XCON: Error 2140 and Event IDs 2152, 2127, 2187, 2155 and 2219, MTA Service Does Not Start

If you try to start the Microsoft Exchange Message Transfer Agent (MTA) service, you may receive the following error message: If you try to run the MTA Database Integrity Checker Utility (Mtacheck.exe), you may receive the following error message: Additionally, you may see the following events in the Application event log of Windows NT Event Viewer:

This issue may occur if incorrect values exist for the location of the MTA database path in the registry.

To resolve this behavior, edit the registry to refer to the correct location for the MTA database files. To do so, follow these steps:

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
3. Locate the following registry entry:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeMTA\Parameters\MTA Database Path
4. Double-click the registry entry that you located in step 3, and then type the correct path to the MTA database files in the Value data box. For example, drive:\exchsrvr\mtadata.
5. Locate the following registry entry:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeMTA\Parameters\MTA Run Directory
6. Double-click the entry that you located in step 5, and then verify that the correct location for the MTA Run Directory is displayed in the Value data box. For example, drive:\exchsrvr\mtadata.
7. On the Registry menu, click Exit to quit Registry Editor.

NOTE:You can also use Microsoft Exchange Server Performance Optimizer to move the MTA database files. To start Performance Optimizer, click Start, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Exchange, and then click Microsoft Exchange Optimizer. If you want to run Performance Optimizer in verbose mode, follow the steps in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

For additional information about the Message Transfer Agent (MTA), click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For additional information about the Mtacheck utility, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For additional information about the Microsoft Exchange Server Performance Optimizer, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: