Complete Solution to Repair Corrupt Exchange Mailbox

Mohit Jha ~ Published: January 21, 2021 ~ 6 Minutes Reading

The presence of corrupted database on an Exchange Server can cause erratic client-server behaviors due to which Outlook may not synchronize and its items may not archive properly due to which Outlook may hang/ freeze. After this, the Exchange mailboxes becomes inaccessible and ultimately leads to an obstruction in between the work. Therefore, at times, users search for a relevant method to repair corrupt Exchange mailbox, but they find it a tough task.

Technology up-gradation is on peek nowadays. Many platforms are available for the storage of essential information. An exchange server is one such platform that helps to establish cross-communication to work collaboratively. It is assistive in storing and maintaining information like emails, contacts, journals, calendars, tasks, etc. in its Exchange database. However, it is possible for the primary data storage file of Exchange i.e. EDB to get corrupted or damaged due to several reasons.

Considering this, we have come up with some relevant workarounds to recover and repair Exchange database EDB files, and export the recovered Exchange mailbox data to Live Exchange Server, Office 365, and different file formats. Users can migrate offline Exchange 2010 database to Exchange 2016 after recovery.

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But before that, it is essential to understand the reasons that may lead Exchange mailboxes to get corrupted. So, let us get started!

Factors Responsible For Exchange Mailbox Corruption

Exchange corruption is basically the EDB file corruption. EDB files are the storehouse of Exchange information in which the entire database of Exchange Server resides. A single fault in the local machine can lead Exchange mailboxes to the corruption.

Some most common causes behind the EDB file corruption which may demand to repair corrupt Mailbox Exchange 2013/ 2010/ 2007 files are listed below:

Outlook and Exchange connection issues
Connection dropped during transmission
Malfunctioning of the system applications
Exchange Database Objects are missing
Database has grown beyond storage limit
Hardware/ Server/ Boot failure issues
Presence of bad sectors in hard disk drive
Antivirus or malware attack on computer
Errors generated by local machine users

Errors Which Demand to Repair Corrupt Exchange Mailbox

The corruption in Exchange mailboxes can lead users to different errors. Or, sometimes the corruption in Exchange EDB displays in the form of error message popups while the user tries to perform various operations on the database. Below are some of the common errors caused by damaged Exchange Server mailboxes:

Error -501 (JET_errLogFileCorrupt): This error occurs due to the presence of corrupted log files in the Exchange Server.
Error -533 (JET_errCheckpointCorrupt): This error message appears when the checkpoint files get damaged or deleted.
Event ID 9175: If there are issues with network or the Exchange Server is down due to its maintenance, this error message displayed by the system.
Error -1216 (JET_errAttachedDatabaseMismatch): This error code prompts when the header information that is saved in the log files gets deleted or mismatched.
Error -1605: If there are some premature exit of Eseutil /p while regenerating the B-tress this error occurs.
Dirty Shutdown State Exchange Error: If the computer becomes closed while the log files are still in cache memory then, dirty shutdown error occurs.
Error -1601: This error code implies that the internal structure of STM files has been damaged or corrupted during the file recovery.
1056749110 Exchange Error: While moving the Exchange mailboxes, if there are one or more corrupted items then, this error message prompts.

Repair Corrupt Mailbox Exchange 2016/ 2013/ 2010/ 2007 Using ESEUTIL

ESEUTIL is the descriptor of Exchange Server Database Utility that is offered by Microsoft to repair corrupted or damaged Exchange 2013, Exchange 2010, Exchange 2007 mailboxes.

It is a command-line tool that can detect and repair the errors in Exchange mailboxes, public folders, or in the transport server queue database. This is the primary technique to resolve the issues of Exchange database.

Here, we are going to repair corrupt Exchange mailbox using ESEUTIL repair mode. Via this, one can fix the corrupted mailbox Exchange 2007 database at the page and table levels however, it is not applicable for application level. Use the command given below to perform Exchange database hard repair.

ESEUTIL: Syntax in Repair Mode

ESEUTIL /P databasefilename.edb

After recovering the database successfully, it is recommended to run the integrity check on the Exchange database to verify that it is consistent. Use ISInteg software for the same as follows:

ISInteg –fix

Once the software is finished with its working then, users can save all the data into PST via ExMerge and create a new blank database. After that, again use ExMerge for saving all the databases from the PST file into the newly created database.

Scenarios When Repair Procedure Fails

ESEUTIL is a free method to repair corrupted mailbox Exchange 2010 or other versions and is just capable to rectify the minor corruptions. Therefore, it is possible that sometimes it fails to work due to the higher level of corruption.

There are several cases in which it becomes failed to perform the complete data recovery and also may result in data loss. For example, consider the below case:

The user has executed the repair process using ESEUTIL command with /p switch attempts and validates all the system tables as well as indexes. Yet, a table, index, or any other data which cannot be recovered is discarded by it.

Now, the repair process closes with ESE Event ID 500 that implies the presence of one or more bad data pages that were lost during the repairing procedure. Here, the Event also indicates that the user is running an application-level integrity check on the Exchange database and may be left in the inconsistent state.

Limitations of ESEUTIL

It is clear now that ESEUTIL may fail to repair corrupt Exchange mailbox in some cases. Below given are some demerits associated with this inbuilt utility:

After using ESEUTIL mailbox data can be permanently lost
It requires large storage space to perform the operation
Inconsistency in database after running ESEUTIL command
Using the ESEUTIL command line is very time consuming
Complexity at its best: Stuck or freeze the Exchange Server
Unable to perform Recovery if the database is in dirty shutdown state

Concluding Lines

‘How to Repair Corrupt Exchange Mailbox’ is such a common query asked by several users. In this blog, we have come across the causes and techniques to recover and restore the data from corrupted Exchange Server EDB files. The complete write up describes the manual workaround, which is not an exact solution and can lead users to more drastic conditions. Thus, one can utilize a trusted third-party solution like PCVITA EDB Repair tool for the same. The tool lets the users to fix corrupt mailbox Exchange EDB files without any data loss.