Comments on: Exchange 2003 Mailbox Recovery

By: Jody

Jody — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 15:35:32 +0000

Sure am glad I ran accross your article. I have been backing up my Exchange server for years and never had to restore it until today. I had a single mailbox that got waxed and had it not been for your article I believe the mail would have been lost.

I looked for an hour through microsoft mumbo jumbo and couldn’t make heads or tails of the instructions. Then I came across your site. Your instructions were concise and understandable. Thanks a million! If the girl who lost her mailbox knew what I am writing here I am sure she would say thank you too!

Keep those how-to’s coming.

By: dicconb

dicconb — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:19:51 +0000

Excellent article, thanks very much! Definitely the most useful page on the web for people in my unfortunate situation.

I am comparitively new to Exchange 2003 restores, and was shocked by how complicated and poorly documented it is. I was recovering a mailbox from backup for a user whose mailbox had been deleted several months previously. All exchange attributes had been removed from the user. With the help of your guide I managed to get it out to a PST!

For anyone who is as clueless as me, here are some additional tips:
Make sure the account (either the user’s original account or a dummy account you create) has a mailbox
Ensure the mailbox is in the same mailbox database as the one the backup was taken from

Thanks Again!

By: Ashley

Ashley — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 10:15:20 +0000

Amazing! I could not find anything quite as helpful as this page! Thank you

I have been working non stop the past 48 hours (ok I slept 5 hours last night) as one of my client’s SBS servers died… Suffice to say, when I found out there was no system restore backup, I literally spat the dummy… It’s been screw around followed by screw around, and if it wasn’t for people like yourself, I would not have had the success I have had so far! Thankyou – and everyone else who has contributed here

By: Jerry

Jerry — Wed, 27 May 2009 12:21:34 +0000

I had used your GUID trick 2 years ago but had forgotten about it until I saw those familiar backslashes in my exmerge log. Then it all came rushing back. Saved me AGAIN! This information is indeed priceless.
I love you man!

By: Michiel

Michiel — Tue, 26 May 2009 09:48:33 +0000

I made the old Hex according to what is explained above, but the Hex var. that is now (the new account) active, is way much shorter then the one I get from converting the old one from the Recovery Storage Group. When I look it’s an Octet String.

Can this be right, I’m not sure. Can anybody help me out?