Introducing new domain and DC in existing Domain

[mingtmak]

A SMB client's server recently went down (windows 2000 server) due to a hard drive failure. The network was setup by their former IT person who cut all ties after leaving. Now company has only 5-10 people that use the network.
After restore, there were issues with domain (SAM event error 16650) which was causing the AD not to run because the previous "PDC" was no longer around.
After seizing FSMO roles and removing metadata from AD, I seem to have gotten it back up in a test environment.

My question is more hypothetical. One situation I was looking to was to demote the DC then recreate it as another DC for a newly named domain.
What would be the impact on the client PCs? Would they still be able to login to their old domain accounts until they joined the new domain? (They have been without the DC being present so far).
As the previous IT person left, I am unsure if he set the local 'administrator' passwords on any of the XP boxes or what they would be if he did. I did create a different local admin account on the PCs. Will this account allow access to the domain profiles on their PCs so I can transfer their data (favorites, desktop, .pst, my documents, etc) or does it have to be the actual 'administrator' account?
will the new admin account be able to remove the account from the domain?

Thanks

- Jon

 

[Davetoo]

If you only have 10 users, I'd consider creating an entirely new domain with the new server, migrate the data only from the old server to the new server, recreate all of the users on the new server, and then join their workstations to the new domain.

If you have access to their systems as an administrator, simply reset the actual administrator password on all machines, then do the proper thing and leave a document (locked up) with admin information for the next admin to use if you leave.

I'm Certifiable, not cert-ified.
It just means my answers are from experience, not a book.

 

[mingtmak]

Thanks Davetoo.

I was able to recover the server without much issue to clients.
I guess the newly created admin account should be enough to do what's needed. But I will reset the actual administrator passwords.

Doing the recovery instead of recreating the domain has helped me understand the clockwork of domain controllers better.

- Jon