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funman1

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Delete mass emails from exchange box NOT using Exmerge

Got an exchange account that has 6 gigs of junk and 1.2 million emails in it.
Exmerge crunches on it for a few thousand emails then locks up and just keeps eating ram till the machine runs out of ram and virtual ram and crashes.

Looked high and low for a solution NOT using Exmerge but have not found one.
It's the admin account so I can't just delete the account.

What else are my options?
Is there a way to delete the mailbox ONLY then recreate a new mailbox and attach it back to the admin account?
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michaelgoldsmith
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I believe that you can remove the mailbox using the Exchange Tasks feature in AD on a Windows 2000 and 2003 server. Right-click the user in AD Users & Computers and select Exchange Tasks. Follow the wizard to remove the mailbox. You could then add a new mailbox using the same wizard.

Not sure about how your retention period would effect this.
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Hardeep_Saluja


Hi funman..

Follow these steps..

Remove the mailbox using Exchange task feature
Go to admin user>right click>properties>Exchange tasks
Open Exchange >
The mailbox should show disconnected now
Right click mailbox under mailbox store
Run cleanup agent and admin mailbox will show disconnected now
Right click on mailbox and PURGE it to remove that mailbox completely

Thanks,
Please let me know ..
"Got an exchange account that has 6 gigs of junk and 1.2 million emails in it."

Aren't you interested in storing those emails ?? If the user has left the organization why not reset the pwd and unload all those emails (in offline mode of Outlook) into PST.

ExMerge has this problem of not being able to work with high number of items. There is a word around to work with this problem of ExMerge - extract info basis few months date - this way the item count would be lesser and PST load would be just increase in number - but who cares as long as you get your data.
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ASKER

Hardeep_Saluja,
I will try this and post back results soon.

Exchange Geek, No I do not want anything in the box, hence the word "Junk"
I don't want the data, I want the data gone.

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ASKER

Hardeep_Saluja,
I think you are missing a few steps?
I got lost in your directions?
If you want the data gone - remove Exchange attributes and create a new mailbox  - simple.

Once, you find the mailbox (old) in disconnected state (red cross) - right click purge.

Once done, its weekend time - go home and enjoy ur beer.
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ASKER

Well I deleted the mailbox (Only thing I knew how to do) and it still shows in the mailboxes, but I can't do anything to it.
So now how do I create the admin mailbox, and get rid of the old one?
It's been years since I played with exchange.
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
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Exchange_Geek
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ASKER

Got it..
Case closed.

Simple Answer: Delete mailbox using Exchange System Manager
Recreate mailbox using Active Direcrectory and Users.

Now the last problem to solve is how to get rid of the old admin account?
Now ESM shows 2 admin mailboxes but the empty one is the one it's now using.

Ah cmon youre asking me to repeat what i said

Well, you would have to run clean up agent (right click on "mailboxes" beneath mailbox store)
Once, done you would fine a red cross against the deleted mailbox.
Once you find a red cross - right click on the mailbox - you would find an option purge.
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ASKER

Thanks a ton!!!
I'm good 100%
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ASKER

We posted at the same time ;)
I'n not that dense to have you repeat it.

Thanks again. Case solved