Microsoft provides MS Outlook with a tool named ScanPst which is capable
of repairing somewhat damaged .PST files. ScanPst, as its name implies, scans and attempts to repair
a specified
.PST file; it analyzes a .PST file directory structure and
checks mail item references and headers. After completing the scan,
ScanPst will display information on errors detected and offer you to
repair the .PST file.
When ScanPst does not help
Sometimes, ScanPst is not able to correct the problem with the PST
file.
ScanPst is not capable of recovering messages you have deleted
yourself. Obviously, because this is not an error as far as the
system is concerned.
ScanPst may sometimes report no errors in the file, but Outlook
still complains.
ScanPst may sometimes loose too much data during the recovery.
Try Zmeil email recovery software to extract the email messages
from the damaged PST file if ScanPst hasn't repaired the message database.
Where to find Scanpst?
ScanPst is the part of the Microsoft Office and installed along with the Microsoft Outlook.
Depending on the combination of Windows and MS Office versions you have installed,
ScanPst is in one of the following folders
C:\Program Files\Common Files\System; in there, there is a folder named either
"MSMAPI" or "MAPI". Under this folder you'll see a folder
with a numerical name such as 1033. So, the
complete path for ScanPst looks like "C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\MSMAPI\1033\".
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office12\
or
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\
Notice, however, there will be two files with similar names - ScanPst.exe and ScanOst.exe. At the moment we only deal with the ScanPst.exe.
Using ScanPst
ScanPst is the second thing to try if Outlook fails to open its email
file (first thing to try is to reboot the machine).
Start ScanPst
Specify a .pst file to repair, then click "Start"
button
Check "Make backup of scanned file before repairing".
ScanPst will create a copy of the .PST
file with the same name and a .BAK file type (extension). This
copy will be located in the same folder as
your original Outlook mail file. Later you can attempt to repair
this file using different Outlook recovery tools.
Click "Repair"
When you have accomplished the recovery of the .pst file using ScanPst,
Start MS Outlook by using a profile which you tried to repair.
Under menu Go select Folder List
In there you may see a folder called Recovered Personal Folders
containing a set of basic folders such as "Inbox", "Sent", "Drafts" (if
these ones really exist in the original profile) or a folder called
"Lost and Found". It is assumed that the items missed from the "Lost and
Found" folder cannot be repaired and thus are actually lost. In fact,
such is not the case.
If there is any necessary email data in the "Lost and Found"
under the "Recovered Personal Folders", then you can create a new .pst
file and just drag the recovered messages into this newly created
folder. When you have finished copying all recovered email items, you
can safely delete the "Recovered Personal Folders" from your current
profile. Notice: In some cases ScanPst performs repair procedures in a little
different way; the tool creates neither folder called "Recovered
Personal Folders" nor "Lost and Found" in Outlook. Instead of this, all
the recovered messages and folders are merely displayed in a normal
manner as they were in the original profile. So, you just need to check
and search all the existing folders to evaluate the quality of
the repair.
The 2GB problem
Earlier versions of Outlook (up to 2002) are unable to handle PST files
larger than 2GB correctly.
ScanPst is not capable of recovering PST files which run over the 2
gigabyte size limit existing in Outlook 2002 and earlier.
Microsoft suggests that you use PST2GB tool to truncate the excess of
the data. Refer here for more details and
description of the PST2GB tool. Note, however, that some data will be
lost because of the truncation.
