Repair Outlook Data Files (.pst and .ost)In this article

Inbox Repair toolOST Integrity Check tool

Inbox Repair toolIf you can't open your Personal Folders file (.pst) or your Offline Folder file (.ost), or yoususpect 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 .pstor .ost file, not your mailbox on the server running Microsoft Exchange. The tool determineswhether the file structure is intact. If it is not intact, the Inbox Repair tool resets your filestructure and rebuilds the headers.

The Inbox Repair tool works on both the Microsoft Outlook 97-2002 Personal Folders File (.pst)and the Office Outlook Personal Folders File (.pst) data files in Microsoft Office Outlook 2003and Microsoft Office Outlook 2007.

Scanpst.exe is installed when you install Outlook. It is located at:

drive:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE12.

Repair errors by using Scanpst.exe

1. Exit Outlook if it is running.2. Double-click Scanpst.exe, located at drive:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE12.3. In the Enter the name of the file you want to scan box, enter the name of the .pst or .ost

file that you want to check, or click Browse to search for the file.4. To specify the scan log options, click Options, and then click the option that you want.5. Click Start.6. If errors are found after the scan is complete, you will be prompted to start the repair

process to fix the errors.

A backup file is created during the repair process. To change the default name or location of thisbackup file, in the Enter name of backup file box, enter a new name, or click Browse to lookfor the file that you want to use.

7. Click Repair.8. Start Outlook by using the profile that contains the .pst file that you tried to repair.9. On the Go menu, click Folder List.

In the Folder List, you may see a folder named Recovered Personal Folders that contains yourdefault Outlook folders or a Lost and Found folder. The recovered folders are usually empty,

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because this is a rebuilt .pst file. The Lost and Found folder contains the folders and itemsrecovered by the Inbox Repair tool. Items that are missing from the Lost and Found foldercannot be repaired.

10. If you see a Recovered Personal Folders folder, you can create a new .pst file, and dragthe items in the Lost and Found folder into the new .pst file. When you have finishedmoving all the items, you can remove the Recovered Personal Folders (.pst) file,including the Lost and Found folder, from your profile.

Notes

If you are able to open the original .pst file, you may be able to recover additional itemsfrom your damaged .pst file. By default, the Inbox Repair tool creates a file called filename.bak, which is a copy of the original .pst file with a different extension. The .bak fileis located in the same folder as your original .pst file. You may be able to recover itemsfrom the .bak file that the Inbox Repair tool could not recover. Make a copy of the .bakfile, and give the file a new name with a .pst extension, such as bak.pst. Import thebak.pst file, and then move any additional recovered items to the new .pst file that youcreated.A copy of the log file is written to the same location as the .pst file.

OST Integrity Check toolFrom time to time, you may get error messages when synchronizing your Offline Folder file(.ost) in Microsoft Office Outlook with your mailbox on a server running Exchange. You mayalso notice that some items are missing from your .ost file or from your mailbox after yousynchronize your .ost file and your mailbox. When this occurs, you should use the OST IntegrityCheck tool (Scanost.exe) to check your .ost file.

The OST Integrity Check tool runs only on .ost files and can be used to diagnose and repairsynchronization issues. The tool scans both your .ost file and your mailbox on the server runningExchange, compares the items and folders in each, and attempts to reconcile synchronizationdifferences between them. The OST Integrity Check tool does not change your mailbox on theserver running Exchange. The tool records any differences in a scan log so that you can see thediscrepancies that it found and resolved. The scan log also identifies any situations that the toolcould not correct which you will need to fix manually. The scan log can be found in yourDeleted Items folder.

To use the OST Integrity Check tool, you must connect to your Exchange account so that the toolcan scan your mailbox folders and items. If you previously set up Outlook to start offlineautomatically, the OST Integrity Check tool will not be able to access your mailbox on the serverrunning Exchange. Therefore, before you run the tool, you need to change your Outlook startupsettings temporarily.

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If you have problems opening your .ost file, you can use the Inbox Repair tool (Scanpst.exe) todiagnose and repair errors in your .ost file. The Inbox Repair tool (Scanpst.exe) can be used onyour .ost file as well as Personal Folders file (.pst). The tool scans the .ost or .pst file, and makessure that the file structure is intact. It does not interact with your Inbox on the server runningExchange server in any way.

The OST Integrity Check tool (Scanost.exe) is installed when you install Outlook. It is locatedat:

drive:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE12.

Repair errors by using Scanost.exe

1. Exit Outlook if it is running.2. Double-click Scanost.exe, located at drive:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE12.3. If you have set up Outlook to prompt for a profile, the tool will also prompt you for one.

In the Profile Name list, click the profile that contains the .ost file that you want tocheck.

If you are prompted to Connect or Work Offline, click Connect.

4. Select the options that you want.

To have the tool automatically resolve discrepancies that it finds during the scan, select theRepair Errors check box. If this check box is cleared, the tool will log the problems but notmake the necessary corrections.

5. Click Begin Scan.

Note To view the scan log, start Outlook, and then open the Deleted Items folder. The tooldoes not scan the Deleted Items folder. Any problems will be noted in a message with theSubject "OST Integrity Check."

Applies to:Outlook 2007

by; Joe Zandro

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