I have traditionally been using varios extensionAttributes/CustomAttributes to store additional information for user accounts. Having now started migrating to exchange2007, I find that the disable-mailbox cmdlet clears anything stored in these attributes, yet as far as I was aware, these attributes belong not to a mailbox but a user. Is there any simple way to preserve these active directory attributes when removing a mailbox from a user?`

I believe the Custom Attributes in question are added when the Schema is extended for Exchange: those custom attributes you can use when creating a Dynamic Distribution Group, for example, right?Anyway, disable-mailbox does remove any Exchange related attributes.I think (not 100% sure) that the attributes that display for:Get-UserAre non-Exchange related and those that display for:Get-Mailbox Are Exchange related (and the custom attributes are among these).EDIT - So... to answer your question, No, I don't believe you can remove a mailbox AND preserve the custom attributes.

Thanks for the answer. Given that one can only set these attributes using set-mailbox and not set-user, I guess that you must be right.

Thats really unfortunate. However, I think CustomAttributes came with Exchange 5.5, and that's part of the "how to fix" as well.How to export and import CustomAttributes:http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306213Now, if you already moved everyone, this may not be helpful... however, it might be worth doing a lab restore of a DC from prior to the move and export the LDIF data and re-import it back into production.Chris

Disable-Mailbox cmdlet disable the mailbox of an existing user or InetOrgPerson and remove that object's Exchange attributes from the Active Directory directory service. The user account associated with the mailbox will remain in Active Directory but will no longer be associated with a mailbox. Vinod |CCNA|MCSE 2003 +Messaging|MCTS|ITIL V3|

Hi,Disable-mailbox in Exchange 2007 is the equivalent of remove mailbox attributes in Exchange 2003 which also remove the custom attributes.Remove Exchange Attributes vs. Delete Mailboxhttp://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2006/10/13/429192.aspxThose attributes are actually part of the Exchange shema extensions and so Exchange is authoritative for those attributes. To disable the mailbox will indeed delete the attributes.Thus, the workaround maybe add additional attributes to the user object in AD.ThanksAllen

For a fix to that problem, i think you have to cusomize (remove) the exchange attributes in the schema after you added your own schema-extensions and moved the exchange custom attributes to your own made schema extensions. I think that's the way you can keep your attributes on the user.grz.uerueluem

Hi, If you are using some application to manage those users and which depends on these Custom Attributes, then you can develope an application which can check the AD user's Custom Attributes (which is called extensionAttribute in AD) and then can correct if it finds it null or empty. You can put this application code in a service which just check it after some specific time. Regards,Laeeq Qazi|Snr Software Engineer(Exchange + Sharepoint + BES + DynamicsCRM) www.hostingcontroller.com