XADM: Clearing Out "Connect to Server" List in Administrator (189341)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Exchange Server 4.0
  • Microsoft Exchange Server 5.0
  • Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5
This article was previously published under Q189341
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SUMMARY

The Exchange Administrator program retains the memory of which Exchange servers it was connected to, and at the start of a new session it re- connects to all servers that were open at the end of the last session.

This convenience may become an annoyance if some of the servers are no longer available or are located across slow links. In such cases, the startup time for Exchange Administrator may be lengthened considerably while the slow-to-respond or unavailable servers time out.

You can prevent Exchange Administrator from searching for servers, or you can reset the drop-down list of servers by the methods described below.

The Connect to Server settings are saved separately for each logon to each administrative workstation. You cannot globally reset these lists all at once for all administrators on all computers.

MORE INFORMATION

To prevent Exchange Administrator from trying to connect to a server at startup of its next session, choose File.Close while the server name is displayed in the Connect to Server drop-down box at the left edge of the toolbar. The server is still available on the drop-down list of previously connected servers, but Administrator will not try to connect to the server until you select it.

To clear the list of servers previously connected to, do the following:

  1. Run a single local session of Exchange Administrator. If multiple Administrator sessions are open, this process will not work.
  2. In Exchange Administrator, use File.Close to close all windows for all servers, leaving a blank workspace.
  3. Exit Exchange Administrator.

    WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

    For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).
  4. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).
  5. Go to: 
       HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Exchange\MSExchangeAdmin\Desktop
  6. Highlight the Servers value and delete it to clear the entire servers list. This key will be re-created the next time you run Exchange Administrator. Alternately, you may edit the Servers value and add or remove specific server names.
  7. Quit Registry Editor.
  8. Restart Exchange Administrator, and connect to the server of your choice.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:4/28/2005
Keywords:kbhowto KB189341
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