Scanpst

PST repair tool for corrupt Outlook PST file

2011-04-19T04:36:00.000-07:00

Abnormal behavior of Outlook can occur due to many reasons and Outlook stops responding. Also overall data of Outlook becomes totally inaccessible. Behind such problematic behavior of Outlook, number of factors are responsible. Some of these factors include file conflicts and corruption of PST file. Outlook shows corruption due to many reasons, such as unexpected system shutdown, malicious virus, operating system crash, and more. Well, file conflicts can be solved by taking appropriate inbuilt measures. Additionally, corruption of Outlook PST file can also be solved by an inbuilt Inbox repair tool. A third party PST repair software can also be used to handle severe corruption.

Consider a real case. Suppose, you make an attempt to open a Microsoft Outlook 2007. While opening Outlook, you receive the following error message on the screen that utters:

"A recently installed program may cause Microsoft Office or other e-mail-enabled programs to function improperly. Outlook can resolve this conflict without affecting the program that originally caused the problem. Do you want Outlook to resolve this problem?"

Once you get the above error message, data of Outlook cannot be accessed.

Cause:

Above erroneous situation occurs if there is a file problem with the MAPI core files. Problematic file is the Mapi32.dll file. Other reason might be the corrupt Outlook PST file.

Solution:

For troubleshooting above error message, and to access data of Outlook. You have to rename the Mapi32.dll file. After renaming the file, start the Fixmapi.exe program:

1. Select Start >> Search >> All files and folders.
2. Enter mapi32.dll in the All or part of the file name box, and then select Search.
3. After completing the search process, do a right click on the Mapi32.dll file, and then select Rename.
4. Enter Mapi32.old, and then select ENTER.
5. Select Start a new search, and then select All files and folders.
6. Enter fixmapi.exe in the All or part of the file name box, and then select Search.
7. After completion of search, do a click twice on Fixmapi.exe to start the repair process.
8. Follow the instructions and complete the repair process.

However, if the problem still persists, even after performing above steps, then it means that PST file is corrupt. To repair PST file, you can use an inbuilt Inbox repair tool. If no proper results get found, then it is better to go for a third party PST repair software. Such tools enable you to perform PST repair and recover all the corrupt data of Outlook easily in its original form.

Get worried because Scanpst.exe is not working

2011-02-02T02:38:00.000-08:00

A number of files are used for the overall working of MS-Outlook application. MS-Outlook application uses an inbuilt tool named as Scanpst.exe to repair PST file. The internal structure of the tool comprises a substantial number of files that make it ready to repair PST file. Scanpst uses OLMAPI32.dll file. If OLMAPI32.dll file gets corrupt, it creates problem situation for you. First of all, PST file cannot be repaired and to access data from a corrupt PST file is not possible unless you repair it. To handle such cases, a commercial Outlook PST repair tool is required. These commercial tools repair PST files and give better results than Scanpst tool.

To elaborate the above issue let's consider a practical case. Sometimes, when you try to run Scanpst.exe utility, MS-Outlook throws an error message. In the error message, following words are written:

"SCANPST.EXE- Unable To Locate Component; This application has failed to start because OLMAPI32.dll was not found. Reinstalling the application may fix this problem."

The result of this error message will be that your corrupt Outlook PST file will not be repaired by the Scanpst.exe utility, which has failed to execute. You cannot access data because of corrupt PST file.

Cause:

The reason for the occurrence of the above error message is the absence of OLMAPI32.dll file. There is a possibility that you did not install MS-Outlook properly, or a corrupt installation of MS-Outlook has been done by you. In rare cases, presence of two or more copies of scanpst.exe file also is the reason for the above error message.

Resolution:

Listed below are the measures that will help you sort out the above error message and make Scanpst.exe to execute. Follow these measures:

(1) Start your system in safe mode.

(2) Intall MS-Outlook application again. This measure is suggested because OLMAPI32.dll will be installed again, when you do fresh installation of Outlook.

(3) If this measure does not help you, reinstall the entire MS-Office application on your system.

If all else fails, then there is a possibility that the Outlook PST file itself is corrupt. It is well known fact that badly damaged Outlook PST file is not repaired by the Scanpst tool. To handle such cases, a commercial Outlook PST Recovery tool is required. These tools repair PST file and solve all the problems that occur in Outlook application because of corruption.

Recovering PST file in Outlook 2007 when the Send/Receive option fails to respond

2010-07-06T03:11:00.000-07:00

Most of you would be using Microsoft Outlook in your organization as the email application. It stores all its information about various objects such as emails, contacts, notes, calendar entries, etc in the Personal Storage Table (.pst) file. Also, there is the Send/Receive feature that forces Outlook to check for new messages every time the application is launched. You can use this feature later on as well. However, sometimes this feature may not work sometimes because of PST corruption. There may be chances that the PST file has become corrupted due to miscellaneous reasons. In such cases, you should use the Inbox Repair (Scanpst.exe) tool to repair the corrupted PST file. However, if you are unable to do so then you should use a third-party PST recovery software to Scanpst file.

Consider a scenario wherein you use Outlook 2007 on your Windows XP system. When you clicked on Send/Receive option, it fails to operate. An error message is displayed, which can be either of the following messages:

“An unknown error has occurred. 0X80040119”

“An unknown error has occurred. 0x80040600”

Cause:

The most possible cause of the aforementioned error message is that the PST file has corrupted. The reason behind corruption could be power outages, abruptly exiting Outlook, virus infections, CRC errors, etc.

Resolution:

To resolve the error message and access Outlook, you should run the Inbox Repair (Scanpst.exe) tool. This tool is able to Scan PST file and repair its file structure. To do this, you need to perform the following steps:

(1) Exit Outlook 2007.

(2) Find Outlook.pst file by following Control Panel | User Accounts | Mail | Data Files | Personal Folders | Settings.

(3) Note the text in the Filename box. This is the name of the PST file.

(4) Search for the Scanpst.exe file and double-click it to start the Inbox Repair tool.

(5) Browse and select the PST file that you want to repair and click Start.

Once the repair is complete, open Outlook and click the Send/Receive button and check whether the problem is resolved. However, if the problem is not solved then you should use a third-party PST recovery tool to recover the corrupted PST file. Such read-only tools use fast yet sophisticated scanning algorithms to Scan PST file and repair it without overwriting the original data.

Repairing CRC error in MS Outlook 2007

2010-06-22T04:03:00.000-07:00

A Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) is a method used to detect changes to a raw computer data in various types of storage devices. It takes data streams as input and produces a fixed length code. These are simple to operate and are quite efficient in finding errors that are caused by interruptions in data transfer. Similarly, sometimes the CRC errors are detected while downloading emails in Microsoft Outlook. Because of the CRC errors, PST file may get corrupted and may lead to further damages. In such cases, you should repair the PST file using the in-built Scanpst.exe file. However, if you are not able to solve the issue even after using the Scanpst file then you should use a third-party PST repair software to do the needful.

Consider a scenario wherein you have downloaded some emails in Outlook 2007, but unable to view them. An error message is displayed, that is:

“File xxxx.pst could not be accessed. Data error. Cyclic redundancy check.”

And when you try to access the Deleted Items folder, you may not be able to open it. An error message is displayed, that is:

“Error 0x80040116”
Cause:

The most possible cause of this error message is that the PST file has corrupted because of CRC errors. Other reasons for PST corruption could be virus infections, abrupt system shutdown, human errors, PST size exceeding 2 GB, etc.

Resolution:

To resolve the issue, you should repair the PST file using the Inbox Repair Tool. This tool is used to Scan PST file and repair the internal structure of the PST file. To do this, you can perform the following steps:

(1) Run the Inbox Repair (Scanpst.exe) tool.
(2) Repair the recovered items.
(3) Recover additional repaired items from the backup personal folder. Now, check Inbox and other folders that were not working properly. It should be resolved now.

However, if the problem is not yet resolved then you should use a third-party PST repair software to repair the PST file. These tools are able to repair the PST file from such issues which the Inbox Repair (Scanpst.exe) tool is not able to rectify.

Tips to Solve 'Scanpst.exe - entry point not found...' Error

2010-05-12T04:04:00.000-07:00

Scanpst.exe is the primary executable file that can run Inbox Repair Tool - a utility that can repair corrupted Microsoft Outlook PST file. When run, this tool examines the PST item headers and directory structure and tries to recover content of the PST within the file. Since the PST file is automatically installed with MS Outlook, application installation has a great impact on the working of Inbox Repair Tool. If Outlook installation is damaged or incomplete, you sometimes fail to run the tool also.

The following illustration and error message will help you clarify the problem to a further extent.

Consider a weird scenario when your Outlook PST is damaged and in order to repair it, you try to run the Scanpst program. But unlike to what you expected, the tool doesn't work and returns the below or similar error message:

Scanpst.exe - entry point not found

The procedure entry point RCVR_Scan32@28 could not be located in the dynamic link library SCNPST32.dll

As a result of this error, the tool is unable to proceed with the repair of corrupted PST. Such errors are most likely to occur because of an incomplete or damaged Outlook installation. The file specified in the error statement might be missing or facing some issues that Outlook is incompetent to deal with. Consequently, it cannot repair the file.

The general solutions to the above and alike problems when Scanpst.exe fails to repair the corrupted PST are as below:

(1) Try to repair MS Office installation. If it doesn't work, reinstall MS Outlook and try to repair the file again. In case the problem continues, consider performing the next step.

(2) Move the PST file to another computer with the same version of MS Outlook that has been used to create the original, damaged PST file.

(3) Use a third-party PST file repair application that can use more efficient algorithms to repair and restore the corrupted PST file. These software are specifically programmed to analyze a corrupted PST file, irrespective of the cause of corruption, and restore the file data to a destination that is generally specified by the user.

One of the best products to repair a corrupted PST is Stellar PST Repair software. Supporting MS Outlook 2007, 2003, 2002, and 2000, the tool enables error-free recovery of inaccessible PST items (including e-mails, notes, contacts, etc.) in a new PST file, even when MS Scanpst tool has failed.

Running Scanpst for a PST over 2 GB Fails

2010-05-12T03:58:00.000-07:00

Most of the PST corruption issues in Outlook 2003 (only HTTP and POP3 accounts), Outlook 2002 and its earlier versions result because of 2 GB file size limitation. If the file grows beyond this limit, its chances of getting corrupted also grow. Irrespective of this fact, Microsoft doesn't provide any utility that might repair corrupted ANSI PST of size greater than 2GB. The existing Scanpst.exe tool works only when you truncate the oversized PST to a size below 2 GB. Since PST truncation can delete your important e-mails, this method of repairing a corrupted PST, which is above 2 GB in size, is less recommended.

To further clarify such problems, let's analyze a realistic problem of an oversized PST, which gets corrupted because of PST 2 GB problem. The file contains information that you cannot lose. Thus, in order to repair the file, you locate the Scanpst file and launch it to start Inbox Repair Tool, but repair cannot be succeeded. You observe one of the following symptoms when trying to repair the oversized, corrupted PST:

(1) Inbox Repair Tool exits without notifying the cause.

(2) When you click 'Repair' after specifying the PST file name and path, it prompts the below or similar error message:

“Fatal Error: 80040900”

A corrupted PST cannot be repaired using Inbox Repair after you observe any of the above symptoms.

Outlook's Inbox Repair Tool has been so designed that it cannot repair an ANSI PST that is above 2 GB in size. However, it has Outlook 2003 or Outlook 2007 default file format, which is Unicode, these issues are rare.

To resolve these problems and to repair an ANSI PST that is above 2 GB, the possible solutions are listed below:

(1) Use PST 2 GB truncation utility to truncate the file and later repair it using Scanpst.exe tool. Keep in mind to backup your PST before applying the truncation utility as this can delete some of your most important data.

(2) Use a third-party PST file repair utility to repair and restore a corrupted PST. These are special tools that can fix PST file corruption, irrespective of the root of damage.

Internal Error when Running Scanpst

2010-04-29T05:02:00.000-07:00

An Outlook PST can get corrupted for several number of reasons. Not all, but most of these problems can be resolved by running Outlook's built-in utility called Scanpst.exe (also known as Inbox Repair Tool). This is actually a hidden program file that starts the PST file repair utility and removes most of the file corruption issues. But in worst cases, this utility may fail and you may encounter data loss. Following is one such problem that might occur due to the failure of this tool.

Suppose you have a corrupted PST file that you decide to repair using Inbox Repair Tool. But each time you try to run this utility, it gives the following error message:

“Internal errors were found in this file. They must be repaired for this file to work correctly.”

As a result, the PST file cannot be repaired and the corruption remains.

Explanation

At times, the same error can falsely occur if you run the Inbox Repair Tool on a Microsoft SharePoint Team Services folder that is being synchronized with the default PST file of MS Outlook. This occurs because the tool checks for a 'Deleted Items' folder, which is not present in Microsoft SharePoint Team Services folder. In such cases, the above error occurs even if the file is not corrupted.

However, when the PST file is corrupted and Scanpst is unable to repair the file, it could be because the extent of damage is too high or the file size is above 2 GB. To resolve this, you need to first check the file size and crop it using PST 2 GB crop utility if its size is more than 2 GB. But if this is not the case, you need a third-party PST file repair solution.

Note: Make sure that you backup your PST file before running the PST crop utility, as this tool can delete your important e-mails while cropping.

The third-party PST file repair applications can work better than conventional Scanpst.exe program. Moreover, they are easy to use and implement.

One of the best PST file repair utilities is Stellar PST Repair. It is a safe tool designed specifically for non-destructive scanning of corrupted PST. You can use this software in any case of corruption. It can be used when the Scanpst tool has failed. It supports MS Outlook 2007, 2003, 2002, and 2000.

Resolving 'Scanpst.exe not found' Error

2010-04-29T04:57:00.000-07:00

Corrupted Microsoft Outlook files are usually a source of annoyance for users. Damaged PST files (proprietary MS Outlook file format) can be repaired with Outlook's Inbox Repair Tool, which is accessible from program file called 'Scanpst.exe'. However, at times this .exe file can catch errors. Most of the times, when Windows registry is corrupted or has some invalid entries, Windows might find it unable to detect or load the file.

For more clarification of the topic, let's take a related scenario. You run Microsoft Outlook, for which you find that its default mail PST file is corrupted. Each time, when you choose to start Outlook, it returns an error message that you should use Inbox Repair Tool to fix file corruption. Further, when you try to run this tool by locating Scanpst file, below or similar error message appears on the screen:

“scanpst.exe not found.”

As a result of this error message, you cannot locate the file and hence cannot repair the corrupted PST.

Cause

Among other reasons, one of the main causes of this scanpst file error is issues with Windows registry, like the registry might be containing some invalid entries. This can occur because of one of the below mentioned reasons:

(1) You have not used this utility for considerable amount of time.

(2) Inbox Repair Tool or Microsoft Outlook has not been installed properly on the computer.

(3) Inbox Repair Tool or Microsoft Outlook has been recently removed, but not properly.

Note: The same error can also result if you are trying to locate the file at an incorrect location.

Solution

To isolate the given behavior, you need to delete invalid entries from Windows registry for Scanpst file. This needs perfect understanding of Windows components and its working. You can also try reinstalling Microsoft Outlook to solve the issue.

Alternatively, in case the PST cannot be repaired by Scanpst.exe utility, you can use a third-party PST file software. These are perfect solutions against any kind of PST file corruption that run risk-free scanning algorithms to repair and restore the corrupted file contents to a safe location.

Can't Import and Scanpst Fails to Recognize PST

2010-04-29T04:55:00.000-07:00

Microsoft Outlook PST files are often copied or moved to an external storage media, like CD, DVD etc. for restoration. While doing so, it is recommended to keep Outlook closed or else, the PST file might get corrupted. A corrupted PST, (irrespective of reason for corruption), can be repaired using Outlook's Scanpst tool if the damage has not been too extensive and the file size is below 2 GB. But there are many situations, in which the tool might fail to repair a corrupted PST, which needs to be imported and accessed in MS Outlook.

Following is a realistic problem in which an Outlook user copies Outlook PST to a CD and later reinstalls a new hard disk. After installing MS Outlook on this new hard disk, he/she replaces the newly created Outlook PST with the one copied to the CD. But when he/she tries to access the PST through MS Outlook, the application doesn't recognize the file. On trying to import the same PST post re-installing MS Outlook gives an error that says that the file is not a valid personal folder.

The above behavior indicates PST corruption. Hence, when a user runs Scanpst.exe utility to repair the file, below mentioned error message is displayed:

“The Inbox Repair Tool does not recognize the file file_path.pst. No information can be recovered”

Since PST on CD is the only copy, the user cannot access important e-mails and other data stored in this PST.

An Outlook PST should never be overwritten, as the user did in this case. Also, remove the read-only attribute before trying to access or import it. Keep in mind to close MS Outlook when moving or copying the PST to another media. Most of the users find it impossible to access a PST because it gets corrupted during file copy or move operation.

However, to deal with the specific problem, you should try these suggestions:

(1) Because Scanpst has been unable to repair the corrupted PST, you need to check the PST file size. If it is above 2 GB, you can crop the file using PST 2 GB crop utility. But backup the file prior to it, so that this utility can delete some important e-mails.

(2) Use a third-party PST file repair utility.

Tips to repair when Scanpst Fails with Error '80040806'

2010-01-30T02:22:00.000-08:00

When you cannot open an Outlook PST or suspect that the file is corrupt, it is suggested to use Outlook Inbox Repair Tool. The tool can be operated once you locate the associated file-Scanpst, which analyzes the file structure and performs the possible repair operations. But there can be situations when this tool might fail to repair the corrupted PST. It occurs specifically because the tool is available with certain limitations that prevent it from repairing the PST in all cases. In order to deal with such problems, you are suggested to switch to more powerful third-party applications.

For example, consider a practical instance of corrupted Outlook PST. To repair it, you locate the Scanpst.exe file and try to repair the file through Inbox Repair Tool. The repair cannot be completed and you receive an error as below:

Fatal Error: 80040806, dwErr=0

This error appears at the end of log, which also constitues messages like:

Attempting to fix original file
Attempting to copy back BBT

These symptoms suggest that Inbox Repair Tool is unable to fix PST corruption. Some general reasons that may cause Outlook repair tool to fail are:

(1) You are using an ANSI (American National Standards Institute) formatted PST that is above 2 GB in size. The Scanpst tool cannot repair PST corrupted due to 2 GB file size limitation. To solve this issue, you can crop the PST using the 2 GB truncation utility that truncates the affected file by a specified value. Though it makes the file repairable but also causes important data to delete.

(2) The Scanpst.exe file is not properly installed. So, you can try reinstalling Microsoft Outlook and rerun the PST repair process.

(3) If none of the above solutions work, you need a third-party repair utility. These tools are specifically built to perform a thorough procedure that can Scan pst and bring the effective results. Designed with a user-friendly interface, these utilities are much capable than Scanpst tool to repair a corrupted PST.

Other Useful Resources:

PST Recovery
Inbox Repair Tool
EDB Repair
EDB Recovery
MS Exchange Repair
Exchange Recovery

Convert OST to PST

Tips to Solve Scanpst Error: 'The procedure entry point DDLUninitinstance@0'

2010-01-16T00:50:00.000-08:00

Microsoft Outlook uses MSMAPI32.dll file, which is a module associated with MAPI32 (Windows Messaging API). The application accesses this component for several purposes, also for running Scanpst.exe tool. The Scanpst utility is basically designed to fix corruption errors of an Outlook PST. If this fails for the issues rooting from MSMAPI32.dll, you fall in inevitable situations of losing your important data.

The Scanpst.exe file is a component of Outlook installation. So any errors in this installation can also prevent the associated tool-Inbox Repair Tool-from running. For example, suppose your Outlook PST is corrupted for some reasons. But when you locate Scanpst.exe file to start the PST file repair program, it fails and gives the below error message:

“The procedure entry point DDLUninitinstance@0 could not be located in the dynamic link library MSMAPI32.dll.”

The tool fails at each attempt of repairing the corrupted PST.

Cause

Some probable reasons for the above error to occur are:

(1) The version of existing MSMAPI32.dll file doesn't match with that of Outlook.

(2) Scanpst.exe is being tried to access from incorrect location. This can occur if another Outlook installation also exists on computer.

Solution

You need these solutions to solve this problem:

(1) Check if the version number of current MSMAPI32.dll matches with Outlook version in use. The version number of Outlook 2007 is 12, for Outlook 2003 is 11, for Outlook 2002 is 10, and for Outlook 2000 is 9. If not, you need to reinstall Outlook.

(2) Uninstall another Outlook installation that might be there on your computer. Run 'Detect and Repair' or complete reinstall for Outlook and try running the tool again.

(3) If Scanpst still cannot repair the corrupted PST, this might be due to high level of corruption in the file. To repair the PST in this case, you need to run a third-party repair product or alternatively, you can go for restoring from backup if available. The commercial PST file repair utilities use more powerful Scan pst algorithms and also, maintain the integrity of the file. The software are easy to install and use.

Tips to Solve when Scanpst Freezes during PST Repair

2010-01-16T00:48:00.000-08:00

An Outlook PST is prone to corruption reasons such as unexpected shutdown, 2 GB file size limitation, network sharing, virus attack, and similar others. To solve such, though not all, problems, Microsoft provides a built-in Outlook tool called Inbox Repair Tool. The tool is associated with a program file-'Scanpst.exe'. This utility is designed to examine the structure of corrupted PST file and hence, repair it. But due to several limitations, Scanpst may fail to fix the damaged PST. These can be because the file is oversized, file installation is incomplete, and due to several other causes.

Scanpst tool can fail in number of cases. One of such examples is when you find an Outlook PST corrupted, run the Inbox Repair Tool, but the tool freezes with no result. The tool may find the problems correctly, but hangs when you hit to repair the file. Trying to run the tool in Safe mode also fails.

Cause

Some possible reasons behind such issue are:

(1) The Inbox Repair Tool is not updated or not installed properly.

(2) You are trying to repair a PST, which is above 2 GB. The Inbox Repair Tool cannot repair PST that is more than 2 GB in size.

(3) The tool finds errors that it cannot repair.

Solution

You can try implementing these suggestions to solve the existing issue:

(1) Download and install all the recent updates available for Outlook. Reinstall Outlook as the last option.

(2) Check the PST file size. If it is above 2 GB, you can use 2 GB truncation utility. Make sure you backup the file first as this tool truncates the file up to the specified size value and can cause important data to delete. Re-run the Scanpst tool.

(3) If you can open the affected PST, create a new PST and import all items to this.

(4) In case you cannot access the file, you are suggested to use a third-party PST file repair utility. These tools can Scan PST file using powerful and safe algorithms and can be used in each instance of corruption, even the 2 GB problem.

Tips to 'Solve SCANPST.EXE is in use by another application' Error

2010-01-16T00:47:00.000-08:00

Microsoft Outlook PST can get corrupt for number of reasons, which include 2 GB file size limitation, unexpected shutdown, network sharing, and more. The Inbox Repair Tool (Scanpst.exe) is the utility that is designed to fix such corruption issues. Depending on the operating system in use, the Scanpst utility is automatically installed with all Outlook installation options. So, if Outlook is not installed properly or is corrupted somehow, the tool may not work.

As an instance of such problems, consider a situation when you have a corrupted Outlook PST. You locate the Scanpst.exe file to run repair. But the process fails and it prompts an error message, as below:

“The error message is: The file C:\Program Files\Micorsoft Office\Office12\SCANPST.EXE is in use by another application. Close Microsoft Office Outlook and all other mail-enabled applications and try again.”

The error occurs when no other application or process is accessing the file. The file location, described in the error message, may differ that depends on the operating system and MS Outlook version.

Cause

The error may occur due to issues with Outlook installation. If Outlook is not correctly installed or is corrupted, the Inbox Repair Tool cannot start.

Solution

Make sure you are referring to correct Scanpst.exe file path. To resolve the above issue, you should consider applying these measures:

(1) Run 'Detect and Repair' to correct Outlook installation issues. If this doesn't help, you should reinstall Microsoft Outlook and try to re-run the tool and repair the corrupted PST again.

(2) You can try transferring the corrupted PST to another computer running Outlook and then repairing it.

(3) If a valid backup is available, you can simply delete the corrupted PST and replace it with the backup copy. However, if the emails are not so important, you can just recreate the PST.

(4) If none of the above described solutions work (including Scanpst) , you need to use a commercial product that can repair and restore the corrupted PST. These software can Scan pst and are quite effective at repairing the corrupted Outlook PST using high-end scanning algorithms.

Stellar Phoenix Outlook PST Repair is a reliable and advanced application that repairs corrupted PST and restores it as a new importable PST. The software can Scan pst using powerful, yet safe, algorithms. The tool supports MS Outlook 2007, 2003, 2002, and 2000. The software can restore all emails, notes, contacts, calendars, and other PST items.

Reasons why Scanpst Fails

2009-12-02T04:12:00.001-08:00

Microsoft Outlook implies the concept of centralized data storage when storing its data. The single file it generates is PST, which is vulnerable to several corruption risks. These include unexpected power failure, large PST size, network sharing and numerous other factors. To overcome such corruption scenarios and to get back your data, you should run Outlook provided Scanpst tool. It proves efficient in repairing PST in many cases, but can fail as well. Also termed as Inbox Repair Tool, it can fix PST corruption mostly when it is related to file header. In other situations, the tool can run out, which asks for more powerful repair solutions to repair your damaged PST.

Why Scanpst.exe fails?

The way Inbox Repair Tool (Scanpst.exe) works is not meant to repair the corrupted PST completely. It basically repairs the damaged PST header and go for item-wise recovery.

The PST header gets damaged usually when you upgrade your Outlook version, say from Outlook 2002 to Outlook 2003. The Inbox Repair Tool can work well in this case. Now, suppose a condition when the data inside the file is damaged. At this point, running the tool will delete the corrupted data instead of repairing it. The Scan PST will destroy everything that it finds beyond understanding, leaving the file in an unstable state. Thus, it is recommended to run the tool on a copy of PST rather than applying it directly on affected PST.

Another limitation of Inbox Repair Tool is that it cannot repair the PST that is beyond its maximum file size value. Microsoft suggests repairing such file by first cropping through PST crop tool. But this again sets in data loss situations as the tool deletes the email messages and truncate the file. Also, the corrupted file may fail to open with this tool.

Third-party PST repair tools

The commercial PST file repair applications use most sophisticated technology to repair your Outlook PST. The software can work in each set of problem, which is beyond the repair of capabilities of Scanpst tool. Such tools provide you easy file repair through a well-organized user interface.

For best PST file repair results, you should use Outlook PST Repair. It is an advanced repair tool for corrupted PST files created with Outlook 2007, 2003, 2002 and 2000. The software recovers all emails, notes, calendars, contacts, journals etc. The Scan PST tool works safely and quickly in all corruption scenarios.

Reasons why Scanpst Fails

2009-12-02T04:12:00.000-08:00

Microsoft Outlook implies the concept of centralized data storage when storing its data. The single file it generates is PST, which is vulnerable to several corruption risks. These include unexpected power failure, large PST size, network sharing and numerous other factors. To overcome such corruption scenarios and to get back your data, you should run Outlook provided Scanpst tool. It proves efficient in repairing PST in many cases, but can fail as well. Also termed as Inbox Repair Tool, it can fix PST corruption mostly when it is related to file header. In other situations, the tool can run out, which asks for more powerful repair solutions to repair your damaged PST.

Why Scanpst.exe fails?

The way Inbox Repair Tool (Scanpst.exe) works is not meant to repair the corrupt PST completely. It basically repairs the damaged PST header and go for item-wise recovery.

The PST header gets damaged usually when you upgrade your Outlook version, say from Outlook 2002 to Outlook 2003. The Inbox Repair Tool can work well in this case. Now, suppose a condition when the data inside the file is damaged. At this point, running the tool will delete the corrupted data instead of repairing it. The Scan PST will destroy everything that it finds beyond understanding, leaving the file in an unstable state. Thus, it is recommended to run the tool on a copy of PST rather than applying it directly on affected PST.

Another limitation of Inbox Repair Tool is that it cannot repair the PST that is beyond its maximum file size value. Microsoft suggests repairing such file by first cropping through PST crop tool. But this again sets in data loss situations as the tool deletes the email messages and truncate the file. Also, the corrupted file may fail to open with this tool.

Third-party PST repair tools

The commercial PST file repair applications use most sophisticated technology to repair your Outlook PST. The software can work in each set of problem, which is beyond the repair of capabilities of Scanpst tool. Such tools provide you easy file repair through a well-organized user interface.

For best PST file repair results, you should use Stellar Phoenix Outlook PST Repair. It is an advanced repair tool for corrupted PST files created with Outlook 2007, 2003, 2002 and 2000. The software recovers all emails, notes, calendars, contacts, journals etc. The Scan PST tool works safely and quickly in all corruption scenarios.

How to Solve Scnpst32.Dll Not Found Errors?

2009-12-01T02:19:00.000-08:00

Microsoft Outlook provides Scanpst.exe (Inbox Repair Tool) utility to fix a corrupted PST. The tool uses a file called 'Scnpst32.dll' for ANSI stores for this purpose of personal folder recovery. If the file goes corrupted or missing from Windows, the Scanpst tool fails and yields an error, such as mentioned in further reading. The article also describes some solutions that you can apply to solve the Scnpst32.dll errors.

To illustrate such problems, suppose your PST gets corrupted and fails to open with an error message (such as 'Unable to display the folder'). You decide to run Inbox Repair Tool as recommended, but running the utility returns an error as below:

“SCNPST32.DLL was not found. Re installing the application may fix this”

The tool fails with this error on each attempt of running the tool.

Cause

Scnpst32.dll is either missing, corrupted or unregistered. The Inbox Repair Tool cannot run without this file.

Solution

Following solutions can help you solve the given problem:

(1) To repair the corrupted PST only and not the tool, you can move the PST to another computer that has a clean Scan Pst and Scnpst32.dll file.
(2) You can register the Scnpst32.dll file by running the below command:

regsvr32 C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\MSMAPI\1033\SCNPST32.DLL.

(3) If you had downloaded the Scanpst.exe, you may have a copy of it. Try to use the tool and repair the corrupted PST from this copy.
(4) You can download the latest updates and hotfixes available for Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007 that include the Scnpst32.dll file.
(5) You can download the Scnpst32.dll file from a safe website and replace the damaged or missing one with this.
(6) You can repair your corrupted PST by using a third-party repair utility. These software can work even when the Scanpst fails.

The commercial tools that are designed specifically for repairing and restoring a corrupted PST prove highly competent. The software are easy to install and easy to use with suitable instructions. They guide you through quick steps and require no prior technical understanding to run such software.

Stellar Phoenix Outlook PST Repair makes sure non-destructive PST file repair for files created with Outlook 2007, 2003, 2002 and 2000. The tool is compatible with Windows 7, Vista, XP, 2003 and 2000. The advanced and versatile Scan Pst product uses high-end scanning techniques. The software is easy-to-implement with suitably designed interface that resembles exactly with that of Outlook.

Tips to Solve 'scanpst.exe fails with Fatal Error: 80040818' Outlook Error

2009-11-12T01:31:00.000-08:00

Microsoft provides Outlook with a tool called Scanpst that is capable of fixing corruption problems with Outlook .pst file. As the name applies, the tool examines the corrupted file and attempts to repair what it can. It checks the PST file directory structure and analyzes the headers of all mail items. Also called Inbox Repair Tool, it is not able to correct all problems with the .pst file. Some of the file corruption problems may remain unfixed. At this point, you will need to restore the corrupted file either from backup or repair it using more powerful third-party repair applications.

Consider a situation when your .pst file gets corrupted in Outlook 2007. When you try to repair the file by running Inbox Repair Tool, it fails to fix the corruption and instead gives the below error message:

“scanpst.exe fails with Fatal Error: 80040818”

Cause

The possible cause of this error is that PST file has been brought from an earlier version Outlook to Outlook 2007. Outlook 2002 and earlier versions have ANSI formatted .pst file with size limitation of 2 GB. Though Outlook 2003 IMAP4 and HTTP accounts still use the ANSI .pst files, but its other accounts and as well as Outlook 2007 support UNICODE file format with extended file size value of 20 GB.

Unless you modify the Windows registry to give a size warning for .pst file, Outlook will not warn against its higher than expected value. The error occurs with a .pst file having large size that Scan Pst cannot repair.

Solution

You can try these fixes to overcome the issue:

1) You can use PST Crop Tool to reduce it overall size. Make sure you backup the file prior doing so as some of your emails can get deleted. You can delete the unwanted items as well.
2) Try to repair the file by moving it to a system installed with earlier version of Outlook
3) If PST is still corrupted, you should use third-party tools. These software apply exclusive scanning algorithms to repair and restore a corrupted .pst file. The software work even when Scanpst fails.

Stellar Phoenix Outlook PST Repair is a fully-featured repair utility with powerful features to repair damaged or corrupted PST file. It is a safe tool with support to Outlook 2007, 2003, 2002 and 2000. The software is easy-to-use with self-descriptive interface. You can use it when Scan Pst has failed. It recovers and restores all PST file objects at a safe location.

Error Copying PST to an External Drive

2009-11-10T22:51:00.000-08:00

Outlook Inbox Repair Tool is a built-in utility for repairing and correcting .pst file corruption issues. But it can fail, for reasons, such as high extent of corruption or oversized PST. At this point, you should consider to opt for reliable and efficient solutions for PST recovery. These tools are found to be more powerful than Scan pst at repair.

To exemplify, consider the following practical scenario:

1) You try copy few files to an external drive including Outlook.pst. You notice that all files, except Outlook.pst cannot be copied and you receive CRC errors, after which the process halts

2) You rename the file and try to run Inbox Repair Tool to achieve recovery. But, Inbox Repair Tool fails too and you come across an error message as below:

“An unexpected error prevented access to this file. Use ScanDisk to check the disk for errors, and then try using the Inbox Repair tool again”

The file cannot be repaired even by using disk repair utilities, as suggested.

Cause

CRC errors are general symptoms of .pst file corruption. Scanpst is unable to solve the existing issue because of following reasons:

1) Outlook.pst is badly damaged. The Inbox Repair Tool generally fails to fix PST corruption if it roots from reasons, external to normal disk errors or application errors.

2) Your .pst file is ANSI formatted and is more than 2 GB in size. Outlook Scanpst.exe cannot repair the file if it is over 2 GB.

Solution

To solve the existing problem, you should consider these steps:

1) You should try to run PST Crop Tool first to reduce the overall size of the file. It is a Microsoft tool designed to crop the .pst file to fall under 2 GB. It deletes the email messages. You can then try to run Inbox Repair Tool.

2) If the problem persists, you should delete the damaged .pst file and restore it from a backup. If in case no suitable backup is present, you need to repair the damaged file using a powerful third-party .pst file repair utility. These software can fix PST corruption even when Scan pst fails.

Stellar Phoenix Outlook PST Repair is a fully-featured repair utility with powerful features to repair damaged or corrupted PST file. It is a safe tool with support to Outlook 2007, 2003, 2002 and 2000. The software is easy-to-use with self-descriptive interface. You can use it when Scanpst has failed. It recovers and restores all PST file objects at a safe location.

Errors Detected in File when Running Scanpst

2009-11-10T22:48:00.000-08:00

Microsoft provides Inbox Repair Tool as a tool that can repair corruption issues associated with Outlook Personal Folder (.pst) files. Also called Scanpst, this tool is automatically installed with all the available Outlook installation options, as per the operating system in use. It is suggested to backup the original file before applying it to prevent any post-crash consequences. But Inbox Repair Tool comes with limited functionalities and often fixes issues that occur due to Outlook internal errors or disk issues. If the damage source is external, PST is greater than 2 GB in size (in Outlook 97-2002) or extent of corruption is high, the tool might not fix the PST.

To illustrate, you might come across the below error message as a result of running Inbox Repair Tool on your corrupt PST file:

“Errors have been detected in the file . Quit all mail-enabled applications, and then use the Inbox Repair Tool.”

Where refers to the location of PST file on disk. The tool cannot fix corruption of this file.

Cause

This error is observed because of Outlook 2 GB file size limitation in Outlook 97-2002. Inbox Repair Tool cannot fix corruption with the file if its grows beyond 2 GB in size.

Solution

To solve the cases, such as discussed above, you should try the following steps:

1) Download and use Microsoft 2 GB Truncation utility. You should perform a complete backup of the affected PST before applying the tool. This is because the tool truncates the PST to fall under 2 GB in size, but simultaneously deletes some of the messages.
2) Run Scan pst on the truncated file

If you still cannot access the file because of its corruption, it is advised to use powerful products of PST file repair. Scanpst succeeds in limited number of cases. But, third-party PST file recovery products are sure solutions to repair the damaged PST file. These tools provide you interactive design plus powerful repair functionalities for a corrupted or damaged PST file. You can use these software in any instance when Outlook PST is corrupt.

Stellar Phoenix Outlook PST Repair is a reliable and advanced repair utility for PST files created with Outlook 2007, 2003, 2002 and 2000. It is one of the known product that is competent to restore all file objects, including emails, notes, journals, tasks and contacts. The tool works even if Scan pst fails. The tool incorporates high-end scanning algorithms and graphically rich user interface.

Use Scanpst for repairing 'FileName.pst file could not be opened' Error

2009-11-10T22:43:00.000-08:00

Microsoft Outlook PST files can get corrupt for different reasons. Thus, to fix these errors, all installation options of Microsoft Outlook include a repair tool, called Scanpst.exe or Inbox Repair Tool. It is a hidden file and is often used to validate and correct errors that are related to .pst file. But it may fail too. When the corruption is severe or the reason root externally, the Scanpst tool can run out to repair the errors. In such cases, you should use third-party tools that can use efficient scanning algorithms for the same.

As a scenario, consider you use Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 that is installed on a Windows Vista-based computer. When you try to open Outlook, you come across an error as below:

“.pst file could not be opened. The file may not be compatible with this version of Outlook or it may be corrupted.”

Where, 'FileName' refers to the name of your Outlook PST file. Outlook fails to start after you receive this error message.

Cause

The PST file is corrupted because you have recently used Backup Status and Configuration program to backup and then restore the mail file. It particularly occurs when the PST mail file lies in an encrypted folder.

Solution

As a standard solution to repair the corrupt PST file, you should use Scanpst.exe as follows:

1) Close Outlook 2007
2) Determine the name of your personal mail folder. For this, click User Accounts and Family Safety or User Accounts Mail Data Files Personal Folders Settings and note its name from Filename box. Close it.
3) Go to '%ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Office\Office12\' using Windows Start Search option
4) Open the Scan pst tool by double-clicking it and specify the name and path of your .pst fil
5) Click Start and click OK when it finishes

Open Outlook and see if Outlook can start now. If it cannot, your PST is still corrupted and you need to opt for better solutions as Scanpst has failed. You should use commercial PST repair tools to repair and restore the corrupted file.

Stellar Phoenix Outlook PST Repair is an exclusively built to run powerful repair algorithms for damaged PST file. It is a safe utility that supports Outlook 2007, 2003, 2002 and 2000. Incorporated with impressive graphic features, it is one of the globally trusted PST file repair product that can even work if Scan pst fails. The tool is compatible with Windows Vista, XP, 2003, 2000 and NT.

PST Access Denied when Opening Outlook

2009-11-10T22:37:00.000-08:00

An Outlook PST file can get corrupt due to several issues. To fix such corruption problems, Microsoft provides a built-in tool called Scan pst that help repairing them. The tool analyzes the corrupted PST file directory satructure and items headers. It can recover all mail folders items if works. It find issues with the damaged file and corrects what it can. But if the corruption is severe, odds are that the tool might not work to repair. You should then apply your last backup to restore the file contents. Sometimes, backup also fails. To deal with such situations and to recover data, third-party tools are available. Such tools are competent to restore PST file using powerful scanning algorithms.

For example, you might come across the below error when trying to launch Microsoft Outlook:

“Unable to display the folder,[path]Outlook.pst could not be accessed, access denied.”

Trying to restart the application doesn't help as you receive the same error as above.

Cause

This error occurs if Outlook.pst is infected from errors and is corrupted.

Solution

The prime solution to solve this issue is to run Scanpst tool. To use the tool, you need to follow the below sequence of steps:

1) Quit Microsoft Outlook
2) Click Start and point to Search or Find option (as per the Windows version installed)
3) You should then locate the tool by typing scanpst.exe in 'Search for files and folders' named box
4) Open the tool and specify the PST file path you want to repair. If the exact location is unknown, you can click Browse to locate it
5) Click Start to begin the repair process
6) Exit the tool when it finishes

At times, Scan pst doesn't help to solve the issue. In such cases, you should try other repair methods such as running chkdsk, changing PST location, and recreating the Outlook profile. If the problem continues, switch to more reliable solutions to repair the damaged PST file. The third-party PST repair tools can repair and restore damaged PST file even if Inbox Repair Tools fails to do so.

Stellar Phoenix Outlook PST Repair is an unmatched repair solution to repair and restore corrupted Outlook PST file. It is a safe repair product that works even when Scanpst cannot repair. The tool is compatible with Outlook 2007, 2003, 2002 and 2000. It restores all file contents including emails, notes, journals, appointments, contacts and others.