Upgrade the Operating System of the Windows NT 4.0 PDC

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Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Before upgrading the operating system to Windows Server 2003, use the Winnt32.exe command-line tool to detect any upgrade problems you might have to resolve. This tool reports potential upgrade problems, such as inadequate hardware resources or compatibility problems.

To determine potential upgrade problems

  • At the command line, connect to the I386 directory located at your installation source and type the following command:

    winnt32 /checkupgradeonly

Resolve any reported problems before performing the upgrade.

To install the operating system on the computer, insert the Windows Server 2003 operating system CD in the CD-ROM drive of the domain controller and select the option to install the operating system, or use an automated installation method. If the Windows Server 2003 media is shared on the network, run the Winnt32.exe command from the installation source.

Complete the operating system installation by doing the following:

  • Select Upgrade for the Installation type.

  • Use the NTFS file system to convert the partitions. The installation of Active Directory will not succeed if you do not have at least one NTFS partition available on which to locate the SYSVOL shared folder.

  • Verify that you are using a static IP address.

  • Configure DNS client settings by using the IP address of the closest DNS server for the Preferred DNS server setting and either leave the Alternate DNS server setting blank or use the IP address of the closest DNS server. These DNS client settings are temporary and will be changed during the installation of Active Directory.

  • Install Windows Support Tools, which are available in the \Support\Tools folder on the Windows Server 2003 operating system CD.

During the operating system upgrade the computer will restart three times. After you upgrade the operating system on a Windows NT 4.0 domain controller to Windows Server 2003, the computer is in an intermediate state, meaning that the computer is no longer a Windows NT 4.0–based domain controller, and it is not a Windows Server 2003–based member server or domain controller until Active Directory is installed. After the computer restarts for the last time, the Welcome to the Active Directory Installation Wizard appears.