Question : DNS not working and AD users can't login.  Any DNS experts out there??

Ok, so my original plan was to demote this server and promote it but it won't let me demote!! It says it can''t find the domain.  I have 3 dc all on one domain.  Everything was working fine until the primary domain controller ran out of space on the C: drive and that's where all my problems started.  I made some room so now there's plenty of free space.  After running a DCDIAG /TEST:DNS, I confirmed that i'm have DNS issues.  My forward zones disappeared and i can't recreate them.  Here is the results to that test:  

C:\Documents and Settings\administrator.GUSD>dcdiag /test:dns

Domain Controller Diagnosis

Performing initial setup:
   Done gathering initial info.

Doing initial required tests

   Testing server: Default-First-Site-Name\GUSD1
      Starting test: Connectivity
         The host 2b37136e-a92f-429b-9928-21a06a481062._msdcs.gonzales.k12.ca.us
 could not be resolved to an
         IP address.  Check the DNS server, DHCP, server name, etc
         Although the Guid DNS name
         (2b37136e-a92f-429b-9928-21a06a481062._msdcs.gonzales.k12.ca.us)
         couldn't be resolved, the server name (GUSD1.gonzales.k12.ca.us)
         resolved to the IP address (172.16.47.8) and was pingable.  Check that
         the IP address is registered correctly with the DNS server.
         ......................... GUSD1 failed test Connectivity

Doing primary tests

   Testing server: Default-First-Site-Name\GUSD1

DNS Tests are running and not hung. Please wait a few minutes...

   Running partition tests on : ForestDnsZones

   Running partition tests on : DomainDnsZones

   Running partition tests on : Schema

   Running partition tests on : Configuration

   Running partition tests on : gonzales

   Running enterprise tests on : gonzales.k12.ca.us
      Starting test: DNS
         Test results for domain controllers:

            DC: GUSD1.gonzales.k12.ca.us
            Domain: gonzales.k12.ca.us


               TEST: Basic (Basc)
                  Error: No LDAP connectivity
                  Warning: adapter [00000007] Broadcom BCM5708C NetXtreme II Gig
E (NDIS VBD Client) has invalid DNS server: 172.16.47.8 (<name unavailable>)
                  Error: all DNS servers are invalid
                  Error: The A record for this DC was not found
                  Warning: The Active Directory zone on this DC/DNS server was n
ot found (probably a misconfiguration)

            TEST: Records registration (RReg)
               Error: Record registrations cannot be found for all the network a
dapters

         Summary of test results for DNS servers used by the above domain contro
llers:

            DNS server: 172.16.47.8 (<name unavailable>)
               1 test failure on this DNS server
               Name resolution is not functional. _ldap._tcp.gonzales.k12.ca.us.
 failed on the DNS server 172.16.47.8

         Summary of DNS test results:

                                            Auth Basc Forw Del  Dyn  RReg Ext
               ________________________________________________________________
            Domain: gonzales.k12.ca.us
               GUSD1                        PASS FAIL PASS n/a  PASS FAIL n/a

         ......................... gonzales.k12.ca.us failed test DNS


PLEASE help, i'm desperate!!!  The kids just started school and they can't login :(

Answer : DNS not working and AD users can't login.  Any DNS experts out there??

you don't demote the bad server. It looks like it stuffed (technical term!).

you sieze the roles from it using the ndsutil, see Microsoft Technet Article above, and the new server you transfer the roles to becomes the new FSMO, Schema, Domain Naming Master, PDC      , RID, Infrastructure, and GC.

once this is done, your AD should be working again correctly, and users should be able to authenticate.

then you shutdown this server and rebuild, in the future, if you need it to be a DC again, use dcpromo etc.

But before you shutdown and rebuild, you need to ensure it doesn't perform any useful roles, like file server, print server, dhcp etc DNS should be running on the other two servers correct?

where are the folders stored and shared?

(interesting we also had the same issue at a school!)