XADM: Information Store Fails to Start: 4294965882, FFFFFA7A, Event 177, 1081, and Others

ID: Q224977

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Exchange Server, versions 5.0, 5.5
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SYMPTOMS

The Microsoft Exchange Server information store may not start after restoration of an online backup. Information store utilities such as Isinteg and Eseutil also may not start. You may receive some or all of the following error messages:

Error -1414 or 0xfffffa7a or 4294965882 (JET_errSecondaryIndexCorrupted)
Error -1030 or 0xfffffbfa or 4294966266 or c8000406 or 3355444230 (JET_errAlreadyInitialized)
Error -1032 or 0xfffffbf8 or 4294966264 (JET_errFileAccessDenied)
You may observer some or all of the following clusters of events in the Application Log:
Event ID: 172
Description: MSExchangeIS ((pid) ) The database engine is initiating index cleanup of database '<DATABASE.EDB>' as a result of an NT version upgrade from <version> to <version>.
Event ID: 177
Description:MSExchangeIS ((pid) ) Database '<DATABASE.EDB>': The secondary index '<INDEX NUMBER>' of table '<TABLE>' is corrupt. Please defragment the database to rebuild the index.
Event ID: 1081
Description: Unable to recover the database because error 0xfffffa7a occurred after a restore operation.
Event ID: 5000
Description: Unable to initialize the Microsoft Exchange Information Store service. Error 0xfffffa7a.
. . . . .
Event ID: 1080
Description: Unable to recover the database because error 0xc8000406 occurred after a restore operation. The database was already called.
Event ID: 5000
Description: Unable to initialize the Microsoft Exchange Information Store service. Error 0xc8000406.
. . . . .
Event ID: 1081
Description: Unable to recover the database because error 0xfffffbfa occurred after a restore operation.
Event ID: 5000
Description: Unable to initialize the Microsoft Exchange Information Store service. Error 0xfffffbfa.
. . . . .
Event ID: 145
Description: MSExchangeIS ((pid) ) The database engine could not access the file called <path>\edb.log.
Event ID: 1120
Description: Error 0xfffffbf8 initializing the Microsoft Exchange Server Information Store database.
Event ID: 5000
Description: Unable to initialize the Microsoft Exchange Information Store service. Error 0xfffffbf8.


CAUSE

When the service pack level for Windows NT changes, Exchange Server rebuilds its database indexes as a precaution against incompatibilities with the service pack. This reindexing occurs whether the service pack level is changed upward or downward.

In most cases, the index rebuild is virtually transparent and goes unnoticed. But if the machine name has also been changed along with the service pack level, the above symptoms may appear. The most common case in which this happens is during restoration of an online backup during single mailbox recovery procedures undertaken on a laboratory server.

These symptoms may also appear when no service pack revision has occurred, but machine names have changed, if both computers are running Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4.


RESOLUTION

IMPORTANT: Please read the entire "Resolution" section before proceeding. The steps to get to the defrag procedure are listed below.

This problem can be resolved by:

  • Performing an offline defragmentation of the database (ESEUTIL /D <DATABASE.EDB>). This may take several hours for a large database.


  • Giving the current server the same name as the server from which the backup was originally taken. This may be inconvenient, as two servers with the same name cannot co-exist on the same network.


  • Following the procedure outlined below:


    • IMPORTANT: Perform the following steps in exact order, omitting none of them. While some steps may seem redundant, each one plays a vital role in successfully reindexing and avoiding the necessity to defragment the database or rename the server.

    WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

    For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys and Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).

    1. After online restore, start the information store.

      NOTE: After restoration of an online backup, the first thing you should always do, not just in this case, is to start the associated database service. Running Eseutil or Isinteg, or otherwise tampering with any of the restored files or registry entries before starting the database service may make your database permanently unstartable and require another restoration of your full backup.


    2. Start Regedt32 and view the key:
      HKey_Local_Machine \System \CurrentControlSet \Services \MSExchangeIS \Restore in Progress
      Verify that the "EDB Database recovered" value is 01, not 00. If this value is 01, it means that critical parts of the restore process have finished (specifically, the restored .pat files have been applied to the database) and it is safe now to remove the Restore in Progress key.

      If the flag is 01, save, and then delete the Restore in Progress key. If it is still 00, you must discover the cause before deleting the key.

      In the case of the symptoms described in this article, stopping ALL Exchange Server services, including the System Attendant, and then restarting the database service sets the flag to 01, unless there are complicating unrelated factors present. Verify that all services have actually stopped by typing net start at a command prompt.

      IMPORTANT: If the flag is 00 at this step, you must stop all services, restart the database service, and then recheck the key before proceeding to the next step, despite the fact that doing so may seem redundant, and even though the database service will likely fail the next start attempt anyway.


    3. Stop ALL Exchange Server services. Verify that all services have actually stopped by typing net start at a command prompt.


    4. Start the database service. It should fail with a 1011 error, indicating that you must patch the database. Patching is a normal operation that does not imply or suggest any damage or corruption.

      If you do not receive a 1011 or other event telling you to patch the database, you must troubleshoot the failure before proceeding to the next step.


    5. Run Isinteg -patch.


    6. Start the database service.


Additional query words: fffffbfa, fffffbf8, c8000406

Keywords : exc5 exc55
Version : winnt:5.0,5.5
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbprb


Last Reviewed: July 7, 1999
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