Check out this detailed explanation from: http://www.computing.net/answers/windows-2000/2k-adv-dc-crashed-need-to-dcpromo-bdc/34948.html Ok, that helps. What you might be experiencing is that the DC that help the operation masters, FSMO roles, such as schema master, PDC Emulator, etc are on the other DC. If that is the case and that DC will not be coming back up again, you can seize the roles. This is meant as a last resort and should only be done when the current DC holding those roles will not be coming back online, which appears to be your situation. Here you go... The first Microsoft Windows 2000 Active Directory domain controller in a forest is granted five FSMO roles when you run the Dcpromo.exe program and install Active Directory. There are two FSMO roles that are forest-wide and three that are per domain. If child domains are created, the two forest-wide roles do not change. A forest with two domains would have eight FSMOs; two for the forest and three domain specific FSMO roles in each domain. The five FSMO roles are: - Schema master - Forest-wide and one per forest. - Domain naming master - Forest-wide and one per forest. - RID master - Domain-specific and one for each domain. - PDC - PDC Emulator is domain-specific and one for each domain. - Infrastructure master - Domain-specific and one for each domain. To move the FSMO roles from one computer to another, you can use two different methods. The first method is a transfer and is the method that is recommended. You can use the first method if both computers are running. Use the second method if the FSMO roles holder is offline. The second method requires you to use the Ntdsutil.exe tool to seize the roles. NOTE: Only seize the FSMO roles to the remaining Active Directory domain controllers if you are removing the FSMO role holder from the domain or forest. To seize or transfer the FSMO roles by using Ntdsutil, follow these steps: 1. On any domain controller, click Start, click Run, type "ntdsutil" (without the quotation marks) in the Open box, and then click OK. NOTE: Microsoft recommends that you use the domain controller that is taking the FSMO roles. 2. Type "roles" (without the quotation marks), and then press ENTER. NOTE: To see a list of available commands at any of the prompts in the Ntdsutil tool, type "?" (without the quotation marks), and then press ENTER. 3. Type "connections" (without the quotation marks), and then press ENTER. 4. Type "connect to server " (without the quotation marks), where is the name of the server you want to use, and then press ENTER. 5. At the server connections: prompt, type "q" (without the quotation marks), and then press ENTER again. 6. Type "seize " (without the quotation marks), where is the role you want to seize. For a list of roles that you can seize, type "?" (without the quotation marks) at the Fsmo maintenance: prompt, and then press ENTER, or consult the list of roles at the beginning of this article. For example, to seize the RID Master role, you would type "seize rid master" (without the quotation marks). The one exception is for the PDC Emulator role, whose syntax would be "seize pdc" and not "seize pdc emulator". NOTE: All five roles need to be in the forest. If the first domain controller is out of the forest then seize all roles. Determine which roles are to be on which remaining domain controllers so that all five roles are not on only one server. Microsoft recommends that you only seize all roles when the other domain controller is not returning to the domain, otherwise fix the broken domain controller with the roles. If the original domain controller with the FSMO roles is still online, transfer the roles. Type "transfer " (without the quotation marks). 7. After you seize or transfer the roles, click "q" (without the quotation marks), and then press ENTER until you quit the Ntdsutil tool. NOTE: Do not put the Infrastructure Master role on the same domain controller as the global catalog. To check if a domain controller is also a global catalog server: 1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click "Active Directory Sites and Services". 2. Double-click Sites in the left pane, and then browse to the appropriate site or click Default-first-site-name if no other sites are available. 3. Open the Servers folder, and then click the domain controller. 4. In the domain controller's folder, double-click NTDS Settings. 5. On the Action menu, click Properties. 6. On the General tab, locate the Global Catalog check box to see if it is selected. For additional information about FSMO roles, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q197132 Windows 2000 Active Directory FSMO Roles Q223787 Flexible Single Master Operation Transfer and Seizure Process NOTE: Do not put the Infrastructure Master (IM) role on the same domain controller as the global catalog server. If the Infrastructure Master runs on a global catalog server it will stop updating object information because it does not contain any references to objects that it does not hold. This is because a global catalog server holds a partial replica of every object in the forest. Good luck.

Check out this detailed explanation from: http://www.computing.net/answers/windows-2000/2k-adv-dc-crashed-need-to-dcpromo-bdc/34948.html Ok, that helps. What you might be experiencing is that the DC that help the operation masters, FSMO roles, such as schema master, PDC Emulator, etc are on the other DC. If that is the case and that DC will not be coming back up again, you can seize the roles. This is meant as a last resort and should only be done when the current DC holding those roles will not be coming back online, which appears to be your situation. Here you go... The first Microsoft Windows 2000 Active Directory domain controller in a forest is granted five FSMO roles when you run the Dcpromo.exe program and install Active Directory. There are two FSMO roles that are forest-wide and three that are per domain. If child domains are created, the two forest-wide roles do not change. A forest with two domains would have eight FSMOs; two for the forest and three domain specific FSMO roles in each domain. The five FSMO roles are: - Schema master - Forest-wide and one per forest. - Domain naming master - Forest-wide and one per forest. - RID master - Domain-specific and one for each domain. - PDC - PDC Emulator is domain-specific and one for each domain. - Infrastructure master - Domain-specific and one for each domain. To move the FSMO roles from one computer to another, you can use two different methods. The first method is a transfer and is the method that is recommended. You can use the first method if both computers are running. Use the second method if the FSMO roles holder is offline. The second method requires you to use the Ntdsutil.exe tool to seize the roles. NOTE: Only seize the FSMO roles to the remaining Active Directory domain controllers if you are removing the FSMO role holder from the domain or forest. To seize or transfer the FSMO roles by using Ntdsutil, follow these steps: 1. On any domain controller, click Start, click Run, type "ntdsutil" (without the quotation marks) in the Open box, and then click OK. NOTE: Microsoft recommends that you use the domain controller that is taking the FSMO roles. 2. Type "roles" (without the quotation marks), and then press ENTER. NOTE: To see a list of available commands at any of the prompts in the Ntdsutil tool, type "?" (without the quotation marks), and then press ENTER. 3. Type "connections" (without the quotation marks), and then press ENTER. 4. Type "connect to server " (without the quotation marks), where is the name of the server you want to use, and then press ENTER. 5. At the server connections: prompt, type "q" (without the quotation marks), and then press ENTER again. 6. Type "seize " (without the quotation marks), where is the role you want to seize. For a list of roles that you can seize, type "?" (without the quotation marks) at the Fsmo maintenance: prompt, and then press ENTER, or consult the list of roles at the beginning of this article. For example, to seize the RID Master role, you would type "seize rid master" (without the quotation marks). The one exception is for the PDC Emulator role, whose syntax would be "seize pdc" and not "seize pdc emulator". NOTE: All five roles need to be in the forest. If the first domain controller is out of the forest then seize all roles. Determine which roles are to be on which remaining domain controllers so that all five roles are not on only one server. Microsoft recommends that you only seize all roles when the other domain controller is not returning to the domain, otherwise fix the broken domain controller with the roles. If the original domain controller with the FSMO roles is still online, transfer the roles. Type "transfer " (without the quotation marks). 7. After you seize or transfer the roles, click "q" (without the quotation marks), and then press ENTER until you quit the Ntdsutil tool. NOTE: Do not put the Infrastructure Master role on the same domain controller as the global catalog. To check if a domain controller is also a global catalog server: 1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click "Active Directory Sites and Services". 2. Double-click Sites in the left pane, and then browse to the appropriate site or click Default-first-site-name if no other sites are available. 3. Open the Servers folder, and then click the domain controller. 4. In the domain controller's folder, double-click NTDS Settings. 5. On the Action menu, click Properties. 6. On the General tab, locate the Global Catalog check box to see if it is selected. For additional information about FSMO roles, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q197132 Windows 2000 Active Directory FSMO Roles Q223787 Flexible Single Master Operation Transfer and Seizure Process NOTE: Do not put the Infrastructure Master (IM) role on the same domain controller as the global catalog server. If the Infrastructure Master runs on a global catalog server it will stop updating object information because it does not contain any references to objects that it does not hold. This is because a global catalog server holds a partial replica of every object in the forest. Good luck.