[Solved] Exchange Control Panel Not Working Error
Summary: There could be various possible reasons due to which Exchange control panel not working issue arise. Here, in this article, will guide user and help them to resolve the Exchange ECP not working error. In addition to this, we have described an Exchange Servery Recovery Software that helps users to export the offline/dismounted Exchange database mailboxes to the Live Exchange Server mailboxes in a simplified manner.
Earlier in Exchange Server 2010 and 2007 users use the ECP (Exchange Control Panel) to open and manage the server. To connect & manage these Microsoft Exchange Server users need to install the Exchange Management Tools to manage it.
Nowadays, in the above version of Exchange such as: 2013, 2016, etc… users use the EAC (Exchange Admin Center) which is a modern web-based management console that is develop & designed to provide the experience to the users to the overall MS 365 admin experience. The Exchange Admin Center has replaced the ECP i.e. Exchange Control Panel to manage the email settings for users companies or organizations. EAC is dependent on the IIS (Internet Information System) which is MS web server.
If you are using an Exchange Server older version then the user has to use the ECP which is a management that allow you to manage the Exchange database mailboxes, groups, contacts, distribution groups, journal, transport rules, and various other things that are present in the server infrastructure.
Here, we will help the Exchange administrator or users to resolve the issue which restricts them to use the ECP.
How to Solve Exchange Control Panel Not Working Error?
When users try to load the ECP to manage the server and it doesn’t load then they will receive the following issue given below:
As you can see the page will load the blank white page with the error message or users will receive the IIS error but there is no need to worry about. If the Exchange Control Panel is unable to load then as the alternative solution users can use the Exchange PowerShell command via Exchange Management Shell.
Solution to Fix the Exchange Control Panel Not Working Error
1. Check WWW (World Wide Web) Service is Running or Not
We have mentioned in one of the above section that the Microsoft Exchange Server run heavily on the IIS (Internet Information System). Users have to confirm that this service is running. For this, first press Win + R key >> Insert the services.msc on the server and verify that it is running.
2. Check out & Verify other Exchange Related Services
Other than World Wide Web Publishing Services users have to ensure that all the Exchange Server related services are properly running. For that, first check the services which Startup Type is Automatic. & also check the manual as well as disabled services. The problem in this is human error. There are chances that they would set the service to manual or disabled. Also, it is important to check the server documentation. If it not there, then document the service which should be Automatic, Disabled, or Manual.
3. Check and Verify Certificates
Users should also check the certificates self-signed or it should be purchase from the certificate authority which should be correct and not expired. Because of this users gets the blank image when they load the ECP. You can check this from your browser or from the certificate section in the IIS (Internet Information System).
You can face the issue when the provided certificate is changed or renewed. What users can do is that they can check the bindings in the IIS (Internet Information System). To do this, just right-click on the default website & select the Edit bindings.
Then edit the https & ensure that the SSL Certificates is using the correct certificate. After that, restart the IIS (Internet Information System).
4. Check the Event Viewer
This can also be the reason that the Exchange control panel not working. In Event viewer, users have to check for any warning or error in the system or application. From this, you can check where the problem is.
5. Check License
What another thing that users can check is licensing which is rare. It can happen that the Microsoft Exchange Server might be running on the trial version or the product key it is using may be incorrect.
6. Check Exchange Server Time
Another thing to do is that you can check the clients and server time because there are times where the clock synchronization issue can also lead to a similar problem. The time sync issue occurs when the MS Exchange Server clock is not the same as clients.
Other Solution to Fix Exchange ECP (Exchange Control Panel) Not Working
When nothing works out & still user is facing the issue then you can re-generate the Exchange Control Panel (ECP) virtual directory. Users can do this by using the Exchange PowerShell cmdlet given below:
Remove-EcpVirtualDirectory -Identity “ex2013\ecp (Default Web Site)”
New-EcpVirtualDirectory -InternalUrl “https://mail.example.local/ecp” -ExternalUrl “https://mail.example.local/ecp”
Ensure that the path & URL match the existing one before deleting the virtual directory. It is advised to take the backup of the server before doing this.
If a situation occurs where users need to re-install the server & again import the Exchange database mailboxes and public folders. This is a prolonged process and it takes time to restore it. Also, there should be a possibility of data loss while restoring.
Note: While re-installing the server or restoring the data if your Exchange database file gets corrupted or damaged and goes into an offline/dismounted state. Then it is very important for users to repair Exchange mailbox database. For that, users can use the Exchange Server Recovery Software provided by SysTools which support this database and is used by IT Experts, Exchange & Novice users to repair EDB file from corruption in a simplified way without using any cmdlet. After recovery, users can easily export recovered EDB mailboxes to Live Exchange Server mailboxes, O365, and various file formats.
Bringing It All Together
Now users have complete information on how to solve Exchange control panel not working error by using the solution provide here. Users can use the solution and resolve the issue. In addition to this we have also descrined advanced solution that help users to recovers & repair the corrupted dismounted or offline .edb file and export the recovered Exchange data directly to the Exchange Server mailboxes without any hassle.