How to Repair Exchange databases with Eseutil/Isinteg tool

Exchange administrators can take the help of Eseutil and Isinteg utilities to repair corrupt exchange databases. Both Eseutil.exe and Isinteg.exe utilities are inbuilt with MS Exchange Server and facilitate soft and hard database recovery from the corrupt Exchange Server. By default, these tools are stored in the following drive location:

C:\Program Files\Exchsrvr\bin

However, before, you make use of Eseutil and Isinteg tools, do the following actions:

1. Log in as Exchange administrator
2. Copy running or inaccessible EDB database in a backup folder
3. Dismount the EDB database from the Exchange server
4. Free the disk space by moving unnecessary files and folders into portable media
5. Check the hard disk for bad sectors using CHKDSK utility

Eseutil and Isinteg utilities can be applied on offline EDB files only and therefore database must be dismounted from the Exchange Server before you can use these tools. You can run Eseutil.exe from the DOS command prompt also.

Do the following steps to run Eseutil.exe from command prompt:

1. Click on Start>Run
2. In the run box, type “cmd” and press “ok”
3. Go to C:\Program Files\Exchsrvr\bin directory
4. Type Eseutil.exe in command line

Esutil.exe has two repair switches “/r” and “p”.

Eseutil /r command is soft database recovery mode of the Exchange Server.

1. If EDB files are severely damaged, then you should use Eseutil/p command. The command line to repair severely damaged private or public EDB file is:

Eseutil /p C:\Program files\Exchsvr\mdbdata\ primary name.EDB

1. After you have successfully repaired the EDB database with Eseutil /P command, run Eseutil /d command to defragment the repaired EDB file.
2. Run Isinteg.exe for integrity check of repaired EDB databases. The command line will appear like this:

Isinteg –s {Exchange Server name}-fix-test all tests

1. Select the repaired Exchange database file from the default Exchange server directory
2. Run the Isinteg command line till no errors are reported on the Server
3. Run the Eseutil \G command to check the integrity of the repaired EDB database
4. Remount the repaired EDB database using Administrative tools of the Exchange Server

If all users on the Exchange Server use MS Outlook or Outlook Express client, then there is little chance that the Exchange Information Store will contain Streaming media or STM file along with EDB and Transaction Log files. However, if POP3 client such as Windows Live email is configured on the Exchange Server, then Exchange Information Store will also consists of STM file and you need to repair both EDB and STM files in a pair.