Microsoft Exchange Server Search Index Rebuild

When an entire office can no longer search their emails due to lack of network connection (so the error message says), the Database Index may be corrupt.

In the Exchange Management Shell, run the following command:

> Get-MailboxDatabaseCopyStatus * | sort name | Select name,status,contentindexstate

If it shows failed, disabled, or some other negative status, the following steps will be required.

1. Stop these two services:

   1. HostControllerService

   2. MSExchangeFastSearch

2. Locate the Index Catalog

   1. Could be on C:\, or it could be on another data drive.

   2. The format of the directory will look like this:

      1. C:\-\-\Mailbox Database 00657134726_Catalog\STRING OF NUMBERS.Number.Single

   3. Rename this directory to .OLD

3. Restart the two services above

4. A new Index Catalog will be created and the database will start to index

It may take up to 24 hours for the Index Catalog to complete, sometimes less, sometimes longer. It is wholly dependent on the size of the database.

Use the PowerShell command at the top to check the status of the index.