I have a copy of our exchange 5.5 server running in a private network ...not connected to our production network. The information store is up and running and the mailbox that I want to restore is there. I have run exmerge directly from the server but it fails. I have also installed Outlook directly on the restore exchange server, but can't seem to connect to the mailbox in question. Anyone have any idea on what I might be missing. I suspect it might me the DC server. I have tried to load a copy of our DC server on this private network, but when start it ...it tells me that I have to boot it into Directory Services Restore Mode. So I have done that and it get to login prompt and I can't log in. I believe it wants the local password of when the DC was first created and this was done by another person before me. Anyone have any ideas what I might be doing wrong or need to do?

I would build a DC from scratch and join Exchange 5.5 server to it. Create the user you are going to restore. Give permissions to exchange 5.5 to start the Directory and Private store. After this is done, install outlook onto the DC and create the profile for user.