If you are unable to access Exchange Server one day, the Dirty Shutdown State might responsible for this. It is a common issue of Exchange Server that causes extreme inconvenience to the Exchange users. Though users face this issue often, many people do not know how to get rid of this issue. Considering the entire situation, this write-up will let the readers get well-informed about Dirty Shutdown State of Exchange Server and the errors caused by it. Keep reading this post to know more about this topic.
Table of Contents
What is Exchange Dirty Shutdown State?
As the name suggests, dirty shutdown means that the Exchange Server was not shut down properly last time it was running. For an exchange Server to start properly, healthy shutdown is needed. In case of healthy shutdown, the database gets detached from the log files, and Exchange Server does not need the previous log files during start-up. When dirty shutdown happens due to missing log files, Exchange Server is not able to mount and thus, generates several errors. Therefore, it is important that users remain conscious about their transaction log files.
Reasons For Dirty Shutdown State in Exchange Server
Here are some of the reasons behind this state. Apart from these, other reasons can also be responsible for this problems.
- Damaged or corrupt transaction log files
- Lost or deleted log files
- Inaccessible Exchange EDB file
- Improperly detached EDB or STM files
Errors Caused by Dirty Shutdown State
In this part, we will know about some errors that are caused by Exchange Dirty Shutdown State.
Improper Shutdown Error
Exchange Error 528
Exchange Error 550
How to Fix Exchange Server Dirty Shutdown Error
There are different techniques to resolve this problem. Here, we will share two methods. One of them is manual method and another one is alternate method.
#1: Manual Method
Before implementing this method, users have to make sure that the working flow of Exchange Server is fine. Then you can start performing these steps:
- Find out the location of this problem by going to the Exchange Server folder that contains MS Exchange database and its logs files. Usually, this folder can be found in the mentioned location:
C: >> Program files >> Microsoft >> Exchange Server >> v15 >> Mailbox >> Mailbox Database >> *.edb
Note: The directory path may be different depending on where the users have saved their log files.
- Cancel all Exchange services and get yourself out of the Exchange Server Management Console (ECP).
- Now, it is time to rename Mailbox database folder.
- Create a new folder that has the name of folder that you just changed the name of.
- Start MS Exchange service and the launch EMS (Exchange Management Console).
- Go to the Database folder of EMS and right-click on it. Select Mount from the options.
- At this point, Exchange Server will start running. Users will get access to the complete mailbox but there will be no content in it. Open the folder and you will see an empty Exchange Server database.
- Users can restore their data from the old database to the fresh and new one.
Limitations of Manual Method
As readers can see, this process is a time-consuming one. Users have to be technically expert to perform this method. Moreover, there is no confirmation that this technique will be able to solve this problem. Due to these problems, most users these days use alternate method.
#2: Alternate Method
The alternate method to fix this error is to use SysTools Exchange Recovery Tool. The application has the ability to fix all types of errors, including dirty shutdown state error. It has the ability to retrieve any hard deleted files, so missing or lost log files can be easily recovered with its help. This software can be run on MS Exchange 2019 and all other lower versions. You can always opt for this tool to fix Exchange Dirty Server Shutdown State.
Final Words
Exchange users can encounter a variety of errors and one of them is Dirty Shutdown. In order to resolve this issue, is important that users know what is Exchange Dirty Server Shutdown State. That is why, we have chosen this to be topic of discussion for this post. Here, we have also described how to get rid of dirty shutdown error using two different techniques. Since the manual method contains limitations and the procedure is quite complex, it is recommended to go for the alternative method. The cited tool will remove all types of Exchange Server corruption and allow users to run it without any problem.
