Hi guys,
Unfortunately Microsoft has decided that they scratched the “DCPROMO” command from Windows Server 8 tin install and configure Active Directory.
You now need to install and configure AD through the “Server Manager”. I’ve made an installation guide how to install and configure Active Directory on a Windows 8 Server.
1. DCPROMO “error” message. When you type in “DCPROMO” and try and run it you get this message:
2. Let’s go to the “Server Manager”.
3. Select “Add roles” and click Next to start.
4. Select the server on which you want to install AD on.
5. Select the option “Active Directory” and click next.
6. On the “Features” page click next.
7. Click next on the introduction screen to continue.
8. Click the Install button to start the installation of AD.
9. After the installation process is finished don’t click on close yet. You’ll need to configure AD now.
Click on the link “Promote this server to a Domain Controller”
10. In this case I select a new forrest but if you want you can select either add a DC to an existing domain of to an existing forrest.
11. Select the forrest and domain functional level.
For the Forrest level you can choose from the following levels:
and for the domain level you can choose from the following 2 levels (notice that you can only choose 2008R2 and Windows 8, you’re existing domain should be at a minimum level of 2008R2 to do continue.)
12. Choose the location for the databases and click next.
13. Review the installation options and click next.
14. After the prerequisites checker is finished click install to start the configuration.
15. After the configuration of the AD is finished click Close to restart the server. If you don’t want to restart the server just now deselect the option “Reboot this server when the wizards completes”.
And now your Domain Controller is up and running (after the reboot of course).
I hope you found this instruction usefull.
Greetz
Jack