can use the Ntdsutil utility to move the AD database file (i.e., ntds.dit), the database log files, or both.
Before you move these components, you need to start the DC in Directory Services Restore mode. To do so, restart the DC. When you're prompted, press F8 to display the Windows 2000 Advanced Option Menu. Select Directory Services Repair Mode, then press Enter. Log on using the Administrator account and password that you assigned during the Dcpromo process.
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