Fix: Lotus Notes Error 0x1a5

Lotus Notes saves all user mailbox data in NSF file format. If the NSF file gets corrupt then, it may lead the user to a big trouble. Whenever the Lotus Notes database gets corrupt then, user may receive different types of error messages while sending, receiving mails and performing other operations with the Lotus Notes application. Severe level of corruption can make user permanently loose their valuable mail data.

In this article, I want to introduce the readers with “Lotus Notes: Error 0x1A5” that is generally faced by the users in Lotus Notes/Domino environment.

Lotus Notes: Error 0x1A5
Causes:
The above error may occur:

• When the “Directory=” parameter may be missing from the notes.ini file.
• When database maintenance tools (like Fixup, Compact or Updall) are run by user on a partitioned server.

Lets go through the first error causing scenario I.e. When the “Directory=” parameter may be missing from the notes.ini file. In this situation user need to set the "Directory=" parameter in notes.ini file to resolve the error.

Notes.ini file:
Notes.ini file plays a very important role for proper functioning of Lotus Notes and Domino .If the parameters in the Notes.ini are incorrectly set  then, Lotus Notes and Domino couldn’t run properly.
Notes.ini should be modified only when needed or if Lotus Support Services recommends doing so. Otherwise, any wrong modification may lead to unpredictable & erroneous behaviour of Lotus Notes and Domino.

Three ways to edit NOTES.INI settings:

• With the help text editor : Open and edit the NOTES.INI file using the text editor you use such as word pad/ notepad or it may also depend on the OS you are using. 

• With the help of Configuration Settings document: You can use Configuration Settings document to add and modify NOTES.INI settings. But there are some limitations:
• There are some settings couldn’t be set or modified using Configuration Settings document.
• It cannot be used for modifying NOTES.INI file of Notes Client; it is applied only for Domino servers.
• With the help of Set Configuration server command.

Most of the users choose to edit the NOTES.INI file by opening it with the help of text editor, it is the simplest way.

Follow the below steps to set the "Directory=" parameter in your notes.ini file:
1.Open the server's notes.ini file with the help of some text editor program (such as Notepad or WordPad)
2. Go to the line "NotesProgram=".
3. Then, add "Directory=<full path to your domino data directory>"
For example: Directory=C: \Lotus\Domino\Data
4. After editing, save the changes done and close the notes.ini file.
5. Restart the Domino server.

Check if you are still getting the same error. I hope these steps will solve your problem.

It’s always advisable to adopt the preventive measures to avoid Lotus Notes database corruption. Transaction logging must be enabled for Lotus Notes Domino, its serves as a good way to bring Lotus Notes database in consistent state if corruption occurs. As well as, database maintenance task should be done on regular basis so that severe data corruption situations can be avoided.

Lotus Notes database maintenance task can be performed with the help of fixup, compact and updall commands. You may receive "Lotus Notes error: 0x1A5." while running a maintenance task, like fixup, compact, or updall, for a database on a partitioned server. In such situation, the steps to resolve "Lotus Notes error: 0x1A5." is totally different from above discussed method. I am going to discuss the same in my upcoming post.

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Pros and Cons of GroupWise to Outlook/Exchange migration:

In this post my main focus is to draw a brief comparative analysis of GroupWise and Exchange. GroupWise and Exchange both are widely used Email applications among business users. However, while working in business domain you may face many situations when you require migrating from GroupWise to Outlook or Outlook to GroupWise.

Let’s have a look at the pros and cons of switching between the two Email clients. So, that you can make a better choice and plan a successful migration strategy before actually implementing the migration process.

Read before migrating from GroupWise to Exchange:

• Some users find Outlook an easy to use Email client application that is used with exchange server. So, they usually prefer to migrate from Exchange to Novell GroupWise Server.

However, Outlook that is a front end application can also be used with GroupWise. 

• Those who are long term Exchange users and have to switch to GroupWise, find it difficult to use the full features of Novell GroupWise Server due to unfamiliarity with the application. Thus it requires higher learning curve for them to work with Novell GroupWise.

Same is the case for long term GroupWise users. Switching to Exchange server, makes the users need some extra time for getting familiar with the new application.

• Novell GroupWise is secure email system that is internally encrypted end-to-end, always has been. LDAP authentication, encrypted data stores, SSL & promptly patched code are some extra features that add to its security.

Exchange has patches EVERY MONTH, GroupWise once in six months average wise .Patching, fixing and repairing  Exchange or GroupWise depends totally on the users technical knowledge and relevant expertise. So before migrating from GroupWise to Exchange or GroupWise to Exchange, get a preplanned strategy.
Other wise, you may require additional cost for taking proper care of the maintenance and security aspects of Exchange/ GroupWise as well as for training needs of the user. 

• You can easily backup the Exchange mailboxes, but as the mailbox size increases manual backup becomes difficult. So for that you require to purchase some extra Exchange backup software.

You can use GWAVA Reload for taking GroupWise backup; it can restore a mailbox in a few minutes, runs on Linux. As per the user’s feedbacks, Linux backup and restore are faster than Windows backup and restore.

• In Outlook all the mailbox data is stored in PST file format on local user system, that makes email archiving and handling easier in case of Outlook.

GroupWise also supports the PST feature (called caching) that makes all user mailbox data to be stored on local user system. Besides that the user can also store an archive, to make the caching database small and faster. GroupWise shares data is by proxy and shared folders, calendars, address books, and even folder structures.

• Some users migrate from GroupWise to Exchange to avail the benefits of Outlook Client such as:
• Outlook provides you the folder lists on the left side of the client window that let you view your mailbox and PST archives in the folder lists that eliminates the extra need to select your mailbox or your archive to view them.

However, I must remind you that any mail sent from that shared mailbox is not stored in the original mailbox but in the user who is sending the email. In a proxy (in case of GroupWise) the email stays in the original mailbox.

• If you access other mailboxes as a proxy then, Outlook let you open that mailbox in the same folder list as your own mailbox or PST folders.
• Outlook provides much better, flexible and effective front end. Outlook offers more interactive features (such as task management, notes, forms, rules and alert etc.) and tools that makes it more powerful and popular among the users. Some, users prefer to use Outlook with Exchange to avail these features.
• Some users prefer Outlook as it provides better meeting scheduling feature that let you search free and busy times for meetings.

Those who want to know the power of the GW client my go through the books like the Power user guides provided by the GW community.

• Using Exchange & GroupWise has its own advantages but sometimes, switching between the two Email systems may lead the user to trouble. Such as:
• Migration will add an extra expense to organization as, it involves purchasing new hardware as well as it requires moving the previous mailbox data to the new Email system. If cost is considered a factor then, it’s better to upgrade GroupWise to new version instead of migrating to Exchange. 
• If you want to use new versions of Exchange then, you would also require latest version of Windows platform for supporting the AD. Otherwise you have to face issues related with your AD environment and improper functioning of Exchange. 
• Performing maintenance on Exchange could create an issue for the new Exchange users. If database gets corrupt then, restoration and transaction logs replay process could add an extra headache for them. 
• GroupWise is comparatively stable with increasing number of users but Exchange could require greater number of administrators as the number of user increases.

The choice between the two applications may vary from one user to another according to their personal preference, business needs or experience. So the above information couldn’t be used to deny the importance and strong existence of both the applications. Each has its plus points.

If you are long time GroupWise user then, obviously it would to difficult for you to immediately switch to a new Email client and get familiar with it. Same is the case for Outlook. So, evaluate & plan the migration strategy before actually migrating Otherwise, it may lead to loss of manpower as well money rather then being beneficial.

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‘Recover Deleted Items’ functionality of Outlook

I hope now you are able to distinguish the two terms 'hard deletion' & ‘soft deletion' of mails items in Outlook context. The mails that are hard deleted can be recovered from the hidden dumpster only if they are within retention period. You can do this by using the ‘Recover Deleted Items’ functionality of Outlook. To enable the Recover Deleted Items functionality on mail folders other than the ‘Deleted Items’ folder you need to make registry changes to set “DumpsterAlwaysOn” value to 1.

Setting “DumpsterAlwaysOn” to 1 in Outlook 2003 let you access to the Dumpster for folders (Calendar, Contacts and Notes folders.) other than mail folders. Additionally it let you access dumpster on Outlook anywhere via RPC over HTTP. In case of Outlook 2007 and Outlook 2010, you don’t need to set this value to access non mail folders as this feature is already implemented there for all folders in user mailbox. But if you want to apply this functionality for shared mailboxes then, you will have to set the registry value.

How to set “DumpsterAlwaysOn” registry key value?
1. First close Outlook application. 

2.Now start the ‘Windows registry editor’ :

• Go to “Start”
• Then, open “Run” dialog by Pressing “Windows Key+R”.

3.To open the Registry Editor Type 'regedit'  and then click OK 

4.Locate “DumpsterAlwaysOn” registry key (location is different for different versions)

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Exchange\Client\Option

5.Click registry key & Go to Edit menu>New>DWORD Value.

6.Then right click it to rename the value DumpsterAlwaysOn. 

Note: Type the name DumpsterAlwaysOn without any spaces in the name.

7.Double-click this new value (DumpsterAlwaysOn Data type: DWORD) and type its value as '1'(without quotes) in the Value data area

After setting the registry value to 1, click ‘Decimal’ from Base area .

8.Finally click OK to save the changes. 

9.Close Regedit(i.e. Registry Editor)

10. Restart Outlook application

Now the Recover Deleted Items functionality is available for all mailbox folders (mail folders as well as non mail folders such as Contacts, Calendar items etc.)

The ‘Recover Deleted Items’ functionality can be used if you are working in Exchange environment. If you are working on Outlook using POP3, IMAP or Hotmail account, then this feature is unavailable. In that case you can restore the deleted mail items from the backup file or PST file (saved on your local system) with the help of deleted mail recovery software.

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How to recover hard deleted mails from Outlook?

While using Outlook, when we delete an item from mailbox, it goes to the 'Deleted Items' folder and if empty the ‘Deleted Items' folder where does it go? The answer is DUMPSTER.

But when you delete the items directly using “SHIFT+DEL” then, it bypasses 'Deleted Items' folder such type of mail deletion is termed as 'hard deletion'. When a mail is hard deleted then, it goes to ‘hidden dumpster’ and remains there till the retention period.  

'Hard deletion' occurs when:

• A mail is directly deleted using “Shift+Delete” without going to 'Deleted Items' folder. . 
• The user uses the Email client that doesn't move the deleted items to the Deleted Items folder. E.g. while using Internet Message Access Protocol 4 (IMAP4) & Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3), the mails are directly deleted as there is no ‘Deleted Items’ folder where deleted items can be moved.
• When you are working with OST file(in offline mode i.e. its not synchronized with Exchange),delete an item from inbox or some other mailbox folder and then remove the deleted from 'Deleted Items folder' without synchronizing the OST file with Exchange, In that case the mail item is hard deleted. 

How to recover hard deleted mail from Outlook?

1.If you are running Outlook 2007, Outlook 2003 or Outlook 2002

Then, Go to the “Fix it for me” section to fix the problem automatically.

2.If you are running an earlier version of Outlook

Then, Go to the “Let me fix it myself” section to fix this problem.

1.Fix it for me :

• Go to Microsoft Support "Fix It" page. 
• Click "Fix this problem".
• File download will begin after clicking “Fix this problem" link.
• Once the download completes, save the downloaded file to your "Desktop" and then "Run" it.
• After that "Fix It Wizard" opens, you need to follow the step by step procedure. 
• Once you are done with the "Fix It Wizard" Restart Outlook application.
• Then, check the "Deleted Items" folder, now the deleted mail items will appear there.

2. Let me fix it myself:

By default the ‘Recover Deleted Items’ functionality (from the tools menu) is only enabled on the ‘Deleted Items’ folder. To enable the ‘Recover Deleted Items’ functionality on mail folders other than the ‘Deleted Items’ folder you need to make some registry changes to set ‘DumpsterAlwaysOn’ Registry value to 1.

Value name: DumpsterAlwaysOn 

Value type: REG_DWORD 

Value: 1

The ‘DumpsterAlwaysOn’ Registry key location varies for different versions of Outlook.

By settings the “DumpsterAlwaysOn” Registry key value, you can access the hidden dumpster that makes you access the hard deleted mail items. In my next article, I am going to discuss the step by step process to make the required registry changes to set “DumpsterAlwaysOn” registry key value.

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Important features of efficient ‘Apple Mail to Outlook 2011 Converter’ software:

I am writing this article keeping in mind that you are aware of the apple mail & Outlook Email clients.I hope this post will be helpful for those who want to migrate from apple mail to Mac outlook.
You can read my previous articles, “read this before you decide to migrate from apple mail to Mac Outlook” to have a through comparative study of the two email clients i.e. Apple Mail & Outlook 2011 and the situations that may force a user to migrate from Apple mail to Mac Outlook.

There are five import options in Mac Outlook but unfortunately, Mac Outlook 2011 import wizard doesn’t contain any direct import option for apple mail files.
So, for those who want to migrate from apple mail to Mac outlook, there is no option except searching for a tool that can perform the migration task.

There are lots of ‘Apple mail to Outlook 2011 converter’ software that convert the apple mail files to a file format (generally RGE) that can be directly imported to Mac Outlook using the import wizard.

Some prominent features of an Apple Mail to Outlook 2011 Converter software:

• It let you efficiently convert the apple mail files to the file format (RGE) that can be imported to Mac Outlook.
• It preserves the original hierarchy of the mailbox after conversion from Apple mail to RGE format.
• It efficiently converts the apple mail folders ‘Inbox’, ‘Drafts’, ‘Sent’, and ‘Notes’ and save them to a new ‘.rge’ file.
• It provides option for saving the converted RGE file at desired location.
• It saves the log information of the entire conversion process.
• It provides a simple and interactive user interface so that the users can easily perform the conversion without need of any extra assistance.
• It performs safe and risk free conversion for the all messages along with the attached files.

So, if you want to migrate from Apple mail to Mac Outlook then, you can make an online search for Apple Mail to Outlook 2011 Converter software. There are various software available online along with Demo version. You can do a comparative study between the feature set provided by these tools and then, choose the best software that suits your requirements as well as budget. 

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How to backup Exchange server database?

The databases are of high value to any organization or an individual. Any critical data loss situation cannot be born. For any kind of database you are working with, it’s preferable to keep a separate backup copy. The backup files are an efficient way for database recovery if the original database gets corrupt or lost.
The same is the case of Exchange database. If it gets corrupt then, the user mailboxes will become inaccessible and unusable. So, it’s a good choice to backup the Exchange data on regular basis.

Steps to Back up Exchange Server are given below:
Follow the given sequence of steps to backup Exchange database:
1.Go to Start> Programs>Accessories
2.Then, go to System Tools >Backup.
3.Click 'Backup'.
4.From the left pane, expand the 'Microsoft Exchange Server' branch by double-click or clicking the plus sign (+).
5.Select the checkboxes corresponding to the objects that you want to back up.
6.You can create a new backup file for storing the backup or save the backup to an existing backup file
7.Customize the settings for this backup operation. You can also use advance settings by clicking Schedule or Advanced.
8. Then, click Start Backup.

The above steps will create a backup copy of all selected data in the specified file at the specified location. You can also copy the backup file to another desired location or some secondary storage device if required. 

Unfortunately, if the Exchange data base gets corrupt then, you can use the backup files to restore your data. Firstly, you need to dismount the database that you want to restore, after that you can restore the data from backup file.

The most troublesome situations arise if the Exchange database gets corrupt and you don’t have any updated backup copy of database. In such situation, you can use Eseutil & isinteg tools that are default Exchange utilities for Exchange database recovery. These tools have several limitations and works well only in minor database corruption cases.
What if Eseutil & isinteg fails to recover your Exchange data?
Here, the third party Exchange Database Recovery software comes handy which provides automated and powerful features for performing efficient recovery of the corrupt EDB files.

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What is the need to backup Exchange server database?

Exchange server stores all the mailbox data in EDB file format. Like other data file formats this file is also prone to corruption. So, to avoid any disastrous or data loss situations it’s advisable to backup the Exchange data on regular basis. Creating the Backup of data is the best way to ensure that if any kind of data loss or corruption occurs then, you have some alternative to restore your data back without hampering the work. 

Before we go to the Steps for ‘Exchange Backup’ procedure, we must be aware of the backup methods that can be performed with Exchange server.

There are two types of Exchange Server Backup Methods:
1. Online Backup method
2. Offline Backup method

1. Online Backup
While performing Online backup of Exchange Server databases there is no need to shut down the Exchange server or stop any Exchange services.

Patch file: An Exchange Patch file is signified by .pat format. The main purpose of the patch files is to ensure that the pages that are modified during backup are also backed up, it is accomplished by tracking and recording any modification being done to the pages while the backup process is going on.

Two patch files used are:

• Priv.pat: It is used for the tracking private information store.
• Pub.pat: It is used for the tracking public information store.

The four types of Backups are:
1.Normal (or Full) backup: It backups the whole Exchange or directory store, including the log files.
2.Incremental backup: It only backups the components changed after the last normal or incremental backup. 
3.Differential backup: It backups the changes since the last normal backup. 
4.Copy backup: It is similar to normal backup except that there is no marking with regards to incremental and differential backup context. 

2. Offline Backup
While performing offline backup Exchange server database and all Exchange services are shut down.
Planned offline backups are done whenever there is a preplanned server shutdown.
If the server fails then, the backups taken in that case are termed as unplanned offline backups. 

There are several benefits of ‘Online Backup’ over ‘Offline Backup’ such as:

• You can validate the checksum on each database page while performing online backup which is not possible in case of offline backup.
• As online backup is done by using backup program so, its needs less management and involvement from the user side but offline backup is prone to human errors because it is done manually.

It is not preferred to take offline backup of Exchange server as it might hamper the normal functioning of the organization. But if there is a planned shutdown of Exchange server then, you may chose offline backup.
Otherwise it’s always preferable to use online backup process so, that all work can also continue side by side of the backup procedure.

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Why does Outlook error code 0x8004010f occur?

In my previous article entitled, “What is Outlook error code 0x8004010f?” I have given a brief idea about the Outlook error code 0x804010f.This is a common error faced by new user accounts However, the error will also be prompted for old user accounts on Exchange while downloading OAB files, synchronizing OAB files or performing a send/receive operation. There are various scenarios in which the error will be prompted to an Outlook user.

Below are the common causes for Outlook error 0x804010f error while downloading the OAB files:
1.When previous Exchange server was decommissioned by administrator and replicas of OAB folders weren’t updated to the new server.

2.When OAB files couldn’t be generated.

3.When the new OAB created within the active directory couldn’t be read by the information store during maintenance schedule

4.When the EntryID information store EntryID is invalid (i.e. it points to the legacy EX: / folders).

5. When an Outlook client is logged in from one domain to another domain and attempts to log in to another users mailbox.

6.When you try to access the OAB folders from the public folder store that wasn’t generated, got deleted or missing due to the corruption of OST file or any other reason.

7.When same type of Multiple OAB Version folders exist and you try to download the OAB folders.

8.When the public folder store has not received the replicated updates of the OAB files and the outlook client try to download the OAB files.

9.When the address list of the offline address book list object is missing

10.When the address list of the offline address book list object is incorrect

11.When the user accounts that do not have mailbox full rights to other mailbox uses the 'Send/As' feature that affects the user accounts.

I hope this post will prove helpful for readers to get brief idea about general scenarios that may cause the error 0x804010f while using Exchange. If you are Exchange 2007 user, then you might be interested in knowing more about specific causes and preventive measures for the error 0x804010f while using Exchange version 2007, I am going to discuss the same in upcoming related posts. So, keep reading.

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What is Outlook error code 0x8004010f?

Whenever, Outlook client is used in Exchange environment then, all Outlook mailbox data is saved in OST file format in the local user system. Sometimes, an Outlook user has to face many issues and errors while working with Outlook in Exchange environment. The most common and possible reason for the prompted error codes is generally OST file corruption or synchronization related issues.

Outlook error code 0x8004010f is one of the most common Outlook errors generally faced by new user accounts created on Exchange. My main objective behind the current article is to let the Outlook users get a brief idea about the Outlook error code 0x8004010f and its possible causes.

What is Outlook error code 0x8004010f?
0x8004010f is a general MAPI error code and it may be caused in various situations such as:

• While downloading  the OAB files
• While synchronizing an offline address book
• While send/receive operation etc.

Why does error 0x8004010f occur for new Exchange accounts?
Exchange server takes around 24 - 48 hours to generate the offline address book for new user accounts created on Exchange. Meanwhile, if an Outlook client tries to download the Offline Address Book then, user will get the error 0x8004010F error that indicates the failure while downloading the Offline Address Book.
So, if you are a new user and facing the same error then, you need not to worry but if the problem still persists after 48 hours, then you need to download the Offline Address Book manually in Outlook.
To download the Offline Address Book manually:

• Go to 'Tools'
• Click 'Send/Receive'
• Then, select 'Download Address Book'
• And finally click ‘OK’ to accomplish the OAB download process.

The above discussed, is the case for new user accounts on Exchange. But it might also happen that you have an old user account on Exchange but still you are followed by the error code 0x8004010f.In that case there are several possible cases that lead to the error 0x8004010f. In next article I am going to discuss the common possible causes for error code 0x8004010f with regards to downloading the OAB files.

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How to backup PST files in Outlook?

In my previous article entitled,” What is the need to backup PST files in Outlook?” I have discussed the need to backup PST files in Outlook. You can backup the PST files either by manual method or by using some software. 

In this article I am going to discuss some simple steps to create a backup copy of the Outlook PST files.

Follow the given steps to Backup PST files in Outlook:

First close Outlook and follow the given steps:
1.Click Start, Go to ‘Control Panel>Mail>Show Profiles’.

If you get a 'Pick a category' screen, then Go to ‘User Accounts>Show Profiles’.
2.Select the appropriate profile, and then open 'Properties'.
3.Click ‘Data Files’.
4.Now select the PST file (that is to be copied) from the name list under 'Personal Folders Service'.
5.Click ‘Settings’ to get the file name and path.
6.Copy the selected PST file with the help of 'Windows Explorer' or 'My Computer'.

You can save this copy of PST file at any desired location on the hard disk drive or any other storage device.
If you have more than one set of PST files under 'Personal Folders Services' in your profile, then need to repeat the above steps for each set of PST files.
If the PST file gets corrupt, then you can restore the mail data from the backup PST file.

But what if you forgot to backup the PST files?
If you don’t have any backup copy of PST file and your PST file gets corrupt. Then, you need some PST repair software to repair the corrupt PST file to recover the items within it. You can repair the corrupt PST file with the help of 'inbox repair utility' tool that is inbuilt within Outlook. But there are several cases when this tool fails to recover the corrupt PST file.

In such situation, you need some third party PST repair software that can repair the corrupt PST file and let you access the emails, attachments, calendar items and other mail items stored within it that were previously inaccessible.

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