Service Pack 3 problems

[drsitoi]

I've just installed Exchange 2000 service pack 3 onto one of my servers, and have just begun to experience problems that another server has been suffering for months.

The other server has had SP3 on for a while so I am attributing the problem to this install.

Basically, after a server reboot, the MSExchangeMU (Metabase update agent) fails to start, with Event ID 1002 and error code 80040a01

This is then followed by a string of dependancy failures as first the MSExchangeSA (system attendant) fails to start with Event ID 9004 and error 80040a01 followed by event ID 1005 and the same error code.

The MTA stacks also fail to start, and "%%0" is mentioned as an error on another few event id error messages.

I've read articles on the IIS metabase being corrupted, but after following MS KB articles I do not believe this is the problem with my servers.

 

[Davetoo]

Did you also install the post SP3 rollup?

I'm Certifiable, not certified.
It just means my answers are from experience, not a book.

 

[drsitoi]

Hi,

I've just installed the roll up, and after reboot the server still experiences the same problems.

I've also just run a Shavlik HFNetCHK pro scan over the server, which has not revealed any other missing patches.

 

[DaveOnTheWave]

Hi all,

I've been having the same problem as well, and I believe it is directly related to service pack 3 because after 2 reboots after the update, I now suffer the same.

The affected machine is running Windows 2000 server with exchange 2000.

I have been all over the Web and in the Microsoft support sites, and all I've been able to find are threads to forums about this complaint with no solution. And due to the volume I've run into, this is not an isolated problem.

I have found a way to get around it temporarily while Microsoft finds itself and actually admits there's a problem and provides a fix.

Go into services and take Microsoft Exchange System Attendant, Microsoft Exchange MTA Stacks, Microsoft Exchange Information Store off of automatic and change to manual start, then after the server boots and settles down, manually start system attendant. Then after it starts, proceed with MTA Stacks, then Information Store.

If you feel like going further and know how to run sleep.exe, the following is my batch file that seems to work for now. I use Task Scheduler to run my batch file at system startup. (Just as a note, I ran Microsoft Exchange System Attendant twice because it can be a bit stubborn.)

@echo off
sleep 360
net start msexchangesa
sleep 30
net start msexchangesa
net start msexchangemta
net start msexchangeis

If anyone finds the problem please post the fix, we would all appreciate it.

Thanks