How to Recover the Information Store on Exchange 2000 Server or Exchange Server 2003?

Read time 4 minutes

Typically, when corruption issues arise in Microsoft Exchange Server 2000 and 2003, one of the affected components is the Information Store. The Information Store comprises the following database files:

• Priv1.edb
• Priv1.stm
• Pub1.edb
• Pub1.stm

Priv1.edb houses in-process database files and stores non-SMTP messages, while the Priv1.stm file contains Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) mail messages, encompassing both in-process emails and those stored on the server. On the other hand, Pub1.edb database files constitute the public folder store for non-SMTP formatted data, while Pub1.stm contains public folders that store SMTP formatted information.

Corruption typically involves one or both of the .EDB files, which are associated with Exchange Server 2000 and 2003 databases. In the majority of instances, either the Priv1.edb file or the Pub1.edb file, both situated within the Program Files\Exchsrvr\Mdbdata folder, becomes corrupted.

When the Information Store becomes corrupted, users may experience the following symptoms:

• The Microsoft Exchange Information Store is currently experiencing difficulties in initiating.
• You cannot halt the Information Store service or its associated services, including Post Office Protocol version 3 (POP3) and Internet Message Access Protocol Version 4rev1 (IMAP4).
• The Information Store becomes unresponsive, causing the CPU usage to consistently max out at 100 percent.
• Clients remain unable to retrieve or send emails even after halting and restarting the Information Store service.
• While attempting to restore the Exchange Server 2000 and Exchange Server 2003 databases from an offline backup and running the Information Store Integrity Checker utility (Isinteg.exe) patch, you may encounter the following error message:
  Error 4294966746: JET_errDatabaseInconsistent
• When attempting to mount a mailbox store in Exchange System Manager, you may encounter the following error message:
  Unable to Mount the Mailbox Store with error c104173c “The Information Store is Busy”

When attempting to mount the database using Exchange System Manager, you might encounter the following error message:

A critical internal processing error has arisen. We recommend attempting a resolution by initiating a restart of either the Exchange System Manager, the Microsoft Exchange Information Store service, or both in tandem.

Description: The MAPI call to openmsgstore encountered an error, indicating possible network issues or maintenance on the MSE server computer.

Troubleshooting the Information Store

1. Ensure that the Information Store service is halted before initiating the Eseutil.exe program.
2. Verify the integrity of the databases by executing the subsequent commands to assess the consistency of both the public and private database systems.
   C:\Program Files\exchsrvr\BIN>eseutil /mh
   “drive:\Program Files\exchsrvr\MDBDATA\priv1.edb”
   C:\Program Files\exchsrvr\BIN>eseutil /mh
   “drive:\Program Files\exchsrvr\MDBDATA\pub1.edb”

   In case an upgrade is done, the database files may be located in the C:\Exchsrvr\Mdbdata folder. If the databases have been optimized, database may be located on another drive.

3. If the database exhibits inconsistency and running the “eseutil /r” command fails to restore it to a consistent state, consider following this alternative procedure:
   Run the following commands
   To bring the Priv1.edb file back into a consistent state:
   C:\Program Files\exchsrvr\MDBDATA>”C:\Program Files\exchsrvr\BIN\eseutil” /p priv1.edb

   To bring Pub1.edb file back into a consistent state:

   C:\Program Files\exchsrvr\MDBDATA>”C:\Program Files\exchsrvr\BIN\eseutil” /p pub1.edb

   Please select “Yes” to initiate the repair process when the utility indicates that it is scanning for database integrity. Once the repair procedure is finished, the program will present the following message:

   Integrity check successful
4. Please remove all .log files located within the Mdbdata folder, followed by the deletion of the .chk file. If present, also remove the Temp.edb file.
5. Mount the database briefly for the necessary tasks and promptly dismount it to prevent user access during this operation.
6. Please stop the Information Store service and initiate a defragmentation process for both the private and public store databases. Additionally, it’s essential to perform this step if your available disk space is running low. To do so, run the following commands
   1. To defragment Priv1.edb:
      • C:\Program Files\exchsrvr\BIN>eseutil /d
      • C:\Program Files\exchsrvr\MDBDATA\priv1.edb
   2. To defragment Pub1.edb:
      • C:\Program Files\exchsrvr\BIN>eseutil /d
      • C:\Program Files\exchsrvr\MDBDATA\pub1.edb
7. Utilize Isinteg.exe to repair both the Pub1.edb and Priv1.edb databases. This powerful utility conducts comprehensive tests across all aspects of these databases and subsequently generates detailed reports highlighting any identified issues. Isinteg.exe is also designed to actively address and resolve encountered problems, ensuring the optimal functionality of your databases. Execute the following command to repair priv.edb file:
   Drive: \exchsrvr\bin>isinteg -pri -fix -test alltests

   Execute the following command to repair pub.edb file:

   Drive: \exchsrvr\bin>isinteg -pub -fix -test alltests

   After executing the previous commands, you will receive a report that provides a summary of the total number of warnings, errors, and fixes detected. Continue with the 8^th step repeatedly until no warnings, errors, or fixes remain in the report.

8. Initiate the information store. If it initializes successfully, proceed to the next step. If not, execute the following command to restore the priv.edb and pub.edb:
   Drive: \exchsrvr\bin>isinteg patch
9. Restart the information store.

If following the aforementioned steps fails to restore your data to a consistent state and your information remains inaccessible, you should consider repairing the priv.edb and pub.edb files using Kernel for Exchange Server software. This software is highly efficient and yields excellent results in Exchange Recovery. It is specifically designed to mend .edb files and and recover multiple mailboxes from them. The EDB to PST converter included in the software allows you to save the recovered mailboxes as both PST and EDB files, ensuring a comprehensive data recovery solution.