Help! There's no Adprep.exe

[Chuckster]

I want to bring a Windows 2008 R2 Server into an existing Windows 2003 domain, therefore I need to run adprep.exe. Because my Windows 2003 server is 32-bit, the 2008 R2 media doesn't contain any of the adprep.exe's for the 32-bit or 64-bit. In order words, it simply doesn't exist.

 

Does anyone know how I can acquire the 32-bit version of adprep? I have been unsuccessful in finding a suitable download.

[featured_spectre]

According to microsoft it isnt possible...their words not mine. I tried about 6 months ago and gave up after a while, and made the 2008R2 server the DC

[Chuckster]

Unfortunately I can't make the 2008 R2 a DC until I've run adprep on Win 2003. Surely the adprep.exe exists and can be downloaded from somewhere, no?

[dan400007]

On the Windows Server 2008 R2 CD there is ADPREP32.exe

 

[DVDDrive]:\Support\ADPrep\ADPrep32.exe

[Chuckster]

I've checked the Support folder to no avail. I even checked the Sources folder and still my search has proven to be fruitless.

 

I'm downloading an evaluation copy of Windows 2008 R2, so hopefully adprep will be on in there.

[dan400007]

Strange, I've been testing my migration to R2 over the last couple of days and our Volume License ISO has ADPrep32.

[ajs]

I want to bring a Windows 2008 R2 Server into an existing Windows 2003 domain, therefore I need to run adprep.exe. Because my Windows 2003 server is 32-bit, the 2008 R2 media doesn't contain any of the adprep.exe's for the 32-bit or 64-bit. In order words, it simply doesn't exist.

 

Does anyone know how I can acquire the 32-bit version of adprep? I have been unsuccessful in finding a suitable download.

 

When I wanted to introduce a 2003 R2 server into the domain I also had to hunt for adprep.exe

 

In the end I used a MS url that I'd found a year or two before that allows you to request specific hotfixes without having to ring through to support. I may still have the copy of adprep that i got but if not I'll dig out the URL at some point over the weekend.

[garrya100]

A 2008R2 sever will happily be a member server on a 2003 domain without having to raise the AD schema to 2008.

 

You will need to extend the group poilicy to use the extra features of 2008 servers via GPO's if you are staying with a 2003 AD schema.

 

You only have to raise the AD schema to 2008 if you want the 2008R2 server to be a DC.

 

If just done exactly that to migrate all our settings to new 2008R2 DC's.

 

The proceedure is fairly painless.

 

Build 2008R2 servers, add features (DHCP,DNS etc) connect to domain, run adprep on new 2008R2 server, run DC promo, wait 24 hours to ensure replication, check logs to ensure its all OK, demote old 2003 servers, wait another 24 hours to ensure all is correct, check logs once more, finally kill old servers.

 

Mission acomplished!

[Chuckster]

I managed to download an evaluation copy of Win 2008 R2 and took the adprep folder from there. It's weird how my copy didn't have it, even though it's a volume license CD!

 

And you know what's funny? It won't activate because I have an invalid key - purchased through the LA.

 

Time to put it on the back burner 'til Monday.

 

Thanks for all your responses guys.