Outlook PST Repair Recommendations?

[Renegade]

Yeah... a PST is hosed, so if anyone can recommend a decent PST recovery/repair utility, it would be appreciated. (I'll fart around with restoring a backup later -- I'd rather repair it if possible.)

<speaking to self>Sigh... One day Outlook will work right... Just keep telling yourself that... One day...</speaking to self>

[lanux128]

what version of Outlook? you can google for scanpst.exe, normally it does the trick..

[lanux128]

these two pages might be of help..

• http://www.petri.co....nbox-repair-tool.htm
• http://www.projex.co...-download-scanpstexe

[timns]

You should have ScanPST already installed - I found a copy in my Office12 folder (= Outlook 2007)

If you don't got that, and it's a version you could use, please let me know and I'll send it over.

But I'm glad you started this thread. I ran a scan out of interest and sure enough some repairs were required, which seems to have helped with Outlook's cpu usage here. She creeps.

[Renegade]

I'd already run scanpst.exe several times to no avail. I've rebooted, and will try again...

And... dog poop.

The file "gets repaired", but I can't set it as the default -- Outlook crashes when opened then.

So, sigh...

I'll fart around some more and see if I can manage to get things back to sanity.

Regarding Outlook 2007, I found that it runs MUCH better than 2003, but 2010 is still better than 2007.

[Ath]

And creating a new pst file, then copying all folders over, delete the old pst, does that help (or was that option no. 1 in the other pages, that I didn't look at)

[Carol Haynes]

Not much use now but in future use MailStore to archive and backup your Outlook profile.

[Renegade]

Well, seems that Acronis was the best solution -- just restore a backed up version instead of trying to repair the file. Having checked sizes, the backup was around 2 GB and the hosed one was about 1 GB.

Like... god... WTF? Why can't they get this stuff working properly? I wish they'd just axe all the BS in Outlook and stick in the SQL Server engine. I have a massive hatred for flat file data storage... and Outlook only increases the volume of my internal screaming.

[Carol Haynes]

The advantage of MailStore is that all your email is just there and you can back up PSTs in just a couple of clicks on a daily basis - or even more often.

Which version of Outlook were you using? The is a 2Gb limit for Outlook 2003 and earlier, and if you upgraded from 2003 you may still using the 2003/XP/2000 file format.

[Renegade]

It's Outlook 2010 -- and not an upgrade.

I sooooo hate PSTs... I wish they'd just dump them entirely and store the information sanely. An RDBMS would be much better. Time to shut up before I rant.

[Carol Haynes]

Time to shut up before I rant

-Renegade (November 25, 2011, 03:13 AM)

Why - it will do you good.

I think MS have a special deal with a lot of these PST recovery companies - its the only rational reason I can see for the existence of PSTs in this day and age.

I still have Outlook but I have almost stopped using it. I do everything now online and archive my online accounts in Outlook and Mailstore - but for daily use Outlook rarely gets opened.

I find Mailstore invaluable - it has an archive of my emails going back over 10 years and the search feature is instant - plus you can export to almost any email client if you want to on a single email to the whole archive - even to text files.

I have just upgraded to Mailstore Server (yes I know it is expensive) but it just sits quietly on my computer and automatically archives my email accounts on a scheduled basis without interrupting anything. At least give Mailstore Home (free) a go.

[Stoic Joker]

I had a PST file I'd been hanging onto for several years in the hopes that it could at some point be recovered (it's from the RAID 0 crash I had back when). So between curiosity and this thread, I decided to take another run at it.

Scanpst claimed (as it had before) that it had recovered 1,000+ items, but when I tried to do an import it accomplished nothing ... Which is why I'd given up on it back when. Granted I hadn't completely given up because I never deleted the file, but the project had beed shelved pending new information/options.

So... Just for the hell of it, I tried opening the PST (don't actually know why I never tried that before),  and Outlook mounted it next to my current personal folder. It was perfectly readable and I was able to copy over all of the mail, contacts, and events that it contained. Why Outlook would not just import it, I've not a clue. But I do at least now finally have it back after sitting on the burnt pst cornflake for almost 4 years.

The PST was from Outlook 2003, and I'm currently using Outlook 2007.

Thanks Ren!

[timns]

I find Mailstore invaluable - it has an archive of my emails going back over 10 years and the search feature is instant - plus you can export to almost any email client if you want to on a single email to the whole archive - even to text files.

I have just upgraded to Mailstore Server (yes I know it is expensive) but it just sits quietly on my computer and automatically archives my email accounts on a scheduled basis without interrupting anything. At least give Mailstore Home (free) a go.

-Carol Haynes (November 25, 2011, 03:24 AM)

Sorry to go off-topic - but Carol can you confirm that MailServer can be taken totally "in-house" i.e. so I don't have to rely on their servers, and can buy a license not a subscription?

[Carol Haynes]

It is a Desktop app pure and simple - no servers involved.

The only MailStore servers are the ones you buy and the only interaction with Mailstore is to install the license when you set it up.

The Home version doesn't even need a license it is a free download - usually 1-2 versions behind the full version but still very good at what it does.

As far as I understand the licensing system it is as follows:

1) Home - no specific licensing/activation. Just agree to only use it for home use. Upgrades are free - but they are fairly infrequent. Just install the new version over the old one.
2) Server - minimum purchase is for 5 seats and the license is activated during installation - the license doesn't expires and upgrades are available for the support period included in the purchase (1, 2 or 3 years). If you want to upgrade later to the next version it is up to you but there is no requirement but you can only renew the support option during the life of the support license).

They don't use a subscription model for the software itself (only support and upgrades) - it is just licensed per seat. The server version allows you to centralise backup and storage of email with all licensed machines having access to their own email over the network.

In the past I have asked for help with the free Home version and they have always been very quick to respond and helpful.

Limitations exist on what can and can't be done -eg. the Home version supports archiving all Outlook PST files in the current Outlook profile (and I think uses Outlook to extract the data). The Server version allows archiving of PST files directly (just point at a PST file and you can archive it).

Archiving in both versions can be rule based (but doesn't have to be). For example you can restrict the folders you archive and you can set it to automatically delete emails from the source as they are archived, specifying an age before archiving takes place.

It supports lots of mail clients and can do POP directly and is preconfigures to allow archiving of GMail accounts. It can also archive IMAP accounts and the server version works with MS Exchange too.

Mailstore server also works across Workgroups or server based networks.

Give the Home version a go - you have nothing to lose except time! There is a 30 day trial for the server version (You need to convert the Home archive and import it into the server version if you change app).

If you want to see more about pricing and licensing terms for the server cersion check out the FAQs link on https://my.mailstore.com/Store?lang=en#

[timns]

Thank you Carol. I'll have to give this thing a go.

The idea of being able to do a unified search across all my old emails is very appealing for a start - I had resigned myself to keeping an old Eudora and Thunderbird installed to look back.

And I see there's an Outlook plugin... looking pretty good.

[Carol Haynes]

I have updated some of my comments above to correct a couple of my errors! No biggies though.

Hadn't noticed the Outlook plugin (don't use Outlook much these days). In Outlook 2010 it adds an extra tab that gives direct access to your archive including their ultra fast search.

[x16wda]

As long as we're on the topic, readers might want to take a look at several free Kernel tools that let you access PST, OST and EDB files without requiring Outlook or Exchange to be installed.  I've tried several of these and they are worth much more than their cost.  

Oh yeah - and like Carol said, Mailstore is the bomb!

[VJM]

I need the ability to open .pst files that were saved on an XP computer using Windows 2003, recommendations?

[x16wda]

Have you tried attaching them to Outlook?

If you just want to view the contents, you can use the Kernel PST viewer without having Outlook installed.