Outlook PST file when corrupted is rendered inaccessible and useless. To easily repair PST files in Outlook, you can try Microsoft Inbox Repair tool or PCVITA advanced PST repair utility.
When MS Outlook displays an error when opening the inbox, it indicates that the PST file is damaged and you cannot access all the data in the PST file.
In this guide, we will highlight some of the best ways to recover data access from damaged PST files. Before providing any other information, let's talk about the cause of PST file corruption. Why does corruption actually occur?
Reason for the corruption of PST file
There are many reasons for corruption in Outlook PST files, which are divided into two main categories of hardware and software reasons.
Power failure: if a power failure occurs and you have no backup power to save the data, it is likely to damage them.
Damaged shared network device: if the network connection is connected to the network connection causing the problem, remote access to the PST file will damage it.
Corrupt hard drive: when there are bad sectors on the hard drive and the Outlook PST files are stored in these sectors, you will not be able to access or copy and move the PST files.
Abnormal Outlook Exit: in most cases, the Outlook application is closed directly without saving changes to the PST file. Closing the Outlook application incorrectly can lead to corruption of the Outlook PST file.
Virus Attacks: There are numerous viruses and malware that can infect PST files and severely damage PST files. To get rid of virus attacks, use good antivirus software in the system.
Excessive Size of PST: long-term use of PST files will run out of PST file size limit. When a PST file reaches its limit, it is easily damaged.
Fix the damaged Outlook PST file - Manual Method
Microsoft provides an integrated utility, Scanpst.exe, to handle such errors and corruption issues. This inbox repair tool is easily found in the MS Outlook installation directory.
Here are the steps to use this tool:
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Make sure that Microsoft Outlook is closed.
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Open a location similar to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\office16\
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Run the scanpst.exe application
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Add the damaged PST file with ‘Browse’ button
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Click Start to start the process
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The tool will hang for a while in order to make a copy of your PST file.
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Once the repair process is successfully completed, open Outlook to access the file.
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Repeat the repair process a few times if it fails. If it is repeatedly failing but you can access the file in Outlook, create a new PST and move the data from damaged PST to the new one.
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If it is failing and you cannot access your data in Outlook, its time to switch to PCVITA Outlook repair tool.
Using Microsoft Inbox Repair Tool is simple and easy. However, this tool has some limitations because it is unable to recover complete data and cannot respond to heavily damaged files as well as large PSTs.
In order to effectively eliminate the damage problem, the recommended method is to use an external advanced PST repair tool.
Repair PST Files in Outlook with PCVITA Outlook Repair Tool
PCVita PST repair tool displays an instant preview of the data without MS Outlook and immediately transfers all the recovered data to the new PST file. In addition to PST files, this tool can convert data to many other formats, such as EML, MSG, Office 365, etc.
The steps to repair PST files in Outlook are as follows:
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Run the Advanced repair tool on your Windows system.
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Add the relevant PST files that need to be repaired.
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Choose Advance Scan mode for deep scanning of PST file.
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Preview the complete Outlook data consisting of emails, contacts, calendars, tasks, notes, and journals.
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Export and save the repaired data items in a healthy PST file.
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Import the PST file in Outlook and access all your mailbox data as if nothing ever happened.
A demo version of the tool is also available (free), limited to repairing only 25 e-mails per folder.
Observational Verdict
It is often seen that the Outlook PST file gets corrupted easily. While one must always keep a backup for such situations, it is not always feasible. Fortunately, Microsoft provides an Inbox repair tool for free to repair PST files in Outlook. In case, it is unable to recover Outlook data file, you can opt for the given advanced Repair tool. It will surely take care of your PST corruption and resolve errors if any.
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