XADM: Mailbox Is Empty Following Move Mailbox Command

 Last reviewed: January 23, 1998
Article ID: Q162998
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Exchange Server, versions 4.0 and 4.0a

SUMMARY

The Move Mailbox command in the Microsoft Exchange Administrator program is used to move a mailbox from one server in a Microsoft Exchange site to another. This command may appear to have completed successfully, but when the user logs into the mailbox, they no longer see mail received prior to moving the mailbox.

MORE INFORMATION

The Move Mailbox command moves the mail from the private information store of the old server to the private information store of the new server. It then changes the Home Server attribute of the mailbox to the new server and replicates this information from the old server to the new server and all existing servers in the site. If the Home Server attribute is not updated or this information is not replicated to the new server before the user logs back into their mailbox, the condition above may occur.

Steps to verify the Move Mailbox command moved the user's mail to the new server:

  1. Connect to the new server in the Exchange Administrator program.

  2. In the Properties of the private information store of the new server, verify that the user is listed on the Mailbox Resources tab and that the number of items reflects the amount of mail the user had prior to the move.

Items to check to verify the Move Mailbox command failed to change the home server of the mailbox:

- The mailbox is still listed in the Server Recipients container 

  of the old server and does not appear in the Server Recipients
  container of the new server.
- The General Property page of the mailbox lists the old server 
  as the home server.
- The Exchange Client profile for that user shows the old 
  server, and the attempt to change it to the new server fails.
After you confirm that the mail is located on the new server and the mailbox is located on the old server, follow these steps to move the mailbox to the new server:

  1. Access the mailbox on the old server with the Microsoft Exchange 

         Client and pull all new mail received since moving the mailbox to a
    personal folder. Exit and log off the Microsoft Exchange Client.

  2. In the Exchange Administrator program, connect to the old server and highlight the mailbox in the Server Recipients container of the old server. Press the DELETE key to delete the mailbox.

  3. Wait until this change has propagated to all Microsoft Exchange Server computers in the site.

  4. In the Exchange Administrator program, connect to the new server and perform a DS/IS Consistency Adjustment on the new server. This should create the directory entry for the mailbox on the new server.

  5. Verify the mailbox is created on the new server and located in the Server Recipients container of the new server.

  6. If necessary, reassign the Windows NT account to the mailbox. This can be done on the General tab of the mailbox's Property page.

  7. Change the Microsoft Exchange Client profile for the user to point to the new server, and have the user access their mailbox. Old mail should be available. New mail can then be dragged and dropped from the personal folder to the Inbox. 
Keywords          : XADM
Version           : WinNT:4.0
Platform          : winnt
Issue type        : kbinfo

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Last reviewed: January 23, 1998
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