Restoring exchange 2003, if you are reading this then I am happy you came to us first. DO NOT DO anything more on your server. If we are to recover your data, please pickup the phone and call us before trying anything you found on the web. Chances are we can save your data 9 out of 10 times. Even with out a backup!

Steps we will take to restore your data

In order to restore a failed Exchange 2003 Server, you can install a “new” one using the /Disaster Recovery switch, but there’re several steps to it, and they need to be performed in the correct order. Before you can bring the Exchange Server to the state it was in just before the disaster occurred, you would need a copy of the most recent log files.

Restoring the Exchange Server from Install to patches

When you have received a replacement server or replacements for the failed hardware components, it’s important you configure and partition the disks in the new server, so they are identical to the way they were configured in the old one. Now we can beginning to install the operating system, patches, exchange server, exactly to the point where it was when it failed.

Installing Exchange Using the Disaster Recovery Switch

We install the Microsoft Exchange 2003 Server using the /DisasterRecovery switch is because the configuration information for the Exchange Server still lives in Active Directory. We continue to install accepting the license agreement, exchange components, and install pach for the exchange binaries. We now have to install any Exchange 2003 Service Packs that had been applied to the old server, and it’s important the Service Pack is applied using the /DisasterRecovery switch just like was the case with the Exchange Server installation

Restoring the Exchange Databases

We can now begin restoring the Mailbox and Public Folder Stores from backup using the backup solution implemented in your Exchange messaging environment previously.

Before we do anything else let’s open the Exchange System Manager and drill down and expand the Mailbox and Public Folder Stores. Because we installed Exchange Server 2003 using the /DisasterRecovery switch, they should be in a dismounted state.