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Repair PST File By Using The Inbox Repai

Repair PST File by using the Inbox Repair Tool (scanpst.exe)

It is not possible to open a PST file if it is corrupt. There can be various reasons for which an Outlook data file may become corrupt. It is important to repair your PST file in time otherwise you will lose all your essential emails and other mailbox data. However, Microsoft has provided the Inbox Repair tool (scanpst exe) to scan and repair the PST file. Here, we have discussed how you can locate the scanpst exe utility and how you can use it to deal with the corrupted PST file.

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Microsoft Outlook


Email has always played an important role in businesses and organizations. Everyone uses emails for communication purposes. For desktop users, there are a number of email applications available and Microsoft Outlook is one of the popular email clients for all Windows users around the world. It is one of the applications provided by Microsoft in its Office and can be used as a personal information manager. It includes all other useful features such as contact management, calendar, task, management, note taking, journal creation and web browsing along with working as an email application.

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MS Outlook Data File


All the email messages and other mailbox data are stored in an Outlook data file on your system. This file is known as the personal storage table or PST. An Outlook data file is generally of two types: ANSI and Unicode. ANSI is a default file format of Microsoft Outlook 2002 and the earlier versions. The maximum size limit of an ANSI PST file is known to be 2 GB. The Unicode format is used by the Microsoft Outlook 2003 and later versions and for this format, the maximum size limit ranges from 20 GB (2003 and 2007) to 50 GB (2010, 2013 and 2016).

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Frequent Issues with Outlook Data File


It is not possible for an Outlook data file to store mailbox data more than its maximum size limit. When the PST file reaches its maximum size it tends to create performance issues and in case it crosses the size limit then it might get corrupted. Also, there is no method to open a corrupt PST file in Microsoft Outlook and an oversized PST file will lead to performance issues in Outlook.

Whenever the PST file reaches its maximum size limit then you can split it into two parts or several parts. This can prevent the PST file from being corrupt and if the PST file has any duplicate items, you should remove them. You can manually remove duplicates from PST file and to deal with an oversized PST file you can compact the file to reduce its size as Microsoft has a built-in feature to compact PST file.

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Corrupt PST File


If the PST file is already corrupt then you have the only option to repair it. The first reason for the corruption of the PST file is the size limitation issue. There can be some other reasons as well such as virus attack, unexpected cancellation of the Outlook client, sudden system shutdown, hard disk failure, software malfunction, etc. Corruption can cause data loss and whenever you will try to open a corrupt PST file you might receive an error message as follows:


If you receive an error message while opening the PST file, you should follow the given steps:


1.    First, move to the location where you have saved your PST files. Locate the PST files by opening the Outlook client then click on the ‘File’ tab and go to ‘Info’ and then ‘Account Settings’ and then ‘Data files’.


2.    After locating the files, right-click on it to check ‘Properties’.


3.    In the properties check the ‘Compatibility’ tab and clear down all the Comparability Mode check boxes. After this click ‘Apply’ and then press ‘Ok’ and restart your computer to check if everything is working fine.


The Inbox Repair Tool (scanpst exe)


If the problem is still there then you can try repairing your PST file using the Inbox Repair Tool provided by Microsoft Outlook. This tool is also known as the scanpst exe utility which will:


•    Scan the corrupted PST files for errors and will fix them;


•    Resolve the header corruption issues and then rebuild the file structure;


•    Re-index and repair the corrupted PST files by deleting the invalid indices and emails.


Run the Inbox Repair Tool whenever you face corruption in an Outlook data file but before running it you are required to locate its executable (.exe) file.

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SCANPST Location


You are required to browse the scanpst location in these locations as per your Microsoft Outlook versions:


In Microsoft Outlook 2016


•    32-bit Windows: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16
•    64-bit Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16


In Microsoft Outlook 2013


•    32-bit Windows: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office15
•    64-bit Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office15


In Microsoft Outlook 2010


•    32-bit Windows: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14
•    64-bit Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office14


In Microsoft Outlook 2007


•    32-bit Windows: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12
•    64-bit Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office12


In Microsoft Outlook 2003


•    32-bit Windows: C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\MSMAPI\<locale ID>
•    64-bit Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\System\MSMAPI\<locale ID>


In Microsoft Outlook 2002/XP


C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\MAPI\<locale ID>\scanpst.exe


In Microsoft Outlook 2000


C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\MAPI\<locale ID>\NT\scanpst.exe


In Microsoft Outlook 97/98


C:\Program Files\Common Files\Windows Messaging\scanpst.exe


Run Inbox Repair tool to Repair PST File


Go to the scanpst location. Make sure Microsoft Outlook client isn’t on your system. Now follow these simple steps:


1.    Double-click on the scanpst exe utility.


2.    In Microsoft Outlook Inbox Repair Tool, MS Windows will appear where you have to click the Browse button to select the corrupt PST file.


3.    You will see the corrupt PST file in the edit box and click the Start button to scan the corrupt PST file for errors.


4.    The scanning process will start on your system and wait until it gets successfully completed.


5.    After the scanning process is over, you can check if there are any errors or corruption issues.


Note: You can also create a backup of this scanned file before repairing it by checking the ‘Make a backup of scanned file before repairing’ box.


6.    Next, click the Repair option to start repairing PST file and you will receive a message saying ‘Repair complete’, you have to click ‘Ok’ to confirm it.


Professional Outlook Recovery Solution


Normally, the Inbox Repair Tool is sufficient to fix the corrupt PST file. But sometimes it is possible that it may fail or not work when there is rigorous corruption. There is no option to recover deleted emails from the Outlook data file by using the scanpst utility. This is when you should take into consideration a professional Outlook recovery solution. There are so many options in the online market where vendors provide PST recovery tool for a quick and efficient Outlook recovery.


One of such tools is Recovee Software which has been recommended by Outlook professionals. This tool is known as one of the best options to deal with the corrupted PST files. It is capable enough to handle all level of corruption and tries it best to restore maximum data from the corrupt PST file. It can support both ANSI and Unicode types in PST files. It lets you recover your deleted Outlook items with causing any change and includes many useful features which are generally not there in any other PST Recovery Tool. You can make the comparison for Best Outlook Recovery Software before purchasing one so as to get the best for you.


Choose PST Recovery tool over SCANPST exe


Microsoft Outlook users have a common question. Why should they go for a professional solution when they already have the scanpst tool? The scanpst exe tool has only some features and can handle only minor corruptions. Given below are some of the reasons to consider a PST Recovery Tool over the Inbox Repair tool:


1.    The Inbox Repair tool can scan and repair PST file but it cannot recover deleted emails from the corrupt PST file and only a professional PST Recovery tool can do that.


2.    You can only repair a PST file with the help of scanpst exe tool but if you will use PST Recovery Tool you will be able to recover mailbox content and can save them into other file formats such as TXT, EML, MSG, and archive.


3.    In the scanpst exe tool there is no scope for recovery mode, however, you will get three recovery modes in the PST Recovery tool to deal with different levels of corruption.


Hence we can conclude that whenever there is a PST file corruption you are required to know the root cause and then apply the suitable solution. You can use the Inbox repair tool to repair the PST file but if the corruption is severe then you are advised to go for the professional Outlook PST Recovery Solution which is efficient to fix any type of corruption and will also recover the deleted emails from the corrupt PST file.

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