Corrupt Outlook PST file, is it recoverable?

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buksida

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Having problems with Outlook and the pst file, it wont let me copy or back it up. The hard disk seems to just go in a rhythmic cycle of reading and nothing happens - often resulting in a 'cannot read from source disk' error.

This sounded to me like a hard disk problem so I ran a scandisk and nothing showed up - all other aspects of the machine operate fine.

I've also tried using scanpst to run a check but that too throws up read errors.

It wont let me export the thing either, complaining about disk write permissions.

Today I tried to delete a bunch of stuff to make the pst file smaller (it is about 900 MB) but it wont empty the deleted items folder and gives me the cyclic redundancy error.

I could still use the program to send/receive email until today when I started getting this error:

"Cannot display the folder. Microsoft Office Outlook cannot access the specified folder location. The messaging interface has returned an unknown error. If the problem persists, restart Outlook. Access is denied. Verify the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not being used."

Any suggestions as to how to salvage this file and my emails would be gratefully received!
 
The errors are not related to size - it really sounds like the disk has some bad sectors. Did you verify its not write protected and that your account has full permission to the folder where the pst is?




The other post is from a spammer trying to promote his product (your problem is not because of missing dlls either) - my recommendation is to not use his and instead try something from here - http://www.slipstick.com/problems/repair-a-damaged-personal-folders-pst-file/
 
Ok, so I have three replies telling me to download three separate pieces of software, all that require some kind of payment.

Now call me cautious but I'm not in the habit of downloading or paying for software unless I can guarantee it will work and wont infect my system.

How do I know what 'repair tool' works and what is a scam?
 
Hi,

If you can't open your Personal Folders file (.pst) or your Offline Folder file (.ost), or you suspect that your .pst or .ost data file is corrupted, you can use the Inbox Repair tool (Scanpst.exe) to diagnose and repair errors in the file. The Inbox Repair tool scans only the .pst or .ost file, not your mailbox on the server running Microsoft Exchange. The tool determines whether the file structure is intact. If it is not intact, the Inbox Repair tool resets your file structure and rebuilds the headers.
 
You can check it by installing trial version of any software. In trial version only you can view your files to be recovered i mean it will show which files it can recover. If you find your files in preview list then only you go with that software.
 
I've tried scanpst.exe several times and it keeps giving me an error message then quitting without fixing the file.
 
buksida said:
Ok, so I have three replies telling me to download three separate pieces of software, all that require some kind of payment.

Now call me cautious but I'm not in the habit of downloading or paying for software unless I can guarantee it will work and wont infect my system.

How do I know what 'repair tool' works and what is a scam?
Click to expand...

Sorry about that. I missed the spammer's first post. Will delete it next... ReadPst is a free tool AFAIK (which i why i left it up) - I'm not sure it will help you but if ScanPst doesn't fix your problem, its worth a try (as long as its free).

Generally speaking, you do not need a paid tool. However, because ScanPst throws up read errors, you might need a 3rd party tool to recover the data (unless you have a backup). If you need a 3rd party tool, i recommend one of the products at the link below. I've personally used the Stellar product and like it. Most of the products have a free trial that shows what will be recovered - i recommend trying that. Because of the CRC errors, you might not be able to recover anything.

See Repair a damaged Personal Folders PST file - we recommend alternating scandisk/chkdsk and scanpst - it sometimes takes 3 passes with each to fix problems.
 
buksida said:
I've tried scanpst.exe several times and it keeps giving me an error message then quitting without fixing the file.
Click to expand...

Can you move/copy the pst file? If you can, I could run some tests on it. But if you can't, the commerical repair tools may not be able to fix it either. Install one of the trials - if it fails, all will likely fail.
 
Thanks for the replies, no I cannot move or copy it - gives me a disk read error.

I have a backup but it is a month old.

I'll try the tool suggested above but dont hold out much hope.

Will definitely be switching to Thunderbird, this is not the first time Outlook has given me major headaches!
 
Actually due to corruption of .pst file of MS Outlook you are getting this error message. There are many reasons for the corruption of .pst file of MS Outlook such as virus attack, abrupt shut down of system, software confliction, power failure, hardware malfunctioning, oversize of pst file and many more.

All these reasons are responsible for the corruption of pst file which creates error message and disallow you to access the data of pst file. Not only this, these error messages can also deletes all your valuable data if not rectify on time. so, to overcome from this situation, you can use inbox repair tool.

Inbox repair tool download will quickly resolve all the error messages of pst files and able you to access the MS Outlook files. Actually, I have also used this software so I ma sure that it will also help you to fix your problem. Just take a trial of this tool. :cool:
 
I don't hold out much hope for one of the tools to fix it either - because disk error usually means its a bad copy.

You need to use the client that meets your needs to best - if its t-bird, so be it.
 
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