Resolving 'Scanpst.exe not found' Error

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.