How to recover corrupt PST file manually?

“Few days back, my PST file got corrupted. I want different solutions to recover corrupt PST file . Please anyone assist me in getting the best way? Thanks in advance”

Outlook users use Outlook PST files to store their entire data information. If any minor issue like corruption occurs then it will lead to errors. That will later make the user unable to access their data in Outlook and the application will become slow.

However, these errors generally occur due to PST file corruption. 

So, to deal with this situation, Microsoft provides a free of cost-utility called Inbox Repair tool or scanpst.exe inbuilt application to their users. It can repair a corrupt PST file in Outlook with ease. Although, users must take precautions to protect their PST files. Here, we will discuss every possible solution to fix this issue. So, stick it till the bottom of the article. But, first, let\'s understand the reasons due to which your PST files get corrupted 

Why did the PST files get corrupted?

There are various reasons due to which Outlook PST files get corrupted. Some of them are written below. These are -

• Due to the abrupt shutdown, power gets fails

• Due to oversized PST files, incorrect file system recovery, bad sectors in the hard drive, etc.

• If there is a virus attack, malicious software, or header file get corrupted, firewalls, or other application interference.

• Due to issues related to network or hardware failures.

Now, you know the possible reasons that can be the cause behind this error. So now, let’s move further and know different types of Outlook errors. 

 List of Outlook errors that occurs due to corrupt PST file 

There are a few types of Outlook errors so let’s see them one by one. If the user gets the message stating - Errors have been detected in the file “filename”.pst. Then, it is confirmed that there is some issue with the Outlook application that needs to be fixed immediately.  So first, quit Outlook and all mail-enabled applications, and to diagnose and repair errors in the file, utilize the Inbox repair tool (Scanpst.exe). And to know more about it see Help.”

• “The file “filename”.pst could not be found.”

• “Unable to display the folder. The file “filename”.pst could not be accessed. Access denied.”

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

Now, we know the types of error messages so now let’s move further and check out the different solutions.

The Manual techniques to recover corrupt PST file

Users can use this method to solve the minor corruption issue. Microsoft Outlook offers an inbuilt repair or scanpst.exe utility to fix the corrupt Outlook data files immediately. These are the following instructions to recover corrupted PST file data in Outlook. These are-

1. Firstly, close the MS Outlook application.

2. Now, visit C drive and search the scanpst.exe utility.

3. Then, search C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft OfficeOffice15

4. After that, open the Scanpst.exe tool.

5. Visit the Browse button & choose the corrupt PST file.

6. To initiate the scanning process, hit on the Start button.

7. Allow the Make backup of scanned file before fixing option.

8. Provide the name of the backup file & state the location to save it.

9. In case an error is detected, then select the Recovery option.

10. Lastly, once the recovery process is done, start Outlook with the recovered PST file.

Even after corrupted Outlook PST file recovery, if the error still exists. Then, users will face issues in accessing the Outlook program. This also indicated to the user that their PST files are severely corrupted”.

To recover corrupt PST file, this manual procedure is free to use. Users must take some precautions from time to time so that they can reduce the chances of PST corruption.

Things to Remember to avoid Outlook PST Corruption

Here, we will offer some tips to avoid the corruption issue in PST files. These are written below- 

1. Frequent backups for PST files.

2. Update Antivirus from time to time on the system.

3. Maintain the ideal PST size.

4. Randomly inspect the network and port connections.

5. Use the right Outlook application to launch and exit.

6. Start Outlook in the safe mode: To repair PST file, users can type Outlook.exe /safe within the Run dialogue box (press Windows button + R alphabet together) and hit OK.
   In this way, users can open the Outlook application in a safer mode and access their PST data. By using this approach, it indicates that data inaccessibility can be because of the erratic Outlook Add-ins. Users can disable these Outlook Add-ins by using the following procedure. 

•  Move to File>Options>Add-ins and then visit the Manage COM Add-ins and hit Go against it. Here, all the Add-ins will get listed; choose all, and disable it, tap the Disable option. Finally, restart the Outlook application and inspect if the PST data can be accessed or not.

1. Users must confirm if there is an incorrect Internet Settings & Firewall Configuration. This can be also another reason that can be a possible issue. Users must check if settings are as required also shut down all the unwanted running applications.

2. Try to alter Server Time-out Period: users can resolve the Outlook timeout errors by increasing the server timeout period. This can be executed by using these steps to repair PST file:

   1. In the beginning, open Account Settings in Outlook application according to the version.

   2. After that, choose the affected email account and hit on the option Change.

   3. On the Account settings page, tap on the option More Settings.

   4. Tap on the Advanced tab in the new window Internet Email Settings.

   5. At last,  increase the server time-out period and tap on OK.

These are some points that can fix minor corruption issues. 

If these procedures don\'t work then they can try their automated solutions. Users can use the PST Repair tool to recover encrypted and password protected Outlook PST Files. It also offers a free PST repair tool to support the preview of recovered data. 

Last Remark

Users can use the above mentioned manual approaches to recover corrupt PST file. They can try any of the following techniques to perform the recovery process. If they are not comfortable with the manual solution then they can opt for the automated solution.