Password Server stopped and damaged DirectoryService.pid

Question

I have a small design studio (three Macs and three Windows machines) using a Mac Mini Server running 10.6.8. It was running well until the end of July (coincided with my vacation), when staff reported they couldn't access the server using the normal passwords etc. I was able to talk them through Disk Utility etc so they could at least check the machine was accessible. One of the guys in the office managed to access it using a very old user/password combination, but nobody has been able to tell me exactly what else they did to access the files.
Looking at it today using Server Utility I found the following:
- Password Server is listed as 'stopped'
- Open Directory error logs show multiple unexpected shutdowns
- Password Service was shut down on 29th July and hasn't restarted
- 'Damaged Files' folder has a file called '0674b6e6DirectoryService.pid' in it
- Services like Mail and iChat are constantly on, even after turning them off.
- Time Machine isn't backing up and hasn't done so since 29th July...
No-one can access files using their allotted user names and passwords (the same ones that had been working for the last four years without issue). We can all access the server using this old user/password combination, but
I was already preparing to buy a new server this year, however is there a way to resurrect the passwords/user accounts? Can I replace the damaged file with one from a Time Machine back up - if so how?
Any help gratefully received.
Richard

Answer 1

I've even recreated the accounts in Active Directory (Mac Server's Computer account) and no luck.... any help/tips would be greatly appreaciated!
thanks!!!!