PST (Personal Storage Table) and OST (Offline Storage Table) are the two data files used by Outlook to maintain and manage its mailbox data. If you are using Outlook as the default email client or have ever used Outlook for email messaging, then the file types must be relevant to you.
OST helps users to access the Exchange Server mailbox data while using Outlook either on offline mode or with slow or interrupted internet connection. OST file synchronization is a common process that updates the OST with the latest data on the Exchange Server. The synchronization process, however, comes with uncertainties; a minor interruption during the process can affect the integrity and reliability of OST files. As a consequence, you’ll receive error messages while trying to import OST files to Outlook.
In this writeup, we will discuss a specific OST file error “0000000E” along with the cause and methods to resolve. Let’s have a look at the error types which occur mainly because of the inaccessibility/corruption issue in OST.
List of errors associated with inaccessibility/corruption of OST files:
- Internal Error (code=0000000E)
- Internal Error (code=00000003)
- Error 8004011D-526-80040115-0
- Service-specific error 0 (0x0)
- Error Code 0x8004103b
- Error-message/c5e20916-9359-43fc-9bd9
OST file corruption can have several reasons ranging from logical to physical damage. Some of the most common causes of the corruption of OST files are listed below.
- Virus Intrusion
- Oversized OST files
- Sudden closure of Outlook program
- Version Incompatibility
- Bad sectors on hard drives
- Software failure – interruption during the upgrades
- Interruption in the synchronization process
MS Outlook’s OST File Error “0000000E”
Error 0000000E is one of the most reported errors in Outlook, typically faced while accessing a corrupt OST file. The main cause of corruption, however, is the interruption caused during the synchronization process. The file ultimately becomes inaccessible, and users are no longer able to access their mailbox contents from the Exchange Server.
There are native methods to resolve this kind of an error in Outlook. The foremost method to resolve corruption is to change the location of Outlook OST file. But, the most recommended one is the use of reliable third-party software to fix the issue. Although, we will go through every possible method to fix Error 0000000E in Outlook’s OST.
Manual methods to resolve Error “0000000E”
Fix 1: Use of Inbuilt Utility ScanOST.exe
The OST Integrity Check Tool, aka ScanOST.exe, is an inbuilt utility provided by Microsoft to fix minor level corruption issues in OST. For this, you have to locate the executable file for the tool, load the corrupt file, and initiate the repair process.
- Locate ScanOST.exe; typically, the executable file for the tool can be located at the following location as per your Outlook version.
- Once located, double-click the ScanOST.exe file to launch the tool.
- You can either choose to scan all folders containing the OST files or specify a particular folder containing the corrupt OST. Choose an option as per your requirement.
- Do check the Repair errors checkbox in order to fix the corrupt file.
- Click on the Begin Scan button to initiate the scan process.
- Wait until the scan process gets completed. Once the scan process gets completed, you will receive a notification saying, “The scan process is complete.” Click OK to finish the repair process.
Note: To locate and execute ScanOST.exe, one must configure their Outlook with an exchange account. Also, make sure to exit Outlook before running the tool.
Fix 2: Get back your data from backups
If you had backed up your OST file data before the corruption, then you can easily retrieve the data back into its original form.
It is always recommended to take regular backups of your data file in Outlook either OST or PST.
Fix 3: Create a new OST file
In case of severe level corruption in OST files, which can’t be cured using manual techniques, it is always advised to delete the corrupt OST and create a new one. After the synchronization process, the data present on the Exchange Server gets updated in the newly created OST file.
Now, after all the methods mentioned above, if you are still unable to access your OST, then try some third-party software.
Convert your OST to PST using an automated method
Restoring your corrupt OST into a healthy PST proves to be an ideal way to deal with corruption and other related issues in an OST.
Recoveryfix for OST to PST Converter ensures the complete retrieval of mailbox data from an OST to PST. The tool is embedded with powerful algorithms along with options to preview the recovered data before saving the file to your local drives. Moreover, the tool works exceptionally well in all versions of the Windows Operating system. Here is how the tool works:
- Launch Recoveryfix for OST to PST Converter on your Windows machine.
- Select the Mode to recover and Browse to navigate to the folder containing the corrupt OST file.
- Select the required file and click Open. Once added, select the mode and click Next to move further in the process.
- The next window generates a preview of the recovered items. The left panel shows the mailbox items in a hierarchical tree structure, whereas the right panel shows the contents inside a specific mailbox folder. Select the mailbox items you want to retrieve and click the Save button.
- From the Savings Options window, select the multiple options to save the recovered mailbox data. For instance, select the Output type as “Save In Outlook” and format as PST, and choose a predefined proportion to split the file, if required. Also, provide a destination path to save the recovered file and click on the OK button.
- Wait until the saving process gets completed.
- The required mailbox data gets saved to the specified location. Click OK to finish the process.
Wrapping Up
Since manual methods are only capable of resolving minor level corruption issues in OST, you have to look out for other alternatives to recover your file completely. Either you create a new OST and synchronize data into it or use a reliable tool to eliminate corruption. Recoveryfix for OST to PST Converter gives you a complete solution for all your data recovery concerns.
Read Related Blog
I have also faced OST file error code 0000000E, but I have read this blog. After reading this blog, I have successfully resolved my problem manually. So I would highly recommend everyone to use this method.