Repair a Outlook PST File

A PST file is the format for MS Outlook mail archives.

Microsoft does provide support in the form of an Inbox Repair Tool. This Inbox Repair Tool usually is able to fix the majority of damaged .pst files. Click the Start Menu and search your computer for SCANPST.EXE

For you to successfully repair any corrupt .pst files, you have to locate the .pst files that are corrupt or damaged. You can find the location of your .pst files in Microsoft Outlook by opening the Tools menu, selecting Options, clicking the Mail Setup tab, and clicking the Data Files button.

Using SCANPST.EXE

When you start up SCANPST.EXE it will usually first perform a number of tests. If SCANPST.EXE does find any files that are corrupted it will ask you if it can fix it, but advises you to first make a backup copy of the specific file. You should always make a backup file and then go ahead with the repair process. If you have severely damaged or corrupted .pst files, you may receive an error when using the SCANPST.EXE utility. One of the strategies to combat this error and ultimately repair the corrupted file in question is to run the SCANPST.EXE utility three or even four times. The error will usually disappear and the file will be repaired.