Exchange Server 2007 SP1 Update Rollup 3 running onW2K3 R2 Standard x64 SP2. Single server, no clustering. I'm conducting simulated disaster recovery scenarios on a non-production server. In this case, here's what I want to do: 1. Uninstall Exchange from the server. (Done) 2. Recover Active Directory(and registry)from backup tapes to a point in time before the uninstall. (Done) 3. Use Setup.com /m:RecoverServer to reinstall Exchange, (which should use the Exchange configuration stored in AD to reconstruct the setup). (Problem occurs at this step). 4. Recover exchange databases from backup tapes (consistent with state restored in step 2). When I run the RecoverServer setup, however, it is complaining about exchangeserver.msi (see below). Based on error messages I've seen using the Setup.exe GUI previously, I think this is what's happening: Active Directory (and perhaps something in the registry) indicates that Exchange SP1 with Update Rollup 3 should be installed. But I'm running Setup.com from SP1, which has the wrong version of exchangeserver.msi. What's the way to go about fixing this? I've downloaded Update Rollup 3, but it's distributed as an .msp, not an .msi. One approach would be to somehow apply the Update Rollups 1, 2, and 3 to te exchangeserver.msi, then do the RecoverSetup from that, but I've so far been unable to apply the .msp's to the .msi. Here's the detailed error message from step 3. above: C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\My Documents\Downloads\Microsoft\EXSP1>. \setup.com /m:RecoverServer /DoNotStartTransport Welcome to Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Unattended Setup Preparing Exchange Setup The following server roles will be recovered Hub Transport Role Client Access Role Mailbox Role Management Tools Performing Microsoft Exchange Server Prerequisite Check Hub Transport Role Checks ......................... COMPLETED Client Access Role Checks ......................... COMPLETED Mailbox Role Checks ......................... COMPLETED Configuring Microsoft Exchange Server Opening package 'C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\My Documents\Downl oads\Microsoft\EXSP1\exchangeserver.msi' failed. This patch package could not be opened. Verify that the patch package exists and that you can access it, or co ntact the application vendor to verify that this is a valid Windows Installer pa tch package. Error code is 1635. The Exchange Server Setup operation did not complete. For more information, visi t http://support.microsoft.com and enter the Error ID. Exchange Server setup encountered an error. Thanks in advancefor your help.

Hi, From the error we can see it reports the installer package is invalid or a permission issue. I suggest downloading Exchange 2007 SP1 again from the link below and extract this new download package to test the issue. http://www.microsoft.com/DOWNLOADS/details.aspx?FamilyID=44c66ad6-f185-4a1d-a9ab-473c1188954c&displaylang=en However, if the issue persists, please let me know if there is any error in event log. Meanwhile, please check the installation log which Located at %SystemDrive%\ExchangeSetupLogs and paste the valuable log here for our further discussion. Exchange 2007 setup logs and how to use them to troubleshoot setup http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2007/05/07/438433.aspx For more information about Understanding Setup /M:RecoverServer http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa998656(EXCHG.80).aspx Hope this helps. Thanks, Elvis

Elvis,Thanks for taking the time to respond.That's the file (E2K7SP1EN64.exe) I was using before, but I did download it again and go through the exercise, with the same results. Before I continue, one additional fact: Before trying again, I restored the system state again from tape. I realize that if I run Setup.com /m:RecoverServer, it actually fails outright at first: C:\EXSP1>.\setup.com /m:RecoverServer /DoNotStartTransport Welcome to Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Unattended Setup Preparing Exchange Setup Exchange Server setup encountered an error.The only way to proceed is to rename the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Exchange\ to something else. Then I get the error about exchangeserver.msi that I previously mentioned.Regarding the Event Log, I see the following when I run Setup.com /m:RecoverServer (after renaming the registry key): Event Type: Error Event Source: MSExchange ADAccessEvent Category: Devices Event ID: 2152...Description:The description for Event ID ( 2152 ) in Source ( MSExchange ADAccess ) cannot be found. The local computer may not have the necessary registry information or message DLL files to display messages from a remote computer. You may be able to use the /AUXSOURCE= flag to retrieve this description; see Help and Support for details. The following information is part of the event: ExSetup.exe, 1232, 1753, Error 6d9 from HrGetServersForRole.Then I get a number of Information events like this: Event Type: InformationEvent Source: BPAEvent Category: NoneEvent ID: 100...Description:Processing for ExBPA is 0% complete.For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.These go back and forth between 0% and 100%. Finally, I get this Information event: Event Type: InformationEvent Source: MsiInstallerEvent Category: NoneEvent ID: 11708...Description:Product: Microsoft Exchange Server -- Installation failed.For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.The only setup log that is getting updated is C:\ExchangeSetupLogs\ExchangeSetup.log. Everything looks OK until: 7/17/2008 11:44:24 AM] [0] **************[7/17/2008 11:44:24 AM] [0] Setup will run the task 'install-msipackage'[7/17/2008 11:44:24 AM] [1] Setup launched task 'install-msipackage -logfile 'C:\ExchangeSetupLogs\ExchangeSetup.msilog' -targetdirectory 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server' -features 'Bridgehead','ClientAccess','Mailbox','AdminTools' -packagepath 'C:\EXSP1\exchangeserver.msi' -updatesdir 'C:\EXSP1\Updates' -PropertyValues 'DISABLEERRORREPORTING=1 PRODUCTLANGUAGELCID=1033 DEFAULTLANGUAGENAME=ENU DEFAULTLANGUAGELCID=1033 INSTALLCOMMENT="Installed language for this product: English (United States)"'' [7/17/2008 11:44:24 AM] [1] Beginning processing.[7/17/2008 11:44:25 AM] [1] [ERROR] Opening package 'C:\EXSP1\exchangeserver.msi' failed. This patch package could not be opened. Verify that the patch package exists and that you can access it, or contact the application vendor to verify that this is a valid Windows Installer patch package. Error code is 1635.[7/17/2008 11:44:25 AM] [1] [ERROR] This patch package could not be opened. Verify that the patch package exists and that you can access it, or contact the application vendor to verify that this is a valid Windows Installer patch package[7/17/2008 11:44:25 AM] [0] The Exchange Server Setup operation did not complete. For more information, visit http://support.microsoft.com and enter the Error ID.[7/17/2008 11:44:25 AM] [0] End of Setup[7/17/2008 11:44:25 AM] [0] **********************************************ExchangeSetup.msilog is not getting updated.I'll examine the Exchange Blog link you posted and see if that helps me get any more information.-David

Still no luck. Based on my trials and tribulations as I struggled to even uninstall Exchange, I increasingly believe that the following is the central issue: A. I had a server with Exchange Server 2007 SP1 + Update Rollups 1, 2, and 3.B. I backed that server up (AD, Registry, etc.)D. I restored AD and registry from those backupsE. I'm trying to do a RecoverServer setup using SP1 Media when the system state (some combo of AD and Registry) is for SP1 plus Update Rollups 1, 2, and 3That is, the Setup is not happy because I'm trying to use SP1 to recover to a system that thinks it has SP1+UR1+UR2+UR3.Since there doesn't seem to be a way to slipstream UR{1,2,3} into SP1, what do I have to do? Do I need to delete certain Registry keys? Which ones?Thanks again.

Well, I managed to get it working, though I'm not sure if this is the approved way to do it. Here's what wound up working:I recovered the system state, as before, from tape (and rebooted).I deleted the following registry keys: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Installer\Features\461C2B4266EDEF444B864AD6D9E5B613 HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Installer\Patches\3E8F8B3E8C88B9F44B59B830E97FFE81 HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Installer\Patches\A9635DAF9A8D3874791ED3BD21CDBBCA HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Installer\Patches\E31F6EB8678586940BC70EC991AED369 HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Installer\Products\461C2B4266EDEF444B864AD6D9E5B613 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Exchange HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Updates\Exchange 2007\SP2 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\KB945684 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\KB948016 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\KB949870 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\UserData\S-1-5-18\Products\461C2B4266EDEF444B864AD6D9E5B613Once I did this, Setup.com /m:RecoverServer worked correctly. I was then able to apply Update Rollup 3.How did I know which registry keys to remove? A combination of searching for "Update Rollup" and using procmon from sysinternals to see which keys ExSetup.exe was querying around the time it started complaining.There must be a better way.

Hi David, I think use the monitor tool, just like procmon or regmon, to locate the issue can be a good way. As we need to know what change rollup 3 had made. Meanwhile, thank you forsharing your solution with us. Regards, Elvis