Question : Get mailboxes/messages from Recovery Storage Group without ExMerge

On a Windows 2003 server running Exchange 2003 SP2, the First Storage Group is backed up via NTBackup. Can you restore that to a Recovery Storage group, and if so, can you recover mailboxes without Exmerge? I have multiple clients with multiple mailboxes well over 2GB.

I have read KB824126.
I have read numerous google search results. Not many mention mailboxes over 2GB, and if they do they recommend filtering by date. This is not beneficial to me.

Answer : Get mailboxes/messages from Recovery Storage Group without ExMerge

This should do the trick, but involves ADSI edit. Be very cautious when you use ADSI edit, as I'm sure you know.

1. Create a separate AD user to attach to the mailbox when needed. Do not add exchange attributes to that user
2. Restore database to RSG. Don't mount it.
3. Go into ADSI Edit. Navigate to the properties of the RSG. There is an attribute for msExchRestore. The property will be set to TRUE. Change it to Not Set.
4. Go to the properties of the RSG Data store. Find the same attribute, and make the same change to Not Set.
5. Mount the database. CAUTION - Any mail in that database set to delayed delivery will deliver if the original send date has passed. This will confuse your users if it happens.
6. After AD replication, you can right click the mailbox, and reconnect it to the user you created in #1.
7. You can use an Outlook profile to access that mailbox using the account you created, then do whatever you want to the mail in that mailbox. As an alternative, you can move the mailbox which will now be associated with the new user to your production database. I didn't do that; I accessed it via Outlook.
8. IMPORTANT - When done, restore the attributes you set to NOT SET; return to TRUE. Alternatively, you can delete that storage group and recreate the RSG.

Not 100% sure, but I think that attribute is what makes that Storage Group the RSG, and without it set your backup software will restore to the live database next time. Again, not 100% sure on that.

I've done these steps to connect to a mailbox when the user was deleted from AD.