Re: Public Folder Nightmare

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You're pretty much on the right path, except that Exmerge doesn't work with
public folders. You can copy them to a PST and back via drag and drop in
Outlook. You're going to lose permissions on the folders.

Have you read the disaster recovery documents:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/exchange/2003/library/disrecopgde.mspx

There are more on the Exchange 2003 web site.

You might want to contact Microsoft PSS. They can hold your hand and
possibly get you better restored.
--
Ed Crowley
MVP - Exchange
"Protecting the world from PSTs and brick backups!"

"roga" <{news2005}REMOVE_THIS_UPPERCASE_2_REPLY@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:Os6IhAL2GHA.4972@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
(windows \ exchange 2003 latest service packs)

OK I did some silly things

1) As I work with small non-profits I often have to set up Exchange on
a DC. In this instance the Exchange machine was the first server in the
domain, and only recently did we get enough funds for a separate
fileserver & PDC. However it is not easy to remove the domain controller
role from an exchange server2003, so I transferred the FSMO to the file
server (and put a also put a copy of the GC on there)

2) I had massive hardware failure on Exchange Server, and the found
that I could not restore the "system state" (see another thread from me!),
although I think that the information store backup is OK.

3) I tried to rebuild the server following TechNet article "How to Move
Exchange Server 2003 to New Hardware and Keep the Same Server Name", first
hurdle is that it is not possible to "reset" a DC computer account.

4) So I followed instructions in KB 21649 (How to remove data in Active
Directory after an unsuccessful domain controller demotion) in an attempt
to create a new machine with the same name on the domain to restore the
information store, for various reasons this did not work. (Hardly
surprising really)

I more or less gave up at this stage!

Now it seems that it would be at least possible to recover the users
mailboxes following KB 824126 (How to use Recovery Storage Groups in
Exchange Server 2003), but is there any way I can recover the public
folders?

It looks to me that my best bet is to:

**********************

Try an get a good system state backup from before the crash

Put the recovery server in a "lab" situation and try to restore the system
state, then force the seizure of FSMO roles to a domain controller as per
KB 255504

Restore and mount the public folders, and ensure administrator has full
control

Copy the contents of the public folders to e.g. an "admin" mailbox

Use exmerge to export that copy to a pst

**********************

Any comments or suggestions, or links to helpful utilities would be
welcome

Is there any kind of "public folders -> pst" archive utility?

Regards

Roger



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