Exchange 2019 Microsoft Filtering Management Service won't start

Susan Dodds 191

Single server Exchange 2019 environment.

My Microsoft Filtering Management Service won't start after a Windows Update.

Upgrading from Cu 13 to Cu 14 did not help.

As a result, transport services won't start.

What troubleshooting steps are available to get the service to work?

What steps can I do to move the database to a new exchange server?

Can I use my Exchange key to activate the 2nd Exchange server with intent of decommissioning the original?

My last backup was when it was Cu13. Can I restore that backup after upgrading to Cu14 or will AD only accept a backup that is Cu14?

Thanks

1 answer

Mike Hu-MSFT 3,515 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-08-26T08:17:30.0733333+00:00

Hi,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum!

Good day! Based on your description, your Microsoft Filtering Management Service won't start after a Windows Update. What usually causes this is a misconfigured A/V solution that doesn't have the proper Exchange exclusions set, and it rips out a needed file.

To solve the problem, please refer to :https://www.exchangeitup.net/2016/10/exchange-2013-filtering-management-and.html

Please Note: Since the web site is not hosted by Microsoft, the link may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this information.
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Susan Dodds 191 Reputation points

2024-08-26T08:59:35.03+00:00

Thank you for the reply.

It has the same A/V solution it has had since the server was loaded and this is only a recent problem.

That config file is still in the program folder. Should it be replaced with the Cu copy? I do not see any event logs saying it is missing.

Susan Dodds 191 Reputation points

2024-08-26T09:01:24.9866667+00:00

Sorry, duplicate reply

Mike Hu-MSFT 3,515 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-08-27T08:09:32.5866667+00:00

Is there any more detailed error information in event logs?

Susan Dodds 191 Reputation points

2024-08-28T06:29:22.7633333+00:00

Unfortunately, there aren't any helpful event logs.

Mike Hu-MSFT 3,515 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-08-28T09:37:39.5733333+00:00

Try to disable Microsoft Filtering Management Service by running the command in an elevated PowerShell session:

Set-Service MSFilter -StartupType Disabled

And then, try to start transport service, if the transport service could start successfully,

then you can run the following command to re-enable Microsoft Filtering Management Service:

Set-Service MSFilter -StartupType Automatic

Susan Dodds 191 Reputation points

2024-08-28T20:39:13.1666667+00:00

The way it's currently operating is that it takes the better part of an hour for the filtering service to hang on starting before it gives up. During that time, the ECP is inaccessible.

The Transport service is dependent on the Filter service. Will disabling the filter service eliminate that dependency?

Mike Hu-MSFT 3,515 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-08-30T06:25:58.06+00:00

The Transport service is dependent on the Filter service. Will disabling the filter service eliminate that dependency? -Yes

My understanding is that the problem still exists, right? If so, the only last resort may be to roll back to the CU13 backup and then re-update to CU14.

Susan Dodds 191 Reputation points

2024-08-31T03:19:26.0933333+00:00

Thank you for the reply.

While that might get email moving again in a pinch, it is not a complete resolution and would mean the malware filter would be offline.

I have almost everything migrated to a new server now so I can run some more intensive tests on this bugged server in case it happens again. Just hopefully not intensive enough to require a recovery reinstall.

The upgrade to Cu14 was to try and fix the issue that was caused in Cu13 so I'm not sure rolling back would work since it was still bugged in Cu13.

Susan Dodds 191 Reputation points

2024-09-08T05:23:33.2633333+00:00

I tried implementing the Jan 1 2022 malware filter bug fix that recreates the malware filter engine and it worked for a moment and then went back to the status quo.

Filter engine was running, transport services were running. Then the filter service went back to starting, then transport went offline.

Had to reboot my new server since this attempt on the old one somehow stopped mail flow on the new server.
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