I am running the Active Domain Services Installation Wizard on a brand new Windows 2008 box. After the initial part completes, and I go on to run the dcpromo.exe wizard to promote the domain, I get the following error: "The local Administrator account becomes the domain Administrator account when you create a new domain. The new domain cannot be created because the local Administrator account password does not meet requirements. Currently, a password is not required for the local Administrator account. We recommend that you use the net user command-line tool with the /passwordreq:yes option to require a password for the account before you create the new domain; otherwise, a password will not be required for the domain Administrator account."
Following the advice in the message, I typed the following at the command prompt: net user Administrator <ExistingComplexPassword> /passwordreq:yes. The computer returned a successful completion message. However, on re-attempting the dcpromo.exe execution, I got the same error message. I tried uninstalling Active Domain Services, and restarting the computer (strangely, the password I had used previously, and typed at the comand prompt no longer would allow me to log in. I was only able to log in by going in through a second account (which was a member of the Administrators Group). I changed the password for the Administrator account, logged out, and back in under "Administrator," re-tried the net user command line, and then re-ran the Active Domain Services wizard. Same result. I then tried creating a brand new account, and making it a member of the Administrators Group. I logged off, and attempted to once again run the wizard. Same result. I've searched technet, but none of the other posts on this topic seem helpful (other than the one that indicated that re-installing the server o/s resolved the problem). It seems to me that there is something funny going on with that user account--is there a way to get "under the hood" to check for problems with it? I've checked the password complexity requirements, and each password I've attempted to use meets them.
I've been fighting this long enough! Help!
Following the advice in the message, I typed the following at the command prompt: net user Administrator <ExistingComplexPassword> /passwordreq:yes. The computer returned a successful completion message. However, on re-attempting the dcpromo.exe execution, I got the same error message. I tried uninstalling Active Domain Services, and restarting the computer (strangely, the password I had used previously, and typed at the comand prompt no longer would allow me to log in. I was only able to log in by going in through a second account (which was a member of the Administrators Group). I changed the password for the Administrator account, logged out, and back in under "Administrator," re-tried the net user command line, and then re-ran the Active Domain Services wizard. Same result. I then tried creating a brand new account, and making it a member of the Administrators Group. I logged off, and attempted to once again run the wizard. Same result. I've searched technet, but none of the other posts on this topic seem helpful (other than the one that indicated that re-installing the server o/s resolved the problem). It seems to me that there is something funny going on with that user account--is there a way to get "under the hood" to check for problems with it? I've checked the password complexity requirements, and each password I've attempted to use meets them.
I've been fighting this long enough! Help!
