It's also an option to forcefully remove a domain controller from Active Directory. While graciously demoting should be the preferred option, you might have to resort to this option.
The process of demoting a domain controller forcefully, consists of these steps:
- Performing a metadata cleanup
- Deleting the domain controller from DNS
- Deleting the computer object for the domain controller
- Deleting the SYSVOL replication membership
- Deleting the domain controller from Active Directory Sites and Services
- Seizing any FSMO roles that were hosted by the domain controller (you can do this first to ensure no impacts for domain members)
- Taking care of the existence of global catalog servers
If the domain controller was the last domain controller for a domain in an existing forest, the domain will need to be removed as it is now an orphaned...
