Repair Corrupted Outlook Mail PST File

For the damaged Outlook Mail Archive or Inbox file with extension .pst, you may use the tool provided by Microsoft Outlook named "ScanPST".

The ScanPST tool can be found from

Windows 2000 or XP: C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

Windows Vista: C:\users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook

To recover folders and items from your corrupted .pst file, you may follow the steps below:

1. Run the inbox repair tool (scanpst).

2. Recover the repaired items.

3. Optionally, you can try to recover additional repaired items from the backup personal folder.

Details: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/287497

Outlook 2 GB file problem:

If you are using Outlook 2002 or if you are using a .pst file in Outlook 2003 that was created in an earlier version, the Inbox Repair Tool may not work if your .pst file has approached the 2-GB size limit. Therefore, check the file size before you continue. Depending on your Windows version, your .pst file might be located in one of the following folders.

Windows Vista: C::\users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook

Windows XP or 2000: C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

If the file has approached the 2-GB size limit, you can use the PST/OST cropping tool to make the file smaller. For more information about the PST/OST cropping tool, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Oversized PST and OST Crop tool.