Offline Folders Problem 2

[InIT4theMoney]

A client of ours has lost his Excgange 2000 Server database. The HDD it was on was wiped accidentally and there is no backup. For the purposes of this query, please assume the database is irrevocably lost. The HDD in question was a RAID 5 array and a new array was created on the same drives so I think we're knackered there!!! The rest of the server was OK (An SBS-2000) as the majority of the system is on a different RAID array that is still healthy.

We have now created a new blank Exchange Database for the client and created new mailboxes as appropriate. The very good news is that our client was using offline folders on his PCs so there is a .ost folder for every user, on each user's PC, containing a copy of all their mail. Phew! So, we thought, we will import the 'copies' into the new Exchange database.....

Here, as the saying goes, everything went pear-shaped! Having logged all the users onto their new Exchange mailboxes, we can find no way of accessing the .ost files to recover the mail. Please, anyone, how do we import data from a .ost file into a new Exchange mailbox for the exact same user? (Same active directory and installation hence same security IDs etc. as they always were). Surely all these valid copies of everyone's mail can't be useless to us????

Hope someone can help

Ian W

 

[mawilson]

Do a search on google for ost2pst. I found a utility there that worked great for getting ophaned ost's back. Once it is in a pst, you can import it back into the new mailbox.

Mark

 

[InIT4theMoney]

What a superb little utility that is - awesome!

Many thanx for the tip

Ian W