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What happens to the local users and groups when promoting a domain member to a domain controller?

I have a Windows Server 2008 that I have made to a domain controller by installing AD DS, but it was not really what I wanted to achieve with the server so I uninstalled AD DS and removed the server's role as a domain controller.

What happens to the local users and groups that existed before I installed AD DS? Will they return? Will I be able to get into the server by logging in as admin?

I really need answers to these questions, I have a little panic because it is a customer server.

Please tell me that they will come back

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    You shouldn't be testing things on a customer's server, as you're starting to learn. You can certainly learn how to do this on your own test systems, and I would encourage that.
    – mfinni
    Jun 10, 2014 at 18:02

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When you removed AD directory services, it should have bugged you to set a new local admin account with a password.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc771844(v=ws.10).aspx

Use that account's credentials. Because the original accounts are long gone, unless you took a backup prior to your work. (I hope you did.)

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  • thanks, I have the password written down so I can log on. The local users are not such a big problem because there were only 2 Jun 10, 2014 at 18:32
  • Wait - so you had the password, but didn't know you were supposed to use it? Or even tried it in on your own? And you haven't commented on the references to restoring from backups? I really suggest that you learn a whole lot about good production server practices before continuing to do anything that resembles it.
    – mfinni
    Jun 10, 2014 at 18:35
  • I have the password on my work computer and remembered that I wrote it down now when I read your reply. I hope my customer has set up automatic backups on the server that I can restore from. It is the first time I put up an AD so I know I need to read a lot about it. However, servers and so on is not my job, so there's not much time to learn about it. Thanks for the reply! Jun 10, 2014 at 18:49

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