Repairing Full-Text Indexing

Exchange includes an optional feature that is referred to as full-text indexing (also known as content indexing). Full-text indexing allows your users to perform full-text searches across documents and attachments in messages. Full-text indexes are not stored with your Exchange databases. By default, full-text indexes are located in the Program Files\Exchsrvr\ExchangeServer_<Server Name>\Projects folder and are managed by the Microsoft Search service.

The default location for full-text indexes is the projects folder

To repair full-text indexes that are corrupted or not synchronized with your Exchange databases, you must re-index the data on your Exchange databases. To restore Microsoft Search as part of your full-text indexing repair when Microsoft Search is damaged, see the procedure in "Restoring Microsoft Search."

Re-Indexing the Data on Your Exchange Databases

Re-indexing the data on your Exchange databases requires that you remove full-text indexing information and re-create full-text indexes. For detailed instructions, see How to Remove Full-Text Indexing Informationand How to Re-Create Full-Text Indexes.

Restoring Microsoft Search

The Microsoft Search service (MSSearch) is a Windows Server 2003 service that is installed on your Exchange server that is required for full-text indexing. You cannot create full-text indexes for your Exchange databases if the Microsoft Search component is damaged or if its registry keys are incorrect. If problems occur with Microsoft Search, you must restore it.

If you are in a recovery situation where Exchange is already installed on your server (for example, if you are repairing an existing Exchange installation, or if you have restored your server from either a Windows backup set or full computer backup set), make sure that full-text indexing is functioning correctly before performing this procedure. If full-text indexing is not functioning correctly, you might be able to repair your full-text indexes by removing, and then re-creating the full-text indexes. If you cannot remove, and then re-create your full-text indexes, perform the following procedure. For more information about how to remove full-text indexes, see "Re-Indexing the Data on Your Exchange Databases." For detailed instructions, see How to Restore Microsoft Search.