XADM: Exchange Server 5.5 Event Service Does Not Start After Restoration and an Event ID 5 Message Is Logged (314148)

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SYMPTOMS

After you restore an Exchange Server 5.5 computer, the Event service may not start on the Exchange Server 5.5 computer, and then the following event ID message may be logged in the Microsoft Windows NT Application event log:

Event ID: 5
Source: MSExchangeES
Type: Error
Category: General
Description: An unexpected MAPI error occurred. Error returned was [0x80004005].

CAUSE

This issue can occur if you use an incorrect organization or site name when you restore an Exchange Server 5.5 computer. The following registry key entries contain an incorrect organization or site:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeSA\ Parameters\Enterprise

-or-

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeSA\ Parameters\Site

NOTE: The above registry keys are one path; they have been wrapped for readability.

This issue can also occur if you restore an Exchange Server 5.5 computer and you use an incorrect organization or site, and then instead of performing a reinstallation of the server, you correct only the following registry key entry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeMTA\ Parameters\X500DN

All of the Exchange services restart except the Event service (MSExchangeES), and the event ID message in the "Symptoms" section of this article is logged.

RESOLUTION

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

To resolve this issue, change the registry entries to correspond to the correct organization and site names specified in the Exchange Server 5.5 directory, and then restart the Event service:

Start the Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 Administrator program.
Right-click the Organization and Site containers, and then note the directory names.
Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).
Locate the appropriate values in the following registry keys:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeSA\ Parameters\Enterprise
NOTE: This registry key must correspond to the organization directory name that you retrieved in the Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 Administrator program in step 2.
-and-
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeSA\ Parameters\Site
NOTE: This registry key must correspond to the site directory name retrieved in the Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 Administrator program in step 2.
On the Edit menu, click String, modify the value to correspond to the correct organization (Enterprise) or site name, and then click OK.
Quit Registry Editor.