Tree Deletions in Active Directory Do Not Work If Phantom Child Objects Exist (305321)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server SP1
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server SP2
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server SP1
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server SP2
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional SP1
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional SP2
This article was previously published under Q305321

SYMPTOMS

When you try to delete a container (that may or may not contain objects) in Active Directory, the operation may not be successful and you may receive the following error message:
The directory service failed to identify the list of objects to delete while attempting a tree deletion.
This may occur whether you try to delete the container programmatically or by using Adsiedit. Adsiedit is a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) tool that you can use to edit Active Directory objects

You may receive this error message even if there are no visible objects in the container that you want to delete.

CAUSE

When Active Directory objects are deleted, a check is performed to determine if any child objects exist. The operation to deal with these child objects does not work if any of the child objects are phantoms (and therefore not visible).

For more information about phantom objects in Active Directory, see the Distributed Systems Guide in the Microsoft Windows 2000 Resource Kit.

RESOLUTION

A supported fix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that is described in this article. Apply it only to computers that are experiencing this specific problem. This fix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, Microsoft recommends that you wait for the next Windows 2000 service pack that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the fix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;EN-US;CNTACTMS

NOTE: In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The typical support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.

The English version of this fix has the file attributes (or later) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel. 
   Date         Time      Version        Size     File name
   -----------------------------------------------------------
   08-Oct-2001  20:34:36  5.0.2195.4472  123,664  Adsldp.dll
   08-Oct-2001  20:34:30  5.0.2195.4308  130,832  Adsldpc.dll
   08-Oct-2001  20:34:36  5.0.2195.4016   62,736  Adsmsext.dll
   08-Oct-2001  20:34:28  5.0.2195.4384  364,816  Advapi32.dll
   08-Oct-2001  20:34:30  5.0.2195.4141  133,904  Dnsapi.dll
   08-Oct-2001  20:34:30  5.0.2195.4379   91,408  Dnsrslvr.dll
   08-Oct-2001  20:45:36  5.0.2195.4411  529,168  Instlsa5.dll
   08-Oct-2001  20:34:38  5.0.2195.4437  145,680  Kdcsvc.dll
   04-Oct-2001  21:00:18  5.0.2195.4471  199,440  Kerberos.dll
   04-Sep-2001  09:32:54  5.0.2195.4276   71,024  Ksecdd.sys
   27-Sep-2001  15:58:44  5.0.2195.4411  511,248  Lsasrv.dll
   06-Sep-2001  18:31:38  5.0.2195.4301   33,552  Lsass.exe
   27-Sep-2001  15:59:06  5.0.2195.4285  114,448  Msv1_0.dll
   08-Oct-2001  20:34:38  5.0.2195.4153  312,080  Netapi32.dll
   08-Oct-2001  20:34:32  5.0.2195.4357  370,448  Netlogon.dll
   08-Oct-2001  20:34:36  5.0.2195.4464  912,656  Ntdsa.dll
   08-Oct-2001  20:34:32  5.0.2195.4433  387,856  Samsrv.dll
   08-Oct-2001  20:34:32  5.0.2195.4117  111,376  Scecli.dll
   08-Oct-2001  20:34:30  5.0.2195.4476  299,792  Scesrv.dll
   08-Oct-2001  20:34:30  5.0.2195.4025   50,960  W32time.dll
   01-Aug-2001  21:44:16  5.0.2195.4025   56,592  W32tm.exe
   08-Oct-2001  20:34:30  5.0.2195.4433  125,712  Wldap32.dll

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about how to obtain a hotfix for Windows 2000 Datacenter Server, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

265173 The Datacenter Program and Windows 2000 Datacenter Server Product

For additional information about how to install multiple hotfixes with only one reboot, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

296861 Use QChain.exe to Install Multiple Hotfixes with One Reboot

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:10/7/2005
Keywords:kbHotfixServer kbQFE kbbug kbDirServices kbfix kbQFE kbWin2000PreSP3Fix kbWin2000sp3fix KB305321
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