PST repair tool for corrupt Outlook PST file

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.