Help! I screwed up.......

[Jim Hubbard]

First a little background......

Small company....7 PCs (4 still Win98, 2 XP Pro and 1 Windows 2000
server) connected to the internet via a Bellsouth DSL connection using a
Cayman DSL modem/router.

Guy before me installed the server as a domain controller. Company
wants to change name of server. Server starts to hang twice a day saying
something about packet corruption in the event logs.

Company wants all systems open to everyone else. Company wants
everything shared (hard drives, printers, wives, etc.). So, I'm thinking
that the domain controller thing adds a level of complexity (and potential
for failure) that they don't need.

Guy before me installed Veritas Exec Backup and a tape drive. I am told
that all important data is backed up nightly.

With the hanging server, I suggest a rebuild of the server without it
being a domain controller. Since it is hanging twice a day, the employees
agree.

I change the primary drive's jumper settings to make it a slave drive
and install a new 160GB drive and load Windows 2000 Advanced Server - this
time naming it what they wanted and without setting it up as a domain
controller. I check the settings on the router and make sure that everyone
can see the internet.

Then I am told that employees are missing mail messages. No problem.
We'll restore from backup. But, wait! Emails weren't being backed up!

Ok. We'll put back the server (since we only changed drives and jumper
settings and still have the old primary drive intact) and re-attach the
machines - save the PST files and move forward. Where is the network map or
a list of machines and machine names with usernames, passwords,
etc........you know - how the domain was set up. It doesn't exist.

"Do you remember how you logged in?" "Yes." "Do you know how your
machine was attached to the domain (name, etc.)?" "No."

So here I am.....I have users that need outlook messages that reside on
a drive that the users logged into because the server was set up as a domain
controller and each machine and user was registered with the controller.

I find a 86,???kb PST file for one user, copy it to her machine and open
it. It only contains 53 items. She claims to have had hundreds of emails.
The file could be corrupt I guess.

I checked the other PST files on the old server's drive under the names
that she gave me as her log in names to no avail.

Can I retrieve these messages? How would I do so? Am I basically
screwed? Are the messages lost forever?

Thanks for any help you can give.

OuttaControl in Outlook

 

[Diane Poremsky [MVP]]

Actually, the domain controller provides level of security when you share
drives too...

1) pst should not be stored on the network drives, it raises the chances of
corruption. they should be kept locally and copied to a central backup
location.
2) can you access the employees folders on the server? typically, you won't
have permission to access them only the employee's log on will though.
3) are you using active directory? look in "active directory user and
computer" for users and computer information.

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
Author, Teach Yourself Outlook 2003 in 24 Hours
Coauthor, OneNote 2003 for Windows (Visual QuickStart Guide)


Search for answers: http://groups.google.com
Most recent posts to the Outlook newsgroups:
http://groups.google.com/groups?as_ugroup=microsoft.public.outlook.*&num=30

 

[Guest]

Look for .pst files on each of the client machines. They
may not have been stored on the Server just locally.

 

[Jim Hubbard]

Actually, the domain controller provides level of security when you share
drives too...

1) pst should not be stored on the network drives, it raises the chances of
corruption. they should be kept locally and copied to a central backup
location.

I am not sure which PST files were being used. There are PST files on the
server and local machines. The most current one is on the server.

2) can you access the employees folders on the server? typically, you won't
have permission to access them only the employee's log on will though.

I can access all files on the server through the administrator account,
right? I can access all files on the local machines because each user is an
admin locally.

3) are you using active directory? look in "active directory user and
computer" for users and computer information.

No. Active Directory was not being used.

OO

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
Author, Teach Yourself Outlook 2003 in 24 Hours
Coauthor, OneNote 2003 for Windows (Visual QuickStart Guide)


Search for answers: http://groups.google.com
Most recent posts to the Outlook newsgroups:
http://groups.google.com/groups?as_ugroup=microsoft.public.outlook.*&num=30

First a little background......

Small company....7 PCs (4 still Win98, 2 XP Pro and 1 Windows 2000
server) connected to the internet via a Bellsouth DSL connection using a
Cayman DSL modem/router.

Guy before me installed the server as a domain controller. Company
wants to change name of server. Server starts to hang twice a day saying
something about packet corruption in the event logs.

Company wants all systems open to everyone else. Company wants
everything shared (hard drives, printers, wives, etc.). So, I'm thinking
that the domain controller thing adds a level of complexity (and potential
for failure) that they don't need.

Guy before me installed Veritas Exec Backup and a tape drive. I am
told
that all important data is backed up nightly.

With the hanging server, I suggest a rebuild of the server without it
being a domain controller. Since it is hanging twice a day, the employees
agree.

I change the primary drive's jumper settings to make it a slave drive
and install a new 160GB drive and load Windows 2000 Advanced Server - this
time naming it what they wanted and without setting it up as a domain
controller. I check the settings on the router and make sure that
everyone
can see the internet.

Then I am told that employees are missing mail messages. No problem.
We'll restore from backup. But, wait! Emails weren't being backed up!

Ok. We'll put back the server (since we only changed drives and jumper
settings and still have the old primary drive intact) and re-attach the
machines - save the PST files and move forward. Where is the network map
or
a list of machines and machine names with usernames, passwords,
etc........you know - how the domain was set up. It doesn't exist.

"Do you remember how you logged in?" "Yes." "Do you know how your
machine was attached to the domain (name, etc.)?" "No."

So here I am.....I have users that need outlook messages that reside on
a drive that the users logged into because the server was set up as a
domain
controller and each machine and user was registered with the controller.

I find a 86,???kb PST file for one user, copy it to her machine and
open
it. It only contains 53 items. She claims to have had hundreds of
emails.
The file could be corrupt I guess.

I checked the other PST files on the old server's drive under the names
that she gave me as her log in names to no avail.

Can I retrieve these messages? How would I do so? Am I basically
screwed? Are the messages lost forever?

Thanks for any help you can give.

OuttaControl in Outlook

 

[Diane Poremsky [MVP]]

I am not sure which PST files were being used. There are PST files on the

server and local machines. The most current one is on the server.

what are the file sizes? the most recent one might be the right one - but
you can easily open both using File, Open, Outlook data file.

I can access all files on the server through the administrator account,
right? I can access all files on the local machines because each user is
an
admin locally.

It depends how it's set up. Can you see all of the pst's on the server? if
so, then yes the admin has access.

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
Author, Teach Yourself Outlook 2003 in 24 Hours
Coauthor, OneNote 2003 for Windows (Visual QuickStart Guide)


Search for answers: http://groups.google.com
Most recent posts to the Outlook newsgroups:
http://groups.google.com/groups?as_ugroup=microsoft.public.outlook.*&num=30

Actually, the domain controller provides level of security when you share
drives too...

1) pst should not be stored on the network drives, it raises the chances of
corruption. they should be kept locally and copied to a central backup
location.

I am not sure which PST files were being used. There are PST files on the
server and local machines. The most current one is on the server.

2) can you access the employees folders on the server? typically, you won't
have permission to access them only the employee's log on will though.

I can access all files on the server through the administrator account,
right? I can access all files on the local machines because each user is
an
admin locally.

3) are you using active directory? look in "active directory user and
computer" for users and computer information.

No. Active Directory was not being used.

OO

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
Author, Teach Yourself Outlook 2003 in 24 Hours
Coauthor, OneNote 2003 for Windows (Visual QuickStart Guide)


Search for answers: http://groups.google.com
Most recent posts to the Outlook newsgroups:
http://groups.google.com/groups?as_ugroup=microsoft.public.outlook.*&num=30

First a little background......

Small company....7 PCs (4 still Win98, 2 XP Pro and 1 Windows 2000
server) connected to the internet via a Bellsouth DSL connection using
a
Cayman DSL modem/router.

Guy before me installed the server as a domain controller. Company
wants to change name of server. Server starts to hang twice a day saying
something about packet corruption in the event logs.

Company wants all systems open to everyone else. Company wants
everything shared (hard drives, printers, wives, etc.). So, I'm thinking
that the domain controller thing adds a level of complexity (and potential
for failure) that they don't need.

Guy before me installed Veritas Exec Backup and a tape drive. I am
told
that all important data is backed up nightly.

With the hanging server, I suggest a rebuild of the server without
it
being a domain controller. Since it is hanging twice a day, the employees
agree.

I change the primary drive's jumper settings to make it a slave
drive
and install a new 160GB drive and load Windows 2000 Advanced Server - this
time naming it what they wanted and without setting it up as a domain
controller. I check the settings on the router and make sure that
everyone
can see the internet.

Then I am told that employees are missing mail messages. No
problem.
We'll restore from backup. But, wait! Emails weren't being backed up!

Ok. We'll put back the server (since we only changed drives and jumper
settings and still have the old primary drive intact) and re-attach the
machines - save the PST files and move forward. Where is the network map
or
a list of machines and machine names with usernames, passwords,
etc........you know - how the domain was set up. It doesn't exist.

"Do you remember how you logged in?" "Yes." "Do you know how your
machine was attached to the domain (name, etc.)?" "No."

So here I am.....I have users that need outlook messages that reside on
a drive that the users logged into because the server was set up as a
domain
controller and each machine and user was registered with the
controller.

I find a 86,???kb PST file for one user, copy it to her machine and
open
it. It only contains 53 items. She claims to have had hundreds of
emails.
The file could be corrupt I guess.

I checked the other PST files on the old server's drive under the names
that she gave me as her log in names to no avail.

Can I retrieve these messages? How would I do so? Am I basically
screwed? Are the messages lost forever?

Thanks for any help you can give.

OuttaControl in Outlook

 

[Jim Hubbard]

what are the file sizes? the most recent one might be the right one - but
you can easily open both using File, Open, Outlook data file.

The most current file is 86,257 kb. 48 kb, 352 kb, 5712 kb. The most
likely candidate seems to be the largest file (for the hundreds of emails
that the user is claiming to have had) but only 6 items show in the Inbox
when the file is loaded. There are hardly any items at all in the file
(maybe 53 total items) and none with attachments that would justify the
86,257 kb size.

I ran the outlook repair on the file, but no more items showed up.

It depends how it's set up. Can you see all of the pst's on the server? if
so, then yes the admin has access.

Yes I can.

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
Author, Teach Yourself Outlook 2003 in 24 Hours
Coauthor, OneNote 2003 for Windows (Visual QuickStart Guide)


Search for answers: http://groups.google.com
Most recent posts to the Outlook newsgroups:
http://groups.google.com/groups?as_ugroup=microsoft.public.outlook.*&num=30

Actually, the domain controller provides level of security when you share
drives too...

1) pst should not be stored on the network drives, it raises the

chances
of

corruption. they should be kept locally and copied to a central backup
location.

I am not sure which PST files were being used. There are PST files on the
server and local machines. The most current one is on the server.

2) can you access the employees folders on the server? typically, you won't
have permission to access them only the employee's log on will though.

I can access all files on the server through the administrator account,
right? I can access all files on the local machines because each user is
an
admin locally.

3) are you using active directory? look in "active directory user and
computer" for users and computer information.

No. Active Directory was not being used.

OO

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
Author, Teach Yourself Outlook 2003 in 24 Hours
Coauthor, OneNote 2003 for Windows (Visual QuickStart Guide)


Search for answers: http://groups.google.com
Most recent posts to the Outlook newsgroups:

http://groups.google.com/groups?as_ugroup=microsoft.public.outlook.*&num=30

First a little background......

Small company....7 PCs (4 still Win98, 2 XP Pro and 1 Windows 2000
server) connected to the internet via a Bellsouth DSL connection using
a
Cayman DSL modem/router.

Guy before me installed the server as a domain controller. Company
wants to change name of server. Server starts to hang twice a day saying
something about packet corruption in the event logs.

Company wants all systems open to everyone else. Company wants
everything shared (hard drives, printers, wives, etc.). So, I'm thinking
that the domain controller thing adds a level of complexity (and potential
for failure) that they don't need.

Guy before me installed Veritas Exec Backup and a tape drive. I am
told
that all important data is backed up nightly.

With the hanging server, I suggest a rebuild of the server without
it
being a domain controller. Since it is hanging twice a day, the employees
agree.

I change the primary drive's jumper settings to make it a slave
drive
and install a new 160GB drive and load Windows 2000 Advanced Server - this
time naming it what they wanted and without setting it up as a domain
controller. I check the settings on the router and make sure that
everyone
can see the internet.

Then I am told that employees are missing mail messages. No
problem.
We'll restore from backup. But, wait! Emails weren't being backed up!

Ok. We'll put back the server (since we only changed drives and jumper
settings and still have the old primary drive intact) and re-attach the
machines - save the PST files and move forward. Where is the network map
or
a list of machines and machine names with usernames, passwords,
etc........you know - how the domain was set up. It doesn't exist.

"Do you remember how you logged in?" "Yes." "Do you know how your
machine was attached to the domain (name, etc.)?" "No."

So here I am.....I have users that need outlook messages that

reside
on

a drive that the users logged into because the server was set up as a
domain
controller and each machine and user was registered with the
controller.

I find a 86,???kb PST file for one user, copy it to her machine and
open
it. It only contains 53 items. She claims to have had hundreds of
emails.
The file could be corrupt I guess.

I checked the other PST files on the old server's drive under the names
that she gave me as her log in names to no avail.

Can I retrieve these messages? How would I do so? Am I basically
screwed? Are the messages lost forever?

Thanks for any help you can give.

OuttaControl in Outlook