I have a fresh install of Exchange Server 2010 and haven't purchased an SSL cert yet. I noticed that I could not log in to OWA and learned that the Microsoft Exchange Forms-based authentication service is not starting automatically even though it is set to start automatically. Any thoughts?

Have you checked the logs? What do they say? Any errors? Sukh

This might be a typical problem if you install Exchange on a Domain Controller / Global Catalog. But even on member servers it has been reported as an issue. For a solution, take a look at this KB: Services for Exchange Server 2007 or Exchange Server 2010 cannot start automatically http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940845 Do also see here: Exchange Services May Not Start Automatically After a Reboot http://blogs.technet.com/b/sbs/archive/2011/03/24/exchange-services-may-not-start-automatically-after-a-reboot.aspx Exchange 2010 SP1 - Experiencing an OWA HTTP 500 Error? http://blogs.msexchange.org/walther/2010/09/24/exchange-2010-sp1-experiecing-an-owa-http-500-error/ MCTS: Messaging | MCSE: S+M