Question : Metadata cleanup worked...too well (Active Directory disappeared)

i have 2 servers that were acting as DCs in a single domain environment. The 2003 server failed ( I can't remember the exact details at the moment) and could only start in directory restore mode. I couldn't figure out how to fix it, so I wanted to just move everything to my snazzy 2008 server. I had long since set it up and it was working great. I used it to manage everything on my network for the last year.

The old server was unreliable and I even had it turned off for a week or so without any issue.

Today, I decided to get rid of it once and for all and I used the metadata cleanup in the NTDSUTIL, which had been recommended on numerous sites as the right way to get rid of a failed machine.

Let's just say, I probably should have left it alone.

Everything went successfully, but now my 2008 server has no Active Directory information. I can;t see any sites, computers, users, etc. I can't access the Internet and since most of my users are looking at this server for DNS translation, no-one else can get on the Internet either.

I am a miserable domain admin apparently and hope there is some way to recover my AD. If not, I need to at least get to the point where I can rebuild it.

I have AD Error code Event ID 1126 "Active Directory Domain Services was unable to establish a connection with the global catalog."

Answer : Metadata cleanup worked...too well (Active Directory disappeared)

it was a complete red-herring. the NIC card failed  and after a few hours of agony, I flipped everything over to the other NIC card and the whole thing came back up.

No fun. Thanks for the assist though.