How To Fix Error “Microsoft Exchange Server Database Storage Engine Utilities Has Stopped Working”?

  author
Written By Andrew Jackson
Anuraag Singh
Approved By Anuraag Singh
Published On October 28th, 2022
Reading Time 6 Minutes Reading

Summary: Users usually get this error “Microsoft Exchange Server database storage engine utilities has stopped working” when their Exchange database is corrupted or damaged. While using the ESEUTIL to fix the database, this tool unexpectedly stops because of some problem in the mailbox database. Here, in this write-up, we have provides various solutions to solve the issue or error & restore the data from the corrupted or inaccessible EDB.

As we have discussed that due to corrupt database this error occurs, probably because of the dirty shutdown. The Microsoft Exchange Server is basically designed on JET Engines, where transaction log file plays a very important role that maintains the consistency of Exchange database files.

When the information in the log files is inconsistent with the data in the Exchange database files which results in Exchange dirty shutdown state. In this case, the servers fail to read the transaction log files and because of inconsistency because of mailbox database and log file that leads to corruption in the database.

Users can use the ESEUTIL utility to resolve or fix this issue. You can perform various operations on the Exchange database files such as:

  1. Recover and Repair mailbox database
  2. Check the Microsoft Exchange database integrity
  3. Perform the checksum test
  4. Offline defrag Exchange mailbox database

This tool helps you to restore the data from the corrupt EDB file. According to the level of corruption in Exchange database file, users can perform soft recovery and hard recovery in Exchange 2010, 2013, 2016.

For minimal corruption users can run ESEUTIL /r command and if the .edb file is severely corrupted then you have to perform hard recovery by using eseutil /p command.

Note: Performing hard recovery can lead to huge data loss and it’s unknown to users how much data is lost. To avoid this complexity, users can easily use the advanced software provided by SysTools i.e. Exchange Server Recovery Software. It easily resolves database corruption Exchange 2010, 2013, 2016, repair EDB file, recovers permanently deleted mailboxes & items and export them to the Live Exchange Server 2016/2013/2010/2007/2003 mailboxes in a simplified manner.

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You will face the following error when users will try to fix the mailbox database from corruption or any other issue by using the Exchange Extensible Storage Engine Utilities (ESEUTIL).

error

The Microsoft(R) Exchange Server Database Storage Engine Utilities has stopped working, which means that the utility is unable to repair the severely damaged or corrupted Exchange database file. In such case, users can use the recovery manager for Exchange database tool.

There are some other reasons due to which this error may occur like – Space size issue in Microsoft Exchange Server if the Exchange administrator tries to roll up the database after running the command on the backup copy of the Exchange database file.

How to Fix the “Microsoft Exchange Server Database Storage Engine Utilities” Error?

One can resolve or fix the issue by restoring the content from the backup. As the alternative solution users can use the third-party Exchange Server Recovery software to repair Exchange mailbox, EDB file from major or minor corruption and restore the mailboxes to the Exchange Server.

Another quickest & easiest way is to use the backup which help users to restore the Exchange database, mailboxes and resolve the error. Also, it prevents unnecessary downtimes.

The backup allows you to restore the data up to when it was last taken, it means that the users have to lose the data after that which isn’t okay. In this scenario, this solution is of no use. What users can do is that they can use the advanced software to fix, recover and repair the offline/dismounted mailbox database from corruption.

Working Steps to Fix the “Microsoft Exchange Server Database Storage Engine Utilities Has Stopped Working” Error

Follow the steps given below to resolve the ESEUTIL error:

Step 1: Check Storage Space on Server

It is necessary to have enough storage space on the server to execute the ESEUTIL cmdlet to repair the mailbox database file. Check, verify and increase the space, then run the utility again. This may solve the issue/fix the error.

Step 2: Create Copy Of Exchange Database File

Create the copy of the corrupted or damaged EDB file manually, then execute the cmdlet to repair the database. Then check if this resolve the problem or error.

Step 3: Move/Migrate Logs Of Database

Move the corrupted or unhealthy Exchange database logs from its existing path to the temporary folder. The re-mount the mailbox database. This solution would fix the error.

On the other hand, users can also go through the system log files & see that you can identify why error occurs. If you find the cause of error, fix it.

Users have to use the various methods or solution to fix the “Microsoft Exchange Server database storage engine utilities has stopped working” error. If you unable to solve the problem, then go for third-party software.

Use Best Automated Wizard

Exchange Server Recovery Software is the best professional tool that easily recovers and repair minor or severely damaged/corrupted offline or dismounted Exchange database files automatically without using any command. This tool provides Quick and Advance scan option to recover the EDB file from corruption. Depending on the level of the corrupted mailbox database, users can select the scan mode option.

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The software provides an interactive graphical interface that makes the users work a lot easier and save their time as well as effort too. Any technical and non-technical users can use the tool.

This utility doesn’t impose any file size limitation, users can load any size of EDB file and repair it. The advance scan mode also recovers permanently deleted mailboxes and data items easily. You can select this option and recover deleted mailbox after retention period.

After recovery, users can extract mailbox from EDB file Exchange 2016, 2013 and export the mailboxes directly to the Live Exchange Server, Office 365 and PST, EML, HTML, MBOX, MSG, PDF file format. The advanced software generates the export report which contains the success and fail count of exported Exchange mailbox data.

Bringing It All Together

Now users know that the ESEUTIL utility isn’t capable enough to fix the highly corrupted Exchange mailbox database. Due to certain limitations, pre-requisites there are chances that the operation fails which leads to this error “Microsoft Exchange Server database storage engine utilities has stopped working” after executing eseutil p cmdlet to repair the severely corrupted EDB file. In that case, the best option is to use the advanced software provided here which easily recover, repair Exchange database file from minor as well as major corruption and restores the mailboxes to the Live Exchange Server in a hassle freeway.

  author

By Andrew Jackson

I am SQL DBA and SQL Server blogger too. I like to share about SQL Server and the problems related to it as well as their solution and also I do handle database related user queries, server or database maintenance, database management, etc. I love to share my knowledge with SQL Geeks.