Batch file automated a clean-up job, then fouled itself by deleting the wrong directory
It survived testing and the boss signed off, so who was really to blame?
In another edition of Who, Me?, a reader named Pascal shared a tale of IT disaster. Pascal worked for a company that had recently acquired its first Exchange server, which hosted approximately 600 mailboxes. The IT manager suggested performing a weekly maintenance routine, including defragmenting the Information Store and compacting the database.
Pascal created a batch file to automate the process, which included stopping the Information Store, running eseutil /d to compact the database, deleting temporary files, and restarting the service.
The batch file successfully completed its tasks and seemed to improve the Exchange server's performance. Pascal scheduled the script to run on Friday nights, leaving for the weekend without any concerns. However, the following Monday, Pascal was alerted by colleagues that the Exchange server had stopped functioning. Pascal rushed to the office, only to discover that the Windows NT 4 server was unresponsive, and the Exchange services were not running.
Upon investigation, Pascal realized the cause of the issue: his batch file contained a command DEL *.* without specifying a directory. Since the script ran from the System32 folder, it inadvertently deleted essential files within that directory, rendering the server inoperable. The loss of critical System32 files left the Windows NT 4 server irreparable, requiring a full rebuild and restoration, which took Pascal most of the weekend to accomplish.
Reflecting on the incident, Pascal acknowledged that it was not his best moment. Nevertheless, the situation did have a silver lining, as he received double time compensation for resolving the issue. Pascal emphasized that the mistake had not only cost him a significant amount of time but had also deprived him of his career for the time being. If you have ever experienced a similar moment of regret in your IT career, Pascal encourages you to share your story with Who, Me? before the memory fades from your mind.
Written by urgent.news from The Register's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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