How can I retrive mailbox data from just add a data drive?

[Andy888]

Hi!

My exchange 2000 server C drive crushed last week. Then I installed a new Windows 2000 server and add a dynamic foreign disk that is the crushed's system SCSI Raid drives (Exchange mailbox data inside). Now it was showed on my new system as G: drive. I copied this G drive's fold to C drive. I uninstall my SCSI Raid Drives to ensure not damage my data when I install exchange 2000 later.

Now I plan to install exchange 2000 on my server. After exchange 2000 install, how can I pull out crushed system mailbox's data that save on C drive exchange fold? (My mean is after install Exchange 2000, how can I interface the C drive exchange data fold as a virtual root and can see the mailbox data?)Anybody can help me to solve this problem? Thanks you in advance.

Andy

 

[BWilson77080]

if you still have your forest and schema, run setup /disasterrecovery, it will use your old configuration, then it should jsut be a matter of pointing back to the other drive in system manager


hope this helps

BWilson77080
MCSE2000, A+

 

[Andy888]

BWilson,

Thanks for your reply. I am not familiar with forest and schema. Can you tell me how can I find out it's still on my domain server or somewhere? The old crushed C drive is even unformatable. It is completely bad. I had tried to move E00.chk, priv1.stm and priv1.edb file to new system's c:\Program Files\Exchsrvr\MDBDATA diretory to replace new system's E00.chk, priv1.stm and priv1.edb. But it failed on the mounting store after restart. Can I use Exmerge.exe or Eseutil to fix it? Thanks!

Andy

 

[BWilson77080]

are you on a win2000 domain?
is exchange runnign on a memebr server or DC?
if it was installed on a DC, was the c: that failed on the first domain controller that was built if you're on a win2000 domain?
did you have to go through rebuilding your entire active direcory structure? If not then your forest still exists, you would definately know if you had to go through and reapply permissions and users, etc., plus too you would've had to haev run forestprep and domainprep again

the file move itself was successful and only the store wouldnt start?

go into system manager to the properties to point the database and transaction log paths to the location that they are at (meaning the databases you want to use) and see if that works.
Do you have a good backup of your system state and the databases?

 

[BWilson77080]

if you cant get your data anywhere, and you dont have a backup, you're screwed pretty much and all you can do is eseutil /p and then isinteg -fix

im not completely sure how the databases are going to act being copied over directly, but you should be able to get em to work..hopefully

ideally you should have just had a good backup and restored the databases and system state from that backup

answer the questions from before and ill see what i can help you with from there

BWilson77080
MCSE2000, A+

 

[Andy888]

Thanks for your instructions. I think I need to uninstall Exchange 2000 frist and unjoin domain. Then I will change this server name using the same name as the server cruched before and rejoin domain. I will try to install Exchange server by running setup /disasterrecovery. May be I will need to use eseutil /p and isinteg -fix to repair the information stores after install exchange. I will let you know the result. Thanks.
Sorry! I don't have a kazaa.

Andy

 

[xmsre]

OnTrack makes a utility called Power Controls that can retrieve data from a dead edb. I've used it before, it works as advertised.


John
MOSMWNMTK

 

[BWilson77080]

hey thats a useful tip there

ontrack does have some on point products too



you shouldnt have to uninstall, if you run the eseutil /p and isinteg -fix commands, it will fix all it can and allow the stores to remount (should anyway)

did you lose the program files for exchange only, or did you lose it all, transaction logs, stores, etc.?

 

[Andy888]

Thanks John and BWilson.
Before I buy a Power Control of Ontrack software. I will follow your advice to run the eseutil /p and isinteg -fix commands. I don't know where transaction.log be stored. The stores information should be in the Raid drive and the folder I had copied from Drive G.

I have crushed C drive a copy of backup which is by using XCOPY.EXE to create backup files. I don't know the open files whether be copied out or not. So far, when I run Setup /disasterrecovery of Exchange 2000. I got an error message: "Please use the Exchange Administration Snap-in to ensure you have a valid Exchange Server Object for this server for which you are running Setup in recovery mode.". I don't know how can I resolve this problem. Please help. Thanks.

Andy

 

[BWilson77080]

do you have your old exx.log files from before the server failed? this is your transaction log (where xx is a number)

do you have your old .edb and .stm files? these are the databases (stremaing media and rich text)

setup /disasterrecovery is for if you lost the program files for exchange, but still have the transaction logs

try to use the eseutil /p and isinteg -fix commands just to get the stores to mount....then try to point your logs there manually from system manager

Is this the only exchange server?

 

[Andy888]

BWilsion,

I don't have e??.log file. I only have original e00.chk, priv1.edb and priv1.stm files. Now I have installed another exchange server using different server name under the same domain. I tried to run setup /disasterrecovery on second new server. But it still couldn't create M drive and not mount to database even I used the same name as before I crushed. I did use eseutil.exe /p and isinteg -fix try to mount the stores. But still failed.
I don't know how can I mount the original priv1.edb file without using PowerControls software. Please help!

Andy

 

[BWilson77080]

well your e00.chk file will do you knwo good since it points to a current transaction log, which no longer exists.

did it error out when you tried to fix?
what was the error?
did you have the server offline (im sure you did)?
i take it the transaction logs were on the dirve that failed.?

reason setup /disasterrecovery didnt work is because you dont have the transaction log files, and it uses those to rebuild some info.
you should have had some e????.log files in the mdbdata folder, these are/were your transaction logs

do you have the 'database can be overwritten by a restore' checkbox checked? this will be needed when you start backing up...lol
try to delete (or move) the e00.chk file and then retry with the exeutil /p and isinteg -fix commands, since its pointing to transaction logs that do not exist it should eliminate the error....i guess we'll see

when restoring exchange you need to always remember about the servername and organization ame being the exact same.

as far as the second server goes, that would not be a disasterrecovery install due to it not being the server that failed. you may be able to reinstall as fresh on the new server...take out everything, including registry entries if you know what you're doing in the registry...make it clean...then reinstall..after reinstalling you can most likely move your transaction logs over to that server and repoint the datbases and transaction logs in system manager to your old files. i would personally just repoint them first to be sure it will work before replacing the new databases it created when you installed.

hope this helps ya.....ill see what else i can find in case it dont...let me know

 

[Andy888]

I used the same server name as the crushed server. I can finish to Run setup /disasterrecovery switch. But when I mount the store. The error message let me restart MsExInformation Store service or System Manager or both. I believe the problem is I don't have M drive created and I don't have exxx.log transaction log file neither. Now, I try to run setup to install a new exchange server and use same server name. Let system create M drive first. Second step, I stop MSEXIS service and move old priv1.edb and priv1.stm files to replace new priv1.edb and priv1.stm files. I will do a eseutil /p to repair database. Then try to mount the stores. I don't know it will work or not. I will let you know. Thanks BWilson!

Andy

 

[BWilson77080]

by the way, as noted somewhere above, you should have 4 databases, 2 .stm and 2 .edb.
And don't replace the databases that are created when you install on another server, just change the path to teh databases to the location where you moved them too. I don't as if any of this will work for you really, because you're missing 2 of your database files (pub1.edb/pub1.stm), and all your transaction logs, so you're kind of missing some vital info there, like public folders, etc.

dont forget to delete the e00.chk file if you do try...its useless now