For some reason Exchange is not removing deleted items from the deleted items folder in our mailboxes. I have the "Keep deleted items for (days):" set to 30 days. In the Application Event log it seems to be running the process, but everyones mailbox has deleted items in going back at least 7 months. We use System Center Data Protection Manager for our Exchange backups. A full backup is done nightly at around 8:00pm. I notice that a get-mailboxdatabase shows the las full backup as being blank, but if you look at the database properties in the Exchange management console it shows the last full backup as being about 12 minutes after 8:00pm. What am I missing here? Log Name: Application Source: MSExchangeIS Mailbox Store Date: 7/28/2010 12:17:18 AM Event ID: 1207 Task Category: General Level: Information Keywords: Classic User: N/A Computer: ExchSite01.mpifix.com Description: Cleanup of items past retention date for Item Recovery is complete for database "First Storage Group\City Office Mailbox Database". Start: 366154 items; 12488674 Kbytes End: 305578 items; 10307145 Kbytes JournalRecipient : mydomain.com/System Accounts/GFI Mail Archiver E XCHSite01 MailboxRetention : 365.00:00:00 OfflineAddressBook : \Offline Address List OriginalDatabase : PublicFolderDatabase : EXCHSite01\Second Storage Group\Public Folder Da tabase ProhibitSendReceiveQuota : 5000000KB Recovery : False ProhibitSendQuota : 4500000KB IndexEnabled : True AdministrativeGroup : Exchange Administrative Group (FYDIBOHF23SPDLT ) AllowFileRestore : False BackupInProgress : CopyEdbFilePath : DatabaseCreated : True Description : EdbFilePath : D:\Exchange\Mailboxes\MailboxDatabase01\Mailbo x Database.edb ExchangeLegacyDN : /o=Comp City/ou=Exchange Administrative Group ( FYDIBOHF23SPDLT)/cn=Configuration/cn=Servers/c n=EXCHSite01/cn=Microsoft Private MDB HasLocalCopy : False DeletedItemRetention : 30.00:00:00 SnapshotLastFullBackup : SnapshotLastIncrementalBackup : SnapshotLastDifferentialBackup : SnapshotLastCopyBackup : LastFullBackup : LastIncrementalBackup : LastDifferentialBackup : LastCopyBackup : MaintenanceSchedule : {Wed.12:00 AM-Wed.5:00 AM} MountAtStartup : True Mounted : Organization : Comp City QuotaNotificationSchedule : {Sun.1:00 AM-Sun.1:15 AM, Mon.1:00 AM-Mon.1:15 AM, Tue.1:00 AM-Tue.1:15 AM, Wed.1:00 AM-Wed. 1:15 AM, Thu.1:00 AM-Thu.1:15 AM, Fri.1:00 AM- Fri.1:15 AM, Sat.1:00 AM-Sat.1:15 AM} RetainDeletedItemsUntilBackup : True Server : EXCHSite01 ServerName : EXCHSite01 StorageGroup : EXCHSite01\First Storage Group StorageGroupName : First Storage Group IssueWarningQuota : 4000000KB EventHistoryRetentionPeriod : 7.00:00:00 Name : City Office Mailbox Database AdminDisplayName : City Office Mailbox Database ExchangeVersion : 0.1 (8.0.535.0) DistinguishedName : CN=City Office Mailbox Database,CN=First Stora ge Group,CN=InformationStore,CN=EXCHSite01,CN=Se rvers,CN=Exchange Administrative Group (FYDIBO HF23SPDLT),CN=Administrative Groups,CN=Comp City ,CN=Microsoft Exchange,CN=Services,CN=Configu ration,DC=mydomain,DC=com Identity : EXCHSite01\First Storage Group\City Office Mailb ox Database Guid : bffc9659-3694-407a-85bf-5d6b88f0a834 ObjectCategory : mydomain.com/Configuration/Schema/ms-Exch-Privat e-MDB ObjectClass : {top, msExchMDB, msExchPrivateMDB} WhenChanged : 7/21/2010 3:21:25 PM WhenCreated : 2/5/2009 5:28:03 PM OriginatingServer : dc1.mydomain.com IsValid : True

Hi Utegrad, Which exchange version do you use? Do you mean there are emails which over six months ago in the "deleted items" folder under the mailbox? If so, it is normal, the deleted item retention time would meet the hard deleted items, so, the user must delete the items from the "deleted items" folder again, and then the action would occur. Regards! Gavin

We're running Exchange 2007 SP1. Do I understand correctly that there isn't a janitor process in Exchange 2007 that cleans out deleted items from mailboxes older than a specified threshold?

I gather that when the Mailbox Management Service from Exchange 2003 went away in 2007, it becomes necessary to use Messaging Records Management to automatically clean out the deleted items from mailboxes? http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa998911(EXCHG.80).aspx

Hi Utegrad -> Do I understand correctly that there isn't a janitor process in Exchange 2007 that cleans out deleted items from mailboxes older than a specified threshold? A: sure, you are right, there is no specified threshold to control the "deleted item" folder. -> I gather that when the Mailbox Management Service from Exchange 2003 went away in 2007, it becomes necessary to use Messaging Records Management to automatically clean out the deleted items from mailboxes? http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa998911(EXCHG.80).aspx A: you are right, you could config the content settting for the default managed folder to set the retrention and then link the policy to the user account to achieve your target. Regards! Gavin