Crashed and need to recover fast! HELP!!

[POSAPAY]

Hi,
My Exchange2003 box on a Windows2003 was running fine for about 1 month, when it crashed.
SYMPTOMS:
From what I could tell on the screen, it couldn't boot.
It started loading Windows2003, and before it would show the desktop color background and login options, it would die and reboot.
CONFIGURATION:
C drive has Windows2003 installation
D drive has Exchange2003 installation with all of its data files. (D:/Program Files/Exchsrvr)

RESOLUTION ATTEMPTS:
I removed the hard drive, connected it to another computer as a slave, and copied all Files off of it and burned them to a DVD to save them, and back them up quickly before more harm is done.

Unfortunately I haven't setup a proper backup system for this server, so all I have is the data files.

I'd like to know how I should attempt to recover the server.
What would others suggest from experience.
i.e.: use windows recovery?
Re-setup Windows and all its endless component and reinstall Exchange2K3?
or any other options?
How can I copy to recover all old e-mail boxes?
Which files do I need for recovery?
Where are the USER LOGIN accounts stored, and how can I recover those?
Where are User profiles and their configuration for login and e-mail boxes stored?

(I have only used NT4 and xchng 5.5 until now, and this is all new to me... please forgive me if I have asked stupid questions.)

Anybody with any input would be much appreciated!
Thanks,
-Peter

 

[Zelandakh]

Several options:

Ensure you have images of both C and D first!!

CD boot as you were and choose to upgrade OS. See if that cures your problems. This should bring everything back as it was. See if that solves the problems.

If not, replace both drives. Install Windows 2003 and fully service pack. Same name and settings as previously. Install Exchange, same org, site and server name. Create as a new org (called a dial tone store). Stop Exchange services. Create all users. Rename priv.edb and pub.edb.

Copy those 2 files from your DVD backup and put them where the others were. Start Exchange services. Go to ESM and reconnect the mailboxes to the user accounts.

<signature for rent>

 

[POSAPAY]

Hi Zelandakh,
Thanks for the tips..

QUESTION, is there anyway to recover all the users?
(meaning their login, and configuration, such as what their e-mail aliases were?)

There are a lot of users, and typing them in manually again would be major pain, especially for some I don't have a note on what their password was.

But I'll first try the "upgrade" option you mentioned, just been scared of trying anything until I see all my options.

thanks,
-Peter

 

[Zelandakh]

If you have lots of users, definitely try the upgrade option.

<signature for rent>

 

[POSAPAY]

Hey,

I tried the Win2003 server dvd: booted from it, tried recovery.. received error.
Tried re partitioning, and reinstalling, and received an error after it copied all necessary files to the hard drive.

the error is:
STOP 0x0000007e (0xc0000005, 0xf72ddc76, 0xf791e920, 0xf791e570)

According to Microsoft Knowledgebase, it is a hardware RAID controller issue.

BUT.. I don't have a RAID controller. Just one IDE hard drive 120GB from Magnetic Data Technologies.

I tried to reinstall, but same error.

Is it my hard drive being bad? motherboard? memory?

I replaced the memory with a different brand memory (KingstonPC2700), but still received same error.


The mother board supports SATA, thou I don't have any SATA drives, just a few EIDE drives here handy.

What can the problem be? What can I do to narrow down the possible failures?

Is it hardware? is it software?

I'm stuck again.
-Peter

 

[Elvar]

If the harddrive works on another computer then it is probably a hardware problem on the server you have. It could be the disk controler.

What hardware are you using?

 

[POSAPAY]

Here is an update:

To see if the harddrive was bad, I bought a new Barracuda 120 GB SATA drive to replace the MDT 120GB ATA 100 drive

Same bluescreen error when installing.
so, I wondered, if my installer DVD was bad. Got my hands on a different Win2K3 installer DVD, and this one worked.

My current conclusion on this matter, is be ware of possibly bad Win2K3 DVDs.

Regards,
-Peter

 

[POSAPAY]

Another Update,

actually, it wasn't the DVD.. and I don't know why this didn't darn on me before... it seems the server was overheating, and some parts were incorrectly handeling the extra heat. The cover was too close to the processor's fan.

solution I found that seems to be working now for two weeks, is that I added two new fans, and turned fan control off on them.

Unfortunately, I hosed my old harddrive, so I will have to rebuild the whole server.

sucks to be me right now...

 

[sundance1980]

Suggestion for next time. Have an exchange aware backup program like Veritas or even windows backup.

You could have saved yourself a lot of trouble and could have been up and running in an hour and a half.

 

[sundance1980]

Also a mail server should be your best server. Try SCSI drives next time.

 

[POSAPAY]

Yeah.. I discovered these things along the way.

thou instead of scsi, I would prefer SATA from Seagate with 5years of warranty.