Deleting an orphaned domain

Follow these steps to perform a metadata cleanup:

1. Open Command Prompt (cmd.exe) with an account that is a member of the Enterprise Admins group, on a domain controller that is of good standing. A domain controller that hasn't experienced any replication challenges throughout its lifetime might be your best choice. Also, note that performing the following actions on the domain controller holding the Domain Naming Master FSMO Role is preferred.

1. Run the following command to start the NTDS utility in interactive mode:

ntdsutil.exe

1. Type the following command in interactive mode to start the metadata cleanup:

metadata cleanup

1. Type the following commands to specify the current domain controller as the server on which to make the changes, as it is the Domain Naming Master:

connections
connect to server localhost
quit

1. Type the following command to list the Active Directory domains in the Active Directory forest to select as the domain to remove:

select operation target
list domains

1. This outputs a list of domain in the forest, denoted by an identifier. Note down the identifier for the orphaned domain you want to remove
2. Type the following command in interactive mode to select the domain to remove:

select domain <ID>

1. Type the following command to exit the operation target selection context:

quit

1. Type the following command to remove the domain:

remove selected domain

1. Type the following command in interactive mode to exit the metadata cleanup context and then the NTDS utility itself:

quit
quit

1. Close the Command Prompt window.