XADM: Restoring Individual Mailboxes, Messages, or Folders

ID: Q146920

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Exchange Server, versions 4.0, 5.0, 5.5

SUMMARY

The backup program in Microsoft Exchange version 4.0 does not have the capability of backing up and restoring individual mailboxes. This article describes how you can work around this limitation and recover deleted items from backup.

Microsoft Exchange Administrators sometimes need to be able to recover an individual item from backup. For example, there may be a need to restore a deleted users mail, or to recover a deleted mail message or a deleted folder. In each of these cases, the only option is to recover the deleted item from a backup.


MORE INFORMATION

It is possible to recover an individual item (mailbox, folder, or message) from a backed up Microsoft Exchange Information Store by following the steps below. Please read all eight steps once before you start implementing them:

  1. Install a Microsoft Exchange Server on another computer. The same computer name is not required but you must give it the same organization and site name as the tape being restored. In addition, do not replicate this new server to the site. You must select the Create a New Site option.


  2. Using Windows NT Backup, restore the information store and type the alternate server name for the destination server in the "Restore Information" dialog box.


  3. Start the services on the alternate server. You can do this automatically by selecting Start Service After Restore in step 2.


  4. In the Administrator program, locate the DS/IS Consistency Adjustment in the Advanced property page of the Server object. Choose All Inconsistencies, and choose Adjust.


  5. Give yourself permission for the mailbox you want to restore from or for any mailbox if you are restoring a public folder.


  6. Log on to the server with a Microsoft Exchange Client, and move the items to be restored into a .PST file. To do this, add the Personal Folders service using Tools, Options, Services. Then drag and drop the Public Folder data to the .pst.


  7. Log on to an online server with a profile that also points to the .PST file used in the previous step.


  8. Move the messages from the .PST file onto the online server.


Although this method works with Microsoft Outlook, after you use it journal entries are no longer linked to the contact items that they were created with.

If you need to retain the links between journal and contact entries, you need to restore the entire information store intact. For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q169824 OL97: Contact's Journal Entries Lost When Importing or Exporting

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbusage XADM exc4 exc5 exc55
Version : winnt:4.0,5.0,5.5
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbhowto


Last Reviewed: February 1, 2000
© 2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use.