Single Mailbox Recovery in Exchange 2010 – Magic

Introduction

We have seen in part 1 of this tutorial the classical approach to single mailbox recovery from backups using Exchange 2010 and how this method can only restore the mailbox content to a new structure and this could be annoying for some.

Analyzing the findings of our first approach we can deduce that the problem lies behind the fact that the new mailbox of user2 has a different GUID than the one in the backup. So, logically, changing the GUID of the new mailbox and setting it to the same as the one in backup should solve the issue right ?

Let's see how we can accomplish this to make the magic happens.

Disclaimer:This article contains steps that tell you how to use ADSIEdit.msc. However, serious problems might occur if you use it incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully and I cannot be held responsible for any damage you might bring do to your system.

Single Mailbox Recovery in Exchange 2010 – Classic

Introduction

I have written a 2 part tutorial at simple-talk.com about Microsoft Exchange 2010 Backup and Restore in which I have covered all steps needed to successfully backup your database as well as different recovery scenarios. This article can be looked at as an extension of the recovery process, part 2, and will cover the case when a single mailbox needs to be recovered from the backup.

I would like to stress first that it is not usually needed to recover a single mailbox from a backup when running Microsoft Exchange 2010 because deleted mailbox can be found in the "Disconnected Mailboxes" under "Recipient Configuration" and can simply be reconnected. However if you are just curious to learn or you are in need to recover a single mailbox for whatever reason keep on reading.

I will assume in this article that you are already familiar with the backup and restore process and that a successful full backup of the database already exists.