The first answer is very correct.
But you mentioned that you perform a file copy of the priv.edb, pub.edb and dir.edb to another server. You definatly have a workaround.
BTW - Microosft has a white paper on how to do this, so if I lose you just check out their Exchange Website an dsearch for Disaster Recovery.
Lets forget about the dir.edb, its no good to us in what we want to do. The dir.edb is server name dependent, so this database can never be opened on a server by another name than the one that created it.
The priv.edb and pub.edb can be opened. Here's how:
1. Install on a secondary (non-Exchange server) Exchange 5.5. Create a new Organization and site using the same name as your production system. Do NOT join the site.
2. Install all services pack to get to the same level as your production system.
3. Run optimizer to change the path of the Information store data base to a location that has enough diskspace available. Do not point it to your backed up data, doing so could delete it.
4. When completed, move or copy the backup data to the location where optimizer thinks the priv.edb and pub.edb are located.
5. Hopefully when you were doing the file backups you were also grabbing the transaction logs. Youmay need them.
6. Now open the exchange admin and run the IS/DS consistency adjuster, found in the server properties.
7. Your Directory should now be populated.
8. What ever account you wish to extract data from you will need to make sure that you have access to it via the Access List, same for the folders.
There's more to it then this - but I'm limited on space. recommend going to technet www.microsoft.com/technet and search on Exchange 5.5 Disaster Recovery. There is an excellent WP on this very subject.
Hindsight - recommend purchasing Veritas 8.x w/Exchange module or ArcserveIT for Exchange
Good luck.
Rick
