SBS2003 Info Store Service timing out on restart

[joblo37pam]

Basically, anytime the servers are restarted, the information store (along with the POP3 connector) services times out when it tries to start. If I log in and manually start the services, they start fine and everything works like normal.

This was just happening on my internal test server, so I wasn't too concerned about it. Now it's happening on a clients box too, so I guess I'd better get it fixed.

I'm not sure if this is just a performance issue, as neither box is overly speedy, but not horrible. The only other non-SBS app that the two have in common is WSUS 3.0 sp1, but it has been running for quite a while on the clients server before it started having this issue.

Since the servers aren't restarted very often, it's not a real pressing issue, just annoying. The event logs aren't very helpful, they just say that the service failed to respond in the required time.

If anybody has any suggestions to try to either fix the problem or extend the timeout, I'm all ears. Thanks.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Try running the SBS BPA (Best Practices Analyzer)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...7A-DE19-49BB-800F-352F3B6F2922&displaylang=en

It's good to run on any SBS box you setup/manage, and run it periodically. Whenever you run it, update it first so it has the latest info.

Try running ESEUTIL on the infostore.

Is the infostore and other important directories properly excluded in your antivirus real time protection? Follow this guide regardless of what brand AV you use.
http://www.sbsfaq.com/Lists/FAQs/DispForm.aspx?ID=137

 

[joblo37pam]

The AV exclusionse were already done.

I hadn't run the BPA on the clients machine before, so there were a couple minor things. The most notable error was Exchange SP2 on the clients box. I hadn't approved it in WSUS, so it never got installed. It is installing now. My test box had it, though.

Now in my messing with the test box, OWA won't authenticate. Grrr.