Message Transfer Agent (MTA) Does Not Start After You Apply Service Pack 4

If you install Exchange Server 5.5 Service Pack 4 (SP4), and then restart your computer, the Message Transfer Agent (MTA) does not start. If you use the Services utility in Control Panel to manually start the MTA, you may receive the following error message:

The following events may also appear in the application event log:

To resolve this issue, remove TCP/IP from your computer, and then reinstall it. After you reinstall TCP/IP, reinstall the most recent Windows NT service pack.

To remove TCP/IP from your computer and then reinstall it, follow these steps.

Step 1 - Record Current TCP/IP Configuration

To record the current TCP/IP configuration on your computer, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Run dialog box, type cmd, and then click OK.
3. In the Command window, type the following command:
   ipconfig /all > c:\ipconfig.txt
4. Close the Command window.

Step 2 - Remove TCP/IP

To remove TCP/IP from your computer, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. In Control Panel, double-click Network.
3. In the Network dialog box, click Protocols.
4. In the list of Network Protocols, click TCP/IP Protocol, click Remove, and then click Yes in the warning dialog box that appears.
5. Click Close, and then click Yes to restart your computer.
6. Log on to your computer when it restarts.
7. In the Service Control Manager dialog box that appears, click OK.

Step 3 - Install and Configure TCP/IP

To install and configure TCP/IP on your computer, follow these steps.

WARNING: Do not restart your computer at the end of this procedure. You will restart your computer after you reinstall the service pack.

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. In Control Panel, double-click Network.
3. In the Network dialog box, click Protocols.
4. Click Add.
5. In the Select Network Protocol dialog box, click TCP/IP Protocol, and then click OK.
6. In the TCP/IP Setup dialog box, click Yes if your server uses Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). If it does not, click No.
7. In the Windows NT Setup dialog box, type the path to the installation files for Windows NT, and then click Continue.
8. In the Network dialog box, double-click TCP/IP Protocol, which now appears under Network Protocol.
9. Click Start, and then click Run.
10. In the Run dialog box, type c:\ipconfig.txt, and then click OK.
    
    Your TCP/IP configuration settings now appear in a Notepad window.
    
11. In the Microsoft TCP/IP Properties dialog box, configure the settings so that they match the settings in the Notepad window. After you configure the settings, click OK, and then click OK again.
12. In the Network Settings Change dialog box, click No, so that you do not restart your computer now.

Step 4 - Reinstall Windows NT Service Pack

Reinstall the most recent Windows NT service pack. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the service pack. After you reinstall the service pack, restart your computer.

For additional information on Windows NT Service Packs, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: