Exchange Restore/Reinstall?

[meastaugh1]

Hi, hope someone can help me, as am a bit stuck...

My exchange server crashed on friday, running NT server 4 sp6. I had to rebuild Windows and restore from NT backup. I fully restored, including the two exchange options that were displayed alongside the drives available to restore, I believe they were 'information store' and I can't remember the second....

The restore was successful, except for the fact that I can no longer seem to get exchange to work. I'm using outlook 97 on the clients, they don't produce any error. They just don't receieve any mail, and any sent mail remains in the local outbox on the client.

All exchange services are running except two, internet mail (which I don't think was running previously as it isn't required) and tranfer agent. Could these be indicative of the problem...

Is it possible to just restore exchange from backup in this way? If not, is there a way to get it to work without having to reinstall.

Many thanks in advance.

Mike

 

[yizhar]

HI.

One option is to look at the Event Viewer for the error messages when MTA fails to start, then search MSKB / Google or other place for the solutions.
This should be your first attempt.

Another option is to uninstall and delete/rename all EXCHSRVR folders, install a new fresh copy of Exchange, then restore only the DS and IS but not other folders below EXCHSRVR like MTADATA.
This will also probably require some other post restore fixes following error messages on screen and in the Event Viewer.

Bye
Yizhar Hurwitz

http://come.to/yizhar

http://teachers.sivan.co.il/yizhar

 

[Zelandakh]

The reason mail isn't being delivered is that the transfer agent (MTA) isn't running. Look in event viewer to find why that service didn't start.

 

[wchick]

Yes, restore your IS and DS, if you install a fresh copy of of exchange, before you restore make sure you use the same site and org name as it was befroe, in your exchsrvr folder create folders called new in insdata and and dsdata folders then stop all exchange service except the system attendant then do your restore after complete restart the services, it should all work fine after that.

i know this seems to be a long method but it works.


good luck.

 

[meastaugh1]

Thank you all for your advice. Have today discovered that the NT built is pretty much corrupt and requires a complete software rebuild. Grrreat...

Many thanks though.

 

[Guest_imported]

but if are reinstalling fresh just remeber to keep it the same site name and org name. I have rebuilt about 10 crashed exchange servers. and they are a pain.

 

[Matthiasp]

I have a backup of my hard drive, but the exhange does´t work, can i take out of the backup my *.edb files and paste them in my fresh exchange instalation?

Help please, cuold you answer to gsasesoria@ciateq.net.mx please

:-(