I have an exchange 2007 server, SP3 with all roles installed. There is five storage groups and five mailbox databases. About a month and a half ago, I migrated all the mailboxes from a database on this server to a newly created mailbox server. So my mailbox database, we will call it database1, has no mailboxes on it. I did the command 'Get-Mailbox -database database1' and it confirms that there is 0 mailboxes on this database. However, when I try to delete it from EMC, I get the following error "the mailbox database 'database1' cannot be deleted. This mailbox database contains one or more mailboxes. To get a list of all mailboxes in this database, run the command Get-Mailbox -Database <database ID>. To disable a mailbox so that you can delete the mailbox database, run the command Disable-Mailbox <Mailbox ID>." As you can see I run this command and nothing shows up. So next I tried this - I deleted the actual database file. When I tried to mount it, it created a fresh new database. Now, I still CAN'T delete it. Same error. What is wrong with exchange? I just want to remove this database and storage group - why it's so hard?

Is your scope set to the entire forest? $AdminSessionADSettings.ViewEntireForest=$True then re-run the get-mailbox command

Yes it is. Anyways it's a single domain setup, still nothing. I ran this command to see what I got Get-MailboxStatistics -database 'WPPS Database' It returned two mailboxes, the SystemMailbox{34E99C4A-etc and the Microsoft System Attendant.

Hi Andy, You could run the below command get-mailboxstatistics -database "databasename" |fl -wrap -auto You could check the mailbox name, and then move it. Remove-mailbox -identity "mailboxid" Regards! Gavin

Gavin, Perhaps you didn't read the whole post. There are NO mailboxes on this database! (besides the default system mailbox and system attendant) That is my problem.

How could I just remove this database using ADSI edit? Can I just deleted the CN=DATABASE NAME under configuration,services, microsoft exchange, etc

If you search in ADUC for user's whose Exchange Home Server ends with the name of the server you are trying to remove, does it find anything? In 2003, the usual culprit were mailboxes that were never logged into. That should not happen in Exchange 2007, but maybe worth a try if something got messed up along the way.

Hi Andy Schmid, Any update for your issue? What I mean, you could delete the whatever mailbox using the cmdlet, including the system mailbox, use the guid. You could also check AndyD's suggestion, if they are all failed, you could do as below: 1. Dismount the mailbox database on the Exchange 2007 server. 2. Logon to Domain Controller (DC) /Global Catalog (GC) in the same site with the Exchange 2007 server, Back up Active Directory using your backup tool. (That’s our general recommend step before modifying AD) 3.To use the ADSIEDIT.MSC 4. Run ADSIEDIT.MSC, expand the following node in Configuration container. CN=Configuration, DC=<Domain Name>, DC=COM |CN=Services |CN=Microsoft Exchange |CN=<Name Of Exchange Org> |CN=Administrative Groups |CN=Exchange Administrative Group (FYDIBOHF23SPDLT) |CN=Servers |CN=<Name of Exchange 2007 Server> |CN=Information Store| CN=<Name of storage group> |CN=<Name of mailbox database Store> below screenshot is capturing while trying to delete the public database store. it’s the same as deleting the mailbox database store. 5. In the left pane, right-click the mailbox database store and delete it. 6. Logon to the Exchange server again and Restart the Microsoft Exchange System Attendant service. Regards! Gavin

Hi Andy Schmid, Any update for your issue? Regards! Gavin