XADM: How to Log On to the System Mailbox on Exchange 2000 Server (253784)

MORE INFORMATION

To Activate the System Mailbox

1. Start Exchange System Manager, and browse to the Mailbox container, which is usually located in the following hierarchy:

   Organization\Administrative Groups\Sitename\Servers\Servername\First Storage Group\Mailbox Store\Mailbox

2. Look for a mailbox with a display name similar to the following:

   SystemMailbox{GUID Number}

3. Start Active Directory Users and Computers.
4. On the View menu, click Advanced Features.
5. Make sure you are connected to the domain in which Exchange 2000 is installed.
6. Browse to the <domain>\Microsoft Exchange System Objects container.
7. Find the user with the same name as the mailbox mentioned above. The account should be disabled by default.
8. Enable this account.
9. Right-click the SystemMailbox{GUID Number} entry, and click Properties. On the Exchange Advanced tab, click to clear the Hide from Exchange Address check box.
10. Click mailbox rights and make sure that the adminstrator has full mailbox access to the mailbox.
11. Click OK to close the properties dialog.
12. Open the properties on the system mailbox to confirm that the fields on the Exchange General tab have been populated.

Logging On with MDBVu32

After you have activated the account, you can use any client to log on to the mailbox. However, you should use a non-invasive tool such as MDBVu32. Note that MDBVu32 requires that a client be installed locally.

1. With MDBVu32, select the option for MAPI_EXPLICIT_PROFILE.
2. Create a profile for the system mailbox, specifying the correct Exchange 2000 server in the complete display name of the system mailbox.
3. After you are logged on, click Open Message Store from the MDB menu.
4. Select the mailbox store.
5. From the MDB menu, click Open Root Folder.

After you open the root folder, you can browse the contents of the system mailbox.

Note that this should only be done in a supervised situation upon recommendation of Microsoft Product Support Services (PSS). Altering items in the system mailbox may cause detrimental effects to the stability of the Exchange 2000 environment.