Can't enable Archive Mailbox for a user

Question

Hello,

Please i need your help on this issue.

I try to enable Archive Mailbox via powershell for user ******@XXXXX.de but get an error message. Trying via Exchange Admin Center shows "Internal Server error".

PS C:\Users\beuler] Enable-Mailbox -Identity "******@XXXXX.de" -Archive Write-ErrorMessage : Das Datum der Trennung des vorhergehenden Archivs konnte nicht abgerufen werden. In C:\Users\beuler\AppData\Local\Temp\tmpEXO_cozlmtlc.viy\tmpEXO_cozlmtlc.viy.psm1:1189 Zeichen:13 +             Write-ErrorMessage $ErrorObject +             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~     + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [enable-Mailbox], Exception     + FullyQualifiedErrorId : [Server=FR2P281MB3405,RequestId=3f959269-578b-2c38-e851-75f0dab9f0cb,TimeStamp=Mon, 27 Jan 2025 16~~:38:04 GMT],Write-ErrorMess~~

I'm not aware of any recent migration of the mailbox ******@XXXXX.de.

I have permissions and can enable Archive Mailbox for other users through Powershell and Exchange Admin center.

There is no existing archive mailbox for this user ******@XXXXX.de. There are also no pending move requests.

See screenshots:

I found no hidden mailbox move requests and also no soft deleted mailboxes:

Then I tried the diagnostic tool, found the link https://aka.ms/PillarArchiveMailbox in the documentation and ran the tests. Didn't find any problems.

Answer 1

Hello, @IniobongNkanga-8038,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A platform!

The error you encountered indicates that when you try to enable an archive, Exchange is attempting to read a value (tracking a prior archive “disconnect” or removal date) that doesn’t seem to be there (or isn’t in the expected state).

Since you are able to enable archives for other users and diagnostic tools haven’t flagged any obvious infrastructure problems, the issue seems to be isolated to this specific mailbox’s metadata or configuration. Here are a few additional steps you can try to resolve the error:

1.Check for Existing Archive: Double-check if there's any existing archive for the user:

Get-Mailbox -Identity "******@XXXXX.de" | Select-Object ArchiveStatus

2.Clear Any Previous Archive Data: Sometimes remnants of a previous archive can cause issues. You can try clearing any previous archive data:

Set-Mailbox -Identity "******@XXXXX.de" -ArchiveDatabase $null

3.Enable Archive Again: After clearing, try enabling the archive again:

Enable-Mailbox -Identity "******@XXXXX.de" -Archive

4.Check Arbitration Mailboxes: Ensure all arbitration mailboxes are healthy, as unhealthy arbitration mailboxes can cause issues in the Exchange Admin Center:

Get-Mailbox -Arbitration

5.Review Event Logs: Check the Event Viewer for any related errors that might give more insight into the issue.

If none of the above steps resolve the issue, consider gathering the full error details (including RequestId and TimeStamp from the error) and opening a support case with Microsoft. They can investigate on the back end if a residual object or misconfigured attribute is causing the failure.

Should you need more help on this, you can feel free to post back. 

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If the answer is helpful, please click on “Accept answer” as it could help other members of the Microsoft Q&A community who have similar questions and are looking for solutions.

Thank you for your support and understanding.

Best Wishes,

Alex Zhang