How to force a non-authoritative restore of the data in the Sysvol folder on a domain controller in Windows 2000 Server and in Windows Server 2003

This article discusses how to perform a non-authoritative restore of the data in the Sysvol folder on a domain controller. The procedure that is described in this article includes forcing replication after the restore to mitigate any latency issues that may occur between the time that Sysvol is restored, and when the next scheduled replication is performed.

Microsoft Windows 2000 Server domain controllers use the File Replication service (FRS) to automatically replicate data between domain controllers. In Windows 2000 Server, the contents of the Sysvol folder are replicated to all the domain controllers in your organization. The Sysvol folder stores logon scripts, default domain profiles, and system policies. If a change is made to a logon script, a default domain profile, or a system policy, the change is replicated to all the domain controllers. This practice keeps the Sysvol folder content the same in all the domain controllers.

Note You have to stop the NT File Replication Service (NTFRS) service, and then set the startup type for NTFRS to Manual on the domain controller where you want to perform the non-authoritative restore. This prevents the service from starting unintentionally while this operation is performed.

To force a non-authoritative restore of the data in the Sysvol folder on a domain controller, follow these steps.

Warning If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

1. Start a command prompt. To do this, click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
2. At the command prompt, type net stop ntfrs, and then press ENTER.
3. Click Start, click Run, type services.msc, and then click OK.
4. In the Services snap-in, double-click File Replication, click Manual under Startup Type, click Apply, and then click OK.
5. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
6. Locate and then click the BurFlags value under the following registry key:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NtFrs\Parameters\Backup/Restore\Process at Startup
7. IF the key that is mentioned in step 6 does not exist, create it. To do this, click Edit, click New, click DWORD Value, type BurFlags, and then click OK.
8. In the right pane, right-click BurFlags, click Modify, type d2 in the Value data box, and then click OK.
9. Locate and then expand the following registry key:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NtFrs\Parameters\Sysvol Seeding\Domain System Volume (Sysvol share)
   
   
   Note If this registry entry does not exist, you must create it.
10. On the Edit menu, click New, click String Value, type Replica Set Parent, and then click OK.
11. In the right pane, right-click Replica Set Parent, click Modify, type the name of a domain controller that has the Sysvol data that you want to replicate in the Value data box, and then click OK.
12. Quit Registry Editor.
13. At a command prompt, type net start ntfrs, and then press ENTER.
14. Click Start, click Run, type services.msc, and then click OK.
15. In the Services snap-in, double-click File Replication, click Automatic under Startup Type, click Apply, and then click OK.

For more information, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: