How to recover EDB database in MS Exchange Server 2010 when you are unable to mount database

Are you facing some sort of problem while trying to access MS Exchange database folder? Such problem can occur if there are some problems with the configuration in Exchange Server settings. You should try to address the settings. If the problem is not resolved, then there is a quite prominent possibility that the EDB (Exchange Database) database file is damaged, which can happen due to various reasons including virus infections, database header corruption, transaction log file corruption, etc. In such cases, appropriate methods should be used to recover corrupt EDB file. If these methods are insufficient, then the use of a third-party EDB recovery software to perform EDB recovery is a must.

Let us discuss a scenario in which you are unable to mount the mailbox database in MS Exchange Server 2010. In such case, the following error message is displayed:

“Failed to mount database ‘Mailbox Database’

Mailbox Database

Error:

Exchange is unable to mount the database that you specified. Specified database: d1cdba46-6f79-46f2-ba14-3ae2fa8aad43; Error code: MapiExceptionCallFailed: Unable to mount database. (hr=0×80004005,ec=-2147467259).”

In addition, the following report is logged in the Application event log:

“Event ID 9518

Event Type:     Error

Event Source:  MSExchangeIS

Event Category:         General

Event ID:        9518

Date:   date

Time:   time

User:   N/A

Computer:       ServerName

Description: Error 0×80004005 starting Storage Group /DC=com/DC=example/CN=Configuration/CN=Services/CN=Microsoft Exchange/CN=335A1087-5131-4D45-BE3E-3C6C7F76F5EC/CN=Administrative Groups/CN=Exchange Administrative Group (FYDIBOHF23SPDLT)/CN=Servers/CN=ServerName/CN=InformationStore/CN=First Storage Group on the Microsoft Exchange Information Store.

MDB failed to start.”

Cause:

There could be the following reasons for such erroneous situation:

  • The ‘DomainName\Exchange Servers’ group is not assigned the ‘Manage auditing and security log’ user right.
  • The EDB database file is damaged.

Resolution:

To overcome the problem, you can perform either of the following methods:

  • Run Setup /PrepareAD: You should run the ‘Setup /PrepareAD‘ command using the Exchange Server CD. This command restores the original configuration settings of Exchange Server.
  • Add the Exchange Servers group to the “Manage auditing and security log” policy: To do this, you should perform the following steps:

◦         Click Start | Administrative Tools | Domain Controller Security Policy.

◦         Click ‘User Rights Assignment’ in the Default Domain Controller Security Settings Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in.

◦         Double-click ‘Manage auditing and security log’.

◦         Click ‘Add User or Group’ in the ‘Manage auditing and security log Properties’ dialog box.

◦         Enter ‘DomainName\Exchange Servers’ in the ‘User and groups names’ box.

◦         Click OK two times.

◦         Quit Default Domain Controller Security Settings MMC snap-in.

◦         Restart the Microsoft Exchange Information Store service.

If the problem is persisting, then a third-party EDB recovery software is to be used to recover corrupt EDB file. Such EDB recovery tools use fast and sophisticated scanning algorithms to recover EDB file without causing any damage to the original EDB file.

The EDB recovery tool that most of the recovery experts recommend is Stellar Phoenix Exchange Server recovery, which recovers corrupt EDB file created for MS Exchange Server 5.5, 2000, 2003, 2007, and 2010. Well equipped to extract individual PST files for every user mailbox, this EDB recovery software is compatible with Windows 7, Vista, Server 2003, XP, and 2000.

What is Hard Recovery in Microsoft Exchange Server?

Is your Exchange Server Database (EDB) file corrupted due to virus attack or improper system shutdown and various other reasons alike? Are you unable to access the database and your valuable emails, notes, contacts, tasks, and other objects? To extract data in such cases, EDB Recovery becomes need of hour. Microsoft Exchange Server facilitates you two types of recovery- Hard Recovery and Soft Recovery.

You must complete the hard recovery after restoring the database from an online backup. It is primarily a log replay process. In hard recovery, the below operations are performed:

  1. Patch information is applied to database during the log file replay.

  2. Checkpoint is ignored. The Restore.env file is used in place of checkpoint to consider for which file the recovery needs to be started.

  3. If EDB is restored to different file path than from which the file was backed up, the replay process of log file completes successfully, ignoring database paths that are listed in log files.

  4. Replay the restored transaction log files from temporary folder designated by administrator prior to restore.

  5. Hard recovery process doesn’t fail if other Exchange databases in storage groups are not available.

The database files, which are restored from online backup, are stored to normal paths set for database. The restore process starts by overwriting the existing Exchange Server database files. If you need existing database in future, you should back it up before restoring the database from backup.

You must consider that the restore process may fail due to any reason. Even if existing EDB file cannot be played at the moment, the files are possibly still repairable, and you can salvage the data.

The Corrupt EDB File recovery through hard recovery is possible in the majority of Exchange Server database corruption scenarios. However, you must have complete backup of the database to carry out this task. In case,the backup is either not available or not updated, you need to go for third-party Exchange recovery solutions.

In such situations, EDB Recovery Software come for your rescue. They are particularly designed to carry out in-depth scan of entire Exchange Server database and extract all mailboxes and their objects. The EDB Recovery Tool is totally easy to use with simple and self-explanatory graphical user interface. The applications preserve integrity of your database due to their read-only conduct.

EDB Recovery Software is the most advanced solution tor Recover EDB and handle all types of EDB corruption situations. It works well with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, 2003, 2000, and 5.5. The software restores emails, notes, contacts, tasks, calendar entries, appointments, attachments, and other objects.