A database dismount issue arising in the Exchange Server 2016 may create problems in getting access to the mailboxes or exchanging emails. Several reasons can lead to this condition such as malware attacks, sudden system shutdown, or power cutoff.
Leaving this problem unsolved can cause unexpected data loss and downtime, which could hamper the progress of businesses. It is therefore essential to fix the “Exchange 2016 database keeps dismounting error” at the earliest. Here are some of the possible solutions. First try to update Windows updates, firmware/driver updates, and install Exchange latest CU & SU. Check if problem get resolved. If these small fixes does not resolve dismounting issue, check for any database warnings or errors in the event logs, it will guide you for detailed overview and further actions.
Solution 1: Database mounting via EAC
As an instant fix, it would be good to mount the database via Exchange Server directly. The steps are as follows:
- Launch the Exchange Admin Center (EAC) or Exchange Management Shell (EMS)
- Look for the Databases section, and select unmounted database
- Right-click database 🡪 Mount
- Provide the requisite details and confirm the action
Solution 2: Disable the Antivirus application on a temporary basis
At times, the antivirus tool can affect the processing of Exchange Server 2016. This may prevent the mounting of the database, leading to the error types such as “Exchange 2016 database keeps dismounting”, or “Exchange database won’t mount”.
To remedy this issue, you can disable your antivirus software. Here are the steps for the same.
- Launch your antivirus software
- Open the control panel
- Look for the option to disable the software temporarily
- Alternatively, search for the option to exclude scanning the processes and database files in the Exchange Server 2016.
- If the software does not contain any such option, a quick solution would be to disable the entire antivirus tool for some time.
- Retry to mount the Exchange database on the server.
- If the mounting is successful, re-activate the antivirus software and add exclusions for Exchange Server 2016 database files and processes.
This will ensure that the software was the main reason behind the dismounting issue. You won’t need to take any further action.
Solution 3: Using the Eseutil command
Eseutil is a powerful utility to find and repair issues such as “Exchange failed to mount database”. Below are the steps to follow:
Step 1: Launch the Command Prompt in the admin mode.
Step 2: Verify the state of the database through the following command:
EseUtil /mh <DatabasePath.edb>
Step 3: Check the state of the database. If it shows a Clean Shutdown, your Exchange Database is free from the dismounting issue.
Step 4: If the State shows a Dirty Shutdown, proceed with soft recovery using the following command:
Eseutil /r E01 /l <Log path location>/d <Database path location>
Step 5: Recheck the state of the database by running the below command:
EseUtil /mh <DatabasePath.edb>
If the state again shows a Dirty Shutdown, it means the Exchange 2016 database has not recovered yet. In such a situation, proceed with hard recovery by running the following command:
EseUtil /p
However, this command is prone to risky and can result in data loss because it deletes irrecoverable data.
A better alternative is to use an Exchange recovery Software such as Stellar Repair for Exchange to restore your mailboxes to a new database on the Exchange Server 2016.
Step 6: Conversely, a Clean Shutdown state will indicate that you can mount the database in the Exchange Server 2016 using EAC. Next, shift the mailboxes from the recovered database to a new database. Check for any database warnings or errors in the event logs
However, if the problem prevails, it would be better to use a third-party Exchange Server recovery tool, such as Stellar Repair for Exchange.
Solution 4: Use an Exchange Server recovery tool
Stellar Repair for Exchange is suitable software to proceed with the Exchange Server 2016 database recovery. The multi-feature too by Stellar Info restores offline and dismounted EDB files with extreme precision. Widely recommended by MVPs, it can restore emails, contacts, calendars, tasks, attachments, and journals from the mailboxes.
You can download the software from the Stellar Info website and proceed with Exchange Database recovery. It will surely help you to fix the “Exchange 2016 database keeps dismounting” error.
Conclusion
While mounting your database in the Exchange Server 2016, you may encounter several error messages, such as “Exchange 2016 database keeps dismounting”. To solve this issue, you can try various manual methods.
For instance, you can:
- Try to mount the database directly via Exchange Server
- Use the Eseutil command to move the mailboxes to a new database
- Check the event logs in Exchange Server 2016.
- Disable your antivirus software to find out if it is the root cause behind the error.
If none of the solutions work, or they are causing unusual execution delays, confiding in an Exchange Database recovery tool would be a preferred move.
Notably, Stellar Repair for Exchange is one of the best exchange recovery software to help you fix the “Exchange 2016 database keeps dismounting” error.
