Setup DC without a network

as mention in the subject is it possible to do the installtion and configure? I can find and fix a nic into the machine but it is a stand alone machine and i want to install windows 2003 server and config and use it as a dc to learn the feature in it but i've no network enviroment. I've heard it is not possible to do without a network but is anyone have any good idea how to do that?

yes you can dcpromo the server without a network. You'll have to have your nic configured. Since you said you have no network enviornment, i'm assuming no router is leasing dhcp to you, so configure your nic with static information. Make your ip address whatever you'd like, for example, 10.10.10.10 and your default subnet would then be 255.0.0.0. Set your dns server to 10.10.10.10 since when you dcpromo, an active directory database is dependent on dns, and when you dcpromo, dcpromo will install dns for you, and your own server will be the dns server, which is why you want the dns field to point to itself. You don't have to have dns configured prior to dcpromo, since dcpromo detects whether it can find a dns server, and if it doesn't, it sets dns up for you.

So...
1. Configure your nic
2. DCPROMO > let dcpromo setup dns
3. Have fun playing cause your computer is now a domain controller.

need some more help

Thanks for the replay roYal and i've some other questions too. U mention abt the dcpromo 9i didn't get it very much) I've already installed windows 2000 server and i can fix a nic card and configure it but whenever u start with that o/s it will give u a menu lisitng you can configure your server as a web, mail, dns, file ..etc so can i use that wizard to make this as a dcpromo?

To be honest, i don't know, but i'm pretty sure you can. I use more commands or the add/remove windows components to install service stuff and do stuff manually. I would disable that from appearing (there's a checkmark to disable it from showing the next time you boot windows). Don't get used to using that startup thing, just close it, start > run > dcpromo.