Interoperability of Adprep for x86-based Versions and x64-based Versions of Windows Server 2003 R2

Applies To: Windows Server 2003 R2

You must run the version of Adprep that is compatible with the version of the Windows server operating system that is running on the schema operations master. Specifically, you must run the x86-based version of Adprep on an operations master that runs an x86-based version of Windows. Similarly, you must run the x64-based version of Adprep on an operations master that runs an x64-based version of Windows.

Windows Server 2003 R2 Disc 2 includes a single version of Adprep that is compatible with the operating system architecture for that version of Windows (either x86-based or x64-based).

If you have another domain controller that runs a compatible version of Windows but that domain controller does not hold the schema operations master role, transfer the role to that domain controller and then run the adprep /forestprep command that is on Windows Server 2003 R2 Disc 2.

If the version of Adprep on the Windows Server 2003 R2 Disc 2 is not compatible with your current schema master or your other domain controllers that might host the role, see article 919151 in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=82345) to obtain a version of Adprep that is compatible with the version of Windows that runs on your schema master.

Example

An administrator attempts to deploy the first Windows Server 2003 R2 x64-based domain controller, or a Windows Server 2003 R2 feature, in an existing forest that contains domain controllers that run only x86-based versions of Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003.

When the administrator runs x64-based version of Windows Server 2003 R2 adprep /forestprep from Disc 2 on the x86-based schema master, the adprep /forestprep command fails with the error "Adprep.exe is not a valid 32 bit application."

Because the x64-based version of Windows Server 2003 R2 Disc 2 only contains the x64-based version of Adprep and there is no x-64-based domain controller that can host the schema master role, the administrator must run an x86-based version of Adprep. In this case, the administrator must obtain hotfix that contains a compatible version of Adprep, as described in article 919151 in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=82345). There are no charges associated with obtaining the hotfix.

Files with the .ldf file name extension do not depend on the type of processor (x86-based or x64-based) on the schema master. These files run on all versions of Windows Server 2003 R2.