Restoring user accounts

[Wayuu]

Hi,

Problem is:
The Windows 2000 Server has crashed, won't start up at all. The disk is still readable. No backups have ever been done at all.
I have installed a new W2K Server on a new disk but I want to restore all the user accounts and preferably groups too from my old system.

Pls don't point out the stupidity in not having scheduled backups of the servers main databases, etc.. It's not me, I'm helping a friend who's network admins don't seem to be the smartest (don't do backups among other things).

I have some ideas myself but I want to hear from others that may have been in this situation or actually KNOW how to solve this.

Thx :)

[gunderstone]

I am going to ask what may seem like a silly question but its not meant to be:

Is this a stand alone system, domain member or is the system a domain controller?

Also, have there been any Emergency Repair Disks created (using NTBACKUP) on the system at all?

[Wayuu]

np. To me no questions are stupid :)

It's a DC. A question back then. And NO backups at all, no ERD :) Can stand alone and member servers have control over user accounts?

[gunderstone]

Stand alone and member servers can have control over their own local user accounts but not those that are in the Active Directory.

Without a backup or another DC that it syncronized regularly with there is not much hope.

Will the system start in safe mode?

[Wayuu]

No, won't start up in Safe Mode either.

I know I CAN get all user accounts back by using a couple of hacking tools. But it's just TOO time consuming.

I've heard that it would be possible for me to set this disk as slave and access it w my newly installed w2k Server and then make a backup of the old server and then restore user accounts from backup prog by using Directory Service Restore Mode.
It is beeing tried and I will be told tomorrow if it worked.

You have any knowledge about this procedure?