Inbox Repair Tool or scanpst.exe is an inbuilt tool in Outlook developed by Microsoft. In order to repair any corrupted or damaged PST file, the tool is used. When working on Outlook we face so many issues regarding corruption in Outlook items like Email, Calendar, Tasks, Contacts etc. To fix the issues or the errors we use Inbox Repair Tool (Scanpst.exe).

Where Can We Find SCANPST Utility?

SCANPST tool’s location may vary in different Microsoft Outlook versions. To find its location you can follow these steps (regardless of any Outlook versions):

Why Do We Need Inbox Repair Utility?

We might encounter another error i.e., 0x800CCC0F Outlook error.

How to Find and Run Inbox Repair Tool?

These steps are to be followed:

• At first, close your "MS Outlook".
• Go to (C :) Drive >> Select "Program Files" >> "Microsoft Office" >> "Office14" >> click on "SCANPST".

• Now, you will see a pop-up window, choose "Browse" button to select the PST Outlook File & click "Start" button.

Location to find PST File: C:\Users\admin\Documents\Outlook Files:

• Click on "Start" button, and the tool will analyse the file.

• Now, you’ll see a new window, where the location of PST file will be shown, along with the number of folders found and total items found in this PST file. Make sure to check the option: "Make backup of scanned file before repairing". And then, hit "Repair" button in order to repair the corrupt Outlook PST file.

• The Inbox tool repair utility will display a "Repair complete" message. Hit "OK" button.

Points to Remember:

• Create a backup of PST File before performing the SCANPST operation.
• The all above steps are for MS Outlook 2010, however, these can be performed on any version.

What to do if SCANPST not found?

There can be a scenario where you won’t be able to find SCANPST on its default location. You have to make sure that you haven’t disabled this option:"Show hidden files and folders"

To Check (Window 10 OS):

• Go to "Ask me anything" and then type "Folder Options" >> Go to "File Explorer Options".

• You will see a new window with the name "File Explorer Options" . Visit the "View" tab inside the "Advance settings", enable this option- "Show hidden files, folders, and drives" and Hit "OK".

What if Inbox Repair Tool doesn’t work?

If Inbox Repair Tool fails to repair corrupted PST file, then it only happens when your PST file is severely damaged. This tool is capable to repair only minor level corruption in Outlook PST files. If you need a utility to repair major level corruption of PST files, you won’t find any such tool in web. In that condition, you can switch to any third party source which is capable to repair corrupted PST File in Outlook.

Microsoft Office 365 is the most discussed topic in both technology and business worlds. With the help of Office 365, users can work online, share files and spreadsheets. It is the perfect business cloud which allows users to work anywhere, anytime & on any device. But, due to its flexibility, the chances of data corruption or loss in the Office 365 is more. So, for recovery of lost or corrupted data, backup of Office 365 is necessary. Here, we will also discuss that why Office 365 backup plays an important role with top 5 reasons.

Why do I Need to Backup Office 365?

There are many reasons behind creating backup of Office 365 data. But, in this section, you will come to know the top 5 reasons to backup Office 365.

1. Office 365 is an Ecosystem in the Cloud

Office 365 is a complete ecosystem of many applications & data structures that are stored in the cloud. So, users don’t know exactly where is their data. Thus, If they didn’t have back up of data, then it is very difficult to find any data from the Office 365 ecosystem in the cloud. However, the backup is the only way to restore and find all of Office 365 data. Backing up Office 365 data is not an easy task and sometimes it is nearly impossible to do with the native Office 365 backup tools.

2. MS Outlook Doesn’t Backup After 30 days

Microsoft Outlook does not allow to take backup data older than 30 days that have been deleted from the recycle bin. Also, Outlook has limited email storage, so, sometimes users forced to delete some old emails. If end-users delete their old message to free the space, then it may possible the potentially destroying records that may be needed for legal or regulatory compliance. In such case, the backup should be necessary.

3. Data Loss due to Ransomware Attack

In this new world of hackers and data hostage viruses, data loss or corruption is a very common issue. There are many organizations that have faced the ransomware attack that literally took down their business. According to a recent research in 2017, there are more than 300,000 systems were taken down by Wanna Cry ransomware only. The only way to protect the firms from a ransomware attack is having a full and complete backup of Office 365 data.

4. Business Continuity doesn’t Keep Safe the Data

You should ensure that your business continuity is having full and accurate records of your data. The organization cannot exist large amounts of data that are creating, capturing, storing, and using every day. Therefore, data backup and archiving process are the good insurance policy against the risk of business data loss. Because the out-of-the-box tools of Office 365 cannot provide full and complete records in case of data loss.

5. Regulated Industries have Stricter Backup Regulations

If an organization comes under the regulated industry like Finance, Healthcare or Legal. Then, users may have regulations & requirements for access the information that goes well beyond regular backup methods. There are some regulations like HIPPA, GDPR, Can-Spam often require to maintain complete & accurate records of email, attachments, files etc from several years. However, Office 365 backup process is limited time backup, so it doesn’t provide a guarantee to complete backup with the out-of-the-box tools that come with Office 365.

Summing Up

In this write-up, we have discussed that why Office 365 backup plays an important role nowadays with top 5 reasons. However, it is known that data is not safe in the cloud. But, protection and security of Office 365 data are necessary and it is your responsibility to secure the corporate data. So, a user needs the same level of protection, administration, and security for MS Office 365 that is on the premises. In such scenario, the Office 365 Export tool is the best solution is to create Office 365 backup. It is a quick, simple and effective remedy to create backup of Office 365 data.

A few days ago, one of my clients send me an oversized PST file of Microsoft Outlook via email. Now, I am unable to open it in Outlook. I tried many manual tricks as a solution such as disabling the add-ins, opening Outlook in safe mode, or by running scanpst.exe but did not get satisfactory results. Therefore, I just want to know is there any way through which I can repair corrupt PST file- Outlook 2013? It is really important for me, please suggest me a solution.

Microsoft Outlook is used by most of the business organizations for email communication and exchange of information. As it is a pretty much popular email application so, users must be aware of the PST file format supported by Outlook to store mailbox data. All data items like emails, contacts, calendars, tasks, notes, etc., are stored in it. But at the end, it is like other file formats and very much prone to corruption. PST file can also become damaged or corrupted due to many reasons like large size PST file, virus or malware infection, sudden shutdown, etc. However, if Outlook data file (.pst) gets corrupted, it becomes inaccessible and slows down the performance of Outlook. Thus, to get access back to the PST file data, it is really important to repair damaged PST file as soon as possible.

How Does a PST File get Corrupted?

There are multiple reasons that result corruption in PST file. At this point, the Outlook data file stops working normally and a user is unable to access the data inside it. Here, are some of the major reasons behind corrupt PST file:

• Oversized Outlook PST File
  Every version of Microsoft Outlook has different PST file size limitation. For example, Outlook 2002 and below versions has to file size limit of 2 GB only. But, as the time passes, the need of space will increase because of large data communications. In this case, the size of PST file will exceed and results in file corruption.
• Hardware Related Damage
  Any type of physical damage to the sectors where PST file is stored can cause also damage PST file badly.
• Abnormal Termination of Outlook
  Another possible reason can be an abrupt shutdown of Microsoft Outlook application. If a user is working on Outlook and in between, it terminates due to some reason, then it is possible that PST file is not saved properly. So, when a user tries to open PST file next time, then it may display some errors.
• Virus & Malware Attack
  As everybody knows, no device in the world is totally free from virus or malware so is the PST file. It might be possible that a user has opened an email containing virus-infected attachment. After that, virus or malware enters the Outlook application, corrupt the PST file and make it inaccessible.

How to Repair Corrupt Outlook PST File?

When it comes to recover severely damaged PST file, there are various solutions available. Here, we have discussed both manual and professional solution for the same:

Solution #1: Using Inbox Repair Tool

If a user is looking for some manual solutions to repair corrupt PST file, then Microsoft provides an inbuilt utility named as Inbox Repair tool. It is a free utility that is designed to repair all common issues like corruption faced by the Outlook users. Now, to run this scanpst.exe in a proper way, follow the steps mentioned below:

1. To start the process, you need to locate scanpst.exe application in the Microsoft Outlook. Now, to find scanpst.exe location within the system, follow the steps mentioned below:

• First of all, right-click on the TaskBar and then, click on the Task Manager
• After that, click on the Processes tab
• Next, simply right-click on the Outlook and choose Open File Location. It will open the window containing the scanpst.exe file

Now, you have to double-click on the scanpst.exe file

Then, click on the Browse button to locate and add corrupt PST file, which needs to repair

At last, click on the Start button in order to begin the repair process.

Limitations: The scanpst.exe can be used only to repair minor level of corruption from PST file. However, in the case of severely damaged PST file, this manual procedure fail badly. Thus, in the case of badly corrupt Outlook data file, look for some alternative solution.

Solution #2: Professional Solution to Repair Severely Damaged PST File

There is no manual solution available that a user can try to have a guaranteed solution while repairing a PST file. Thus, in the case of badly damaged PST file, a user is suggested to use a third-party tool. Outlook PST Repair software is one of the popularly used tools across the world to repair corrupted PST file. It is a simple, quick, and reliable application to recover PST file of Microsoft Outlook. Using this application, one can repair all data items like emails, contacts, calendars, etc. stored inside the PST file. Moreover, the software is also capable to repair both minor and major level of corruption from PST file.

Conclusion

Corruption in PST file is one of the frequently encountered problems by any Outlook user. As PST file stores a large amount of important information which no wants to lose at any cost. So, if Outlook PST file gets corrupted because of any reason, then it is really important for the user to repair it as soon as possible. Therefore, this blog will let users know how to repair highly corrupted or damaged PST file of Microsoft Outlook. If the manual solution does not work according to the requirement, then the third-party tool suggested above will be a savior.

What is OST File?

The term OST is an abbreviation of Offline Storage file. It is an offline folder created by Microsoft Outlook email applications to hold copies of emails from the Exchange server. Users can work on the mail server, store the file, and when internet connectivity is available, the file immediately gets synced with the server files. Users will be able to access data items in Cache Exchange Mode and hence, operate emails even in absence of the server.

Why Outlook OST File is Important?

Even in unreliable network connectivity, a user can work with their data without any trouble. It contains the copies of items, which are saved on the mail server. The extendible storage capacity of up to 50 gigabyte allows a person to store galore amount of data within it. Moreover, it helps in recovery from lost mailboxes in case of any damage to mail Exchange server.

What is the Location of OST File?

The OST files are saved at different location, depending upon the version of Windows OS:

Windows XP: drive:\Users\My Documents\Outlook Files

Windows 7 and Vista: drive:\Users\Documents\Outlook Files

Windows 8: drive:\Users\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook

Windows 8.1: drive:\Users\admin\Documents\Outlook Files

Windows 10: drive:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook

Limitations of OST File

Despite its storage abundance, the file type has some flaws:

1. It is useless in the case of email profile lock-out / damage.
2. The files with large numbers of data affect the performance of the Outlook.
3. Process of re-creating a damaged file is time taking.

Why Do OST Files Get Corrupted?

When OST files get corrupt, they are either deleted or become unreadable. These files might be broken / damaged due to the following causes:

a) Hardware Reasons

• Storage device might encounter bugs.
• Hard drive might have bad sectors.
• Issues with network connectors during sync.
• Power loss during sync.

b) Software Reasons

• Abnormal termination of MS Outlook while logging out
• When storage is about to reach its limit, files tend to get corrupted
• Virus or other malicious malware
• Deficiency in Microsoft Outlook itself

Procedures to Repair Damaged Outlook OST File

Even though the OST files get damaged or corrupted at times due to some unforeseen reasons but still they can be restored to their previous state. Various tools and procedures are available to recover the damaged OST files, which includes the procedures to recreate a similar copy of previous form or to fix the broken OST file.

a) Manual Procedure to Repair OST File

You can use SCANOST.EXE tool to repair corrupted OST file. But, this free utility is available only in Microsoft Outlook 2007 and its earlier versions. If you are working on MS Outlook 2010, 2013 and 2016, then first you have to convert OST file into PST format. After that, run SCANPST.EXE tool to repair converted PST file. Besides, you can directly repair corrupted OST file with the help of automated solution. Let’s see the solution in the next paragraph.

b) Automated Solution to Repair Corrupted OST File

The best way to repair damaged OST files is to use OST repair tool to fix the broken OST file, automatically. There are many eminent feature provided within this utility and few of them are mentioned-below:

1. Extract and recover deleted messages from OST file.
2. No limitation on the size of OST files to be restored.
3. Repaired damaged OST file can be restored in 3 formats.
4. Email Meta-data like read / unread status is maintained.

Conclusion

It would be safe to say that MS Outlook and its OST feature is a crucial material, which caters emailing over wide range of business or an individual. It helps in both internal as well as external communication and keeps mailboxes up to date. However, OST corruption and recovery is a delicate matter that must be dealt immediately to avoid further damage of the online storage. It is a recommendation that one should consult for professional tool to repair damaged OST files because these are safe and secure techniques to deal with this problem.