Recovering a Corrupt Exchange Database with Stellar Repair — Real-World Lab Test

You know that sinking feeling when your Exchange database won’t mount, users are screaming, and logs look like hieroglyphics? I decided to recreate that nightmare on purpose. Why? To see if Stellar Repair for Exchange could actually pull me out of the fire.

Spoiler: it did. But let’s not skip ahead.

This post is not theory. It’s a war story from a controlled lab - a full walk-through from “let’s nuke the Exchange database” to “back in business without losing a single email”.

Why Stellar Repair for Exchange Caught My Eye#

I’ve been in the trenches with Exchange long enough to know one truth: when a database goes dirty, your weekend is gone.

Microsoft gives you tools like eseutil, but in real disasters, these are like bringing a butterknife to a gunfight.

That’s where Stellar Repair for Exchange steps in - a third-party recovery tool with one job: make a corrupt EDB file readable again.

And judging by their 4.9/5 Trustpilot rating, I’m not the only one curious about it.

The Test Lab: Building a Realistic Disaster#

Before trusting any recovery software, I built a lab to recreate a real-world environment. Here’s what I spun up:

HQ-DC01 - Windows Server 2019, Active Directory Domain Controller
HQ-EXCH01 - Windows Server 2019, Exchange 2019 CU15

I created three demo users, sent a few emails back and forth, added calendar invites - basically, populated the database so it looked like a normal day at the office.

Installing Stellar Repair for Exchange#

Let’s be clear: the install process is idiot-proof. Download, click Next a few times, done. No hidden dependencies, no drama.

Making a Mess: Dirty Shutdown on Purpose#

Now for the fun part.

Exchange logs are sacred - they keep the database consistent. So naturally, I deleted half of them. Then I killed the “Microsoft Exchange Information Store” service. Boom. We just forced the database into dirty shutdown.

To confirm:

1
eseutil /mh '.\DB01-Mailbox.edb'

Output? Dirty. Just like we wanted.

At this point, Exchange refuses to mount the database. Exactly the disaster we wanted.

Recovery with Stellar Repair for Exchange#

Step 1: Point to the EDB#

Launch Stellar, point it at the EDB file. If you don’t know where it is, there’s a “Find” option. It even shows a Temp folder path (make sure you’ve got disk space there).

Before starting a scan, make sure the Temp path shown in Stellar has enough free space - the tool uses this location while processing large databases.

Stellar Repair for Exchange - Select EDB file dialog

Stellar Repair for Exchange - EDB file selected and ready to scan

Step 2: Choose the Scan Mode#

You get two scan modes:

Quick Scan - good for light corruption
Extensive Scan - deep, slower, but thorough

I went with Extensive Scan because I had basically set my database on fire.

Step 3: Wait for the Magic#

After scanning, Stellar presented me with all three mailboxes - emails, calendars, contacts, everything. Fully browsable.

Stellar Repair for Exchange - Mailboxes tree after extensive scan

Recovery Options That Matter#

From here, you can:

Export to PST
Export to MSG, EML, HTML, RTF, PDF (single items)
Export back to Exchange Server
Export directly to Office 365
Even push data into a Public Folder

For this lab, I went with Export back to Exchange. But there’s a catch - you need Outlook installed on the same machine as Stellar. (In production, do this on a separate VM. Trust me.)

Stellar Repair for Exchange can recover almost everything stored in a mailbox: emails (including attachments), contacts, calendars, tasks, notes, journals, and even Public Folder content.

It supports Exchange Server versions from 5.5 up through 2019.

WARNING
As of this test (July 2025), Exchange 2019 CU15 was used. Support for newer versions, if released, should be verified with Stellar.

Rebuilding the Mailboxes#

In the Exchange Admin Center:

Disabled the broken mailboxes (so user accounts remain in AD)
Created fresh mailboxes with _restored suffix
Logged in to confirm: clean, empty

Then in Stellar:

Right-click mailbox → Export to Exchange Server
Provide Exchange server and credentials
Click OK

Repeat for all mailboxes. Wait for it to sync.

Stellar Repair for Exchange - Export options dialog before export

Stellar Repair for Exchange - Export progress restoring to Exchange Server

The Result#

Minutes later: All three mailboxes restored. Emails, calendar invites, everything.

From a database that was completely unmountable.

Key Takeaways#

Ease of use: Zero PowerShell gymnastics, just point and click
Compatibility: Works with Exchange 5.5 up to 2019
Recovery options: PST, Office 365, Public Folders - take your pick
Safety net: When eseutil leaves you stranded, this saves your bacon

Final Thoughts#

This isn’t an ad. It’s a sober takeaway after deliberately breaking Exchange: Stellar Repair for Exchange works.

If you’re responsible for Exchange servers and don’t have this kind of tool in your back pocket, you’re gambling with downtime.

My advice?

Spin up a lab, break your database, and try it. Better to learn this now than at 3 AM on a Sunday.

Learn more about Stellar Repair for Exchange

SIGNAL & INTEL#

The Private Order: Stop being a grunt. Become an Architect. Join The Private Order.

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