I have a quite big problem with customer's MS Exchange.
The server got it's disk filled about 2 weeks ago, so it's currently offline. They plan to upgrade it, but not in hurry, as they use it mainly for OWA and back-up – the mails exchange is done via SMTP and POP3.
Trying to diagnose some problem today, one of the users has (following the ISP instructions), removed the Exchange account from Outlook, which essentially left the OST orphaned.
The user naturally didn't move the emails or any other data to the Archive / PST before, so these emails located on the OST only.
So currently I'm trying to figure out how to restore them. There are 2 options:
1) Make the user buy some tool to convert them to PST, and import as archive / main Outlok file?
2) Reconnect the Outlook to Exchange (once it up), let it sync the old server content, then shutdown Outlook and replace the new OST with the old one, start Outlook again in offline mode and move these files to archive.
3) Any other method?
Can someone advice what would be the best approach here?
The used versions are Outlook 2007 and Exchange 2003.
Thanks!
Best Answer
I'm confused. You say that "the mails exchange is done via SMTP and POP3", so does that mean that the users were connecting to Exchange via POP? If so, then there should be no ost file, there should be a pst file. If they were connecting to Exchange via MAPI and there is in fact an ost file, then the emails will still be in the mailbox on the server as the ost file is simply an "offline" copy of the mailbox. Emails are not downloaded to the ost file and deleted from the server like they are when using POP. Is the server down hard? If not, then simply create a new Outlook profile to connect to Exchange via MAPI and get on with your day. If the server is down hard, then you will need to use a third party utility to recover the emails from the ost file.
http://www.bing.com/search?q=ost+to+pst&form=MSNH14&qs=n