Do and Don't of IT - Exchange 2010 Console load error.

Recently I thought it would be a good idea to build an exchange environment at home on a VMWare server I use for hosting other sandpit type play boxes used to expand my knowledge. Completed the following.

1. Built 2k8 R2 server on vmware, patched and setup.

2. Copied the built server to a new vmware server and renamed.

3. Installed and configured DC, DNS and Certificate server.

4. Installed Exchange 2010 pre-req's and setup required services.

5. Installed Exchage 2010 RTM (Had issues in our environment at work installing from SP1 and not upgrading).

6. Setup free domain and re-directed personal email to Exchange box. Setup webmail, activesync.

Now at this point I created a new user and logged them into exchange. I also created another admin to manage my exchange system. The admin account was setup as domain admin yet couldn't start the EMC. Wierd but thought I would sort later. Next step.

7. Upgraded Exchange 2010 to Sp1 and then rollup pack 1 for SP1.

Now it all started to fall apart. I could not load the console from the admin account i created or the Domain administrator account. This is the error I was getting.

The following error occured when retrieving user information for Domain\administrator
The operation could not be performed because object 's-1-5-21-4280747840-81974243-757702645-500' couldnt be found on
dc.domain.com. It was running command Get-LogonUser

CMDlet failed. Cmdlet Get-User, parameters {Identity=s-1-5-21-4280747840-81974243-757702645-500}

Spent alot of time trying to diagnose the issue. Turns out I had missed a vital step in my install. I had not sys preped my second machine after copying it over once built. Should of realised when my admin user had not been able to make changes on the Exchange server.

To sort I did the following steps.

- Shutdown Exchange-Services
- Copy the entire Database-Folder to a temporary location (or use the virtual data-disk for the new VM)
- Shutdown Exchange-VM
- Install new VM or import a template and change the SID with sysprep (!!)
- Remove old server account from AD
- Rename the new VM with the old name and join the domain
- Add the server account to the AD-group "Microsoft Exchange System Objects/Exchange Install Domain Servers" (to avoid MSEXCHANGEADTOPOLOGY-server startup error)
- Copy the Exchange-database to the same driver/folder
- Run "Setup /m:RecoverServer /InstallWindowsComponents" from Exchange 2010 SP1 Folder

Resolved the issue and now is all working. Thanks to Little Ghost for picking up the solution.

Found all my Info at http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2010/09/01/456094.aspx

Over and out