How to Fix Your Outlook PST File Issues

Barclay Tcareva
Barclay Tcareva

Updated On - April 27, 2020

If you are using Microsoft Outlook for email, you must be aware of the great importance of the Outlook PST file. In fact, PST files are the backbone of Outlook email communication, and they are used for storing copies of messages, events, calendars, tasks, journals, and notes within the MS Outlook. However, like other file formats, PST files are also prone to corruption. The Personal Storage Table (PST) files suffer from corruption due to a variety of reasons like the failure of storage device, faulty network device, power failure, attack of malicious virus or other software, abnormal Outlook handling, exceeding the size of PST file, etc. Such adverse conditions result in loss of your important PST file data or inaccessibility of that. Whatever may be the circumstances, but you will suffer from a data disaster situation.

To fix such corruption issues in your PST, Microsoft has offered a free inbuilt utility known as the Inbox Repair Tool, whose setup file (scanpst.exe) comes with the source files of Outlook when you install the application. The Inbox Repair Tool scans the corrupt PST file for any possible errors and resolves it by resetting the data file structure and rebuilding the headers of Outlook items.

Note: Make sure you exit the Outlook before using Inbox Repair Tool.

Before using the Inbox Repair, you must locate the executable file of the tool (Scanpst.exe) in your C: drive. Typically, the file resides in the following locations in your C: drive.
the file resides in the following locations in your C: drive.

Once located, double click the Scanpst.exe file to launch the Inbox Repair Tool.
launch the Inbox Repair Tool

  1. Browse to navigate to the folder containing the corrupt or damaged PST file. Select the file and click Open.
  2. Select the file and click Open

  3. Click on the Start button to scan the file for all possible errors and corruption issues. Before proceeding with the scan process, if you want to specify the scan log options, click Options, and select the option you want.
  4. scan log options, click Options, and select the option you want

  5. Wait until the scan process gets completed.
  6. Wait until the scan process gets completed

  7. Once the scan process gets completed, the interface will notify you about the errors found in the selected PST. If errors are found, you are prompted to start the repair process to fix the errors. A backup file can be created during the repair process. To change the default name or location of this backup file, in the Enter name of the backup file box, enter a new name, or click Browse to select the file that you want to use. Then, click the Repair button.
  8. click Browse to select the file that you want to use. Then, click the Repair button

  9. A pop-up will appear on your screen, specifying that the repair process is complete.
  10. A pop-up will appear on your screen, specifying that the repair process is complete

  11. Restart Outlook and try to access the profile that contains the .pst file that you tried to repair.
  12. In the Navigation Pane, click Folder List ( Keyboard shortcut to open switch to the Folder List, press CTRL+6.)

Functions of Inbox Repair Tool (scanpst.exe):

  • The scanpst.exe tool analyzes the Personal Folders (.pst) file directory structure and item headers for recovering all folders and items.
  • The scanpst.exe tool tries to turn any file into a Personal Folders (.pst) file. For example, if you rename an executable file to “Something.pst” (without quotation marks), the tool changes the file to a mountable .pst file.
  • The Inbox Repair tool (scanpst.exe) makes a backup copy of any Personal Folders (.pst) file before you try to repair the file.
  • Scanpst.exe utility typically validates and corrects errors in the internal data structures of a .pst file.
  • If Scanpst.exe determines that a specific block of the structure or table is unreadable or corrupted, Scanpst.exe removes it.

In spite of that, sometimes you become helpless when the Inbox repair tool gets failed, and your Outlook issues remain the same as earlier. In such cases, you can try a professional PST Repair tool. Recoveryfix for Outlook is a proficient tool in this field and offers you the best possible result by taking the minimum time. Here is how the tool works:

Download Now

  1. Launch Recoveryfix for Outlook PST Repair on your PC.
  2. Specify the mode to scan and repair your file. Browse to locate the directory containing the corrupt PST file. Select the file and click Open. Then, click Next.
  3. Select the file and click Open. Then, click Next

  4. The tool will process the file for all possible errors and corruption issues. The recovered items are displayed on the left-hand side pane. Select the required item and click on the Save button.
  5. click on the Save button

  6. In the Saving Options window, select the appropriate options to save your file. You can choose to split your file, add a prefix to the name of your repaired PST file, select the output type, and select the MS Outlook format. Once you have selected all the options, browse to provide a destination path to save the file and click OK.
  7. browse to provide a destination path to save the file and click OK

  8. Wait until the tool processes the corrupt PST to fix the corruption issues.
  9. Wait until the tool processes the corrupt PST to fix the corruption issues

  10. The repaired PST gets saved to the specified location. Click OK to finish the repair process.
  11. repaired PST gets saved to the specified location. Click OK to finish the repair process

Conclusion
You can opt. methods like the Inbox Repair to fix issues in your PST file, but it provides temporary solutions that are not meant for severe corruption issues. In fact, you may have to perform several iterations of the recovery process to fix a single file. Therefore, using a reliable tool like Recovery for Outlook PST Repair is the best alternative for your PST corruption issues.

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