Outlook Inbox Repair Tool

While it isn't very powerful, Microsoft does provide a free pst repair program called the Outlook Inbox Repair Tool (also known as Scanpst). For most situations in which Outlook is not functioning properly, and the problem appears to be the .pst file, the first step is to run scanpst.exe to see if it can fix things. If scanpst fails, then you can move up to better, more powerful pst repair software, such as Stellar Outlook PST Repair 3.0.

Now, you might think that since Microsoft created Outlook and is fully aware of how susceptible it is to corruption, that they would be in the best position to fix the problem. However, if you search the Internet for discussions about corrupt pst files you will find that quite often Scanpst (the Inbox Repair Tool) simply doesn't succeed in repairing damaged .pst files. And it cannot recover lost or forgotten passwords. So use it as first step in getting Outlook back up and running, but don't be surprised if it comes up short.

The basic process for using the Inbox Repair Tool (scanpst.exe) appears below. Unfortunately, Microsoft doesn't make it easy to find this program, and its location varies across operating systems (XP vs. Vista, for example) and across versions of Outlook (Outlook 2000 vs. Outlook 2007, for example). So be sure you know how to search for files on your computer or get the help of someone who does. Once you know how to find the necessary files, follow these steps:

1. Exit Outlook and stay out of it until all steps are completed.
2. Locate all .pst files on your computer (search for *.pst).
3. Make backup copies of all .pst files.
4. Locate scanpst.exe on your computer and run it.
5. Scanpst will ask for the location of your .pst file(s).
6. Click the "Start" button to scan the file.
7. Scanpst will then report the results of its scan.
8. Select the option to make a backup of the scanned file before repairing.
9. Click the "Repair" button to attempt a repair.

If the Inbox Repair Tool was able to scan and repair your Outlook.pst file then you are one of the lucky ones. Quite often this utility will fail to correct the problem. If you search the Internet you will find lots of users complaining that scanpst did not work, and wondering what else they can do. Because scanpst is the only tool Microsoft provides, if it can't fix your corrupt .pst files then you'll have to look elsewhere, such as our pst repair software, Stellar Outlook PST Repair 3.0.

Also note that the Inbox Repair Tool does not solve the problem of a .pst file being corrupt because it has exceeded the file size limits for PST files. For example, versions of Outlook prior to Outlook 2003 cannot open a .pst file that has grown bigger that 2 gigabytes (GB) in size. If you have a 2GB pst problem, Microsoft recommends its PST Crop Tool. However, this tool simply chops off part of your file and places a new header on it. So you will end up losing data and you'll have no easy way to tell what you've lost until it is too late. Because of that, we do not recommend the Microsoft crop tool. Instead, our Stellar Outlook PST Repair 3.0 software will allow you to intelligently split an oversized .pst file into two or more smaller files so that you won't lose any valuable data.