The Microsoft email program Outlook is great for managing data, sending and receiving emails as well as a variety of other tasks. Users experience errors from time to time related to the program's Personal Folder files (.pst) and offline folder files (.ost). Some errors are brought to the user's attention while others are repaired automatically by the software.

Outlook has a built in repair tool to fix common issues with these file types and others that are not repaired automatically. It is called the Inbox Repair tool and that comes pre-installed in Outlook. Within outlook, the repair program file name is scanpst.exe. Outlook Scanpst.exe is an executable file that will open a repair application. Common problems are that .pst or .ost files cannot be opened or data is corrupted. Users experiencing issues with .pst or .ost files can try the following procedure.

Start by closing Outlook if it is running. Any repair procedures cannot be performed or will not take effect until the program is closed and re-opened after the procedure is finished. Locate scanpst.exe which can be found in drive:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOFFICE12. You will then be prompted to enter the name of the file that you want to scan into a text box or you can browse for the file on your local machine. By clicking the options menu, users can select scan log options if desired. After all settings are complete, click start. Any errors that are found with the files you are scanning will be shown to you and you will then be prompted to repair them.

During the repair process, a back-up file is created. This back up has a default name however; it can be changed in the Enter name of backup file text box. Users can also browse for a file to place the backup in. After this has been selected, click repair. Re-start Outlook using the profile that contains the .pst file you repaired. Once at the Go menu, select Folder List. In this list you will see Recovered Personal Folders which have your default Outlook folders. There may also be a lost and found folder.

If the Recovered Personal Folders option is available, you can drag items from the lost and found folder, which will contain your rebuilt .pst or .ost files, into the Recovered Personal Folder. Items that are not seen in these folders could not be recovered by the Inbox Repair tool.

Outlook is a very useful data management and communication tool however, errors and damage can occur to files. Using Outlook Scanpst.exe can fix many common issues with .pst and .ost files. It should be noted that if you are still able to open these files before repairing them, most of the data might be recovered. Sometimes however data can simply not be recovered by the repair tool or even by professionals.

This article helps you use the Inbox Repair Tool (Scanpst.exe) to recover folders and items from a corrupted Personal Folders (.pst) file or offline folder (.ost) file in Microsoft Outlook 2002, Outlook 2003, and Outlook 2007. Scanpst.exe is a hidden file that is installed automatically when you install Windows.

If you are interested, this article also describes what the tool does and how the tool validates and corrects errors in the .pst or .ost file. See the "More Information" section. However, this supplemental information is not required to use the Inbox Repair tool.

This content is designed for an intermediate computer user, unless otherwise stated.

How to use the Inbox Repair Tool
To recover folders and items from your corrupted .pst or .ost file, you have to do the following:
Run the inbox repair tool. For more information, go to "Step 1: Run the Inbox Repair Tool to diagnose and repair errors" section.
Recover the repaired items. For more information, go to the "Step 2: Recover the repaired items" section.
Optionally, you can try to recover additional repaired items from the backup personal folder. For more information, go to the "Step 3: Recover repaired items from the backup file" section.
Note The examples in the following sections show how to use the Inbox Repair Tool on a .pst file. However, you can use the same procedures for an offline folder (.ost) file.
Step 1: Run the Inbox Repair Tool to diagnose and repair errors
To recover your data, you must first run the Inbox Repair Tool.

Note 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: disk drive:\users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook

Windows XP and Windows 2000: disk drive:\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:
296088 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/296088/ ) Oversized PST and OST Crop tool
To run the Inbox Repair Tool, follow these steps:
Exit Outlook.
Make sure that the Show hidden files and folders option is enabled in your folder options. The Scanpst.exe is a hidden file on your computer, and you might be unable to locate it if this setting is not enabled. To check this setting, follow these steps:
a. Click Start, and then click Run.

Note If you are using Windows Vista, use the Start Search box.
Type Control Folders, and then click OK.

Note If you are using Windows Vista, right-click Control Folders, and then click Run as administrator.
If you are using Windows Vista, double-click Folder Options.
Click the View tab.
Under Hidden files and folders, make sure the Show hidden files and folders option is selected, and then click OK.
Click Start, and then click Find or Search, depending on which version of Windows that you are running.
In the search box, type Scanpst.exe. If you cannot find the Scanpst.exe file by using Find or Search, try to locate the file manually. Check the following locations for the file. Where the file is located depends on which version of Windows you are using:
disk drive:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE12
disk drive:\Program Files\Common Files\System\Mapi\1033\
disk drive:\Program Files\Common Files\System\Mapi\1033\NT
disk drive:\Program Files\Common Files\System\MSMAPI\1033
disk drive:\Program Files(x86)\Microsoft Office\Office12
disk drive:\Program Files(x86)\Common Files\System\Mapi\1033\
disk drive:\Program Files(x86)\Common Files\System\MSMAPI\1033
Double-click the Scanpst.exe file to open the program.
Click Browse to locate the .pst file.
Windows 98 or Windows Me: disk drive\Windows\ Local Settings\Application Data
Windows NT 4.0: disk drive\WINNT\Profiles\username\Local Settings\Application Data
Windows XP or Windows Server 2003: disk drive:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook
Windows Vista: disk disk drive:\users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook
Note If your operating system is not listed or if you cannot find the file, see the Help provided with Outlook.
Click Start. The Inbox Repair Tool scans the file and reports whether it found any errors.
Click OK.
After you run the Inbox Repair Tool and restart Outlook, you should see a list of recovered folders in the left navigation pane in Outlook. The next step is to move the recovered items to a new Personal Folders (.pst) file in your profile. To do this, go to "Step 2: Recover the repaired items."
Step 2: Recover the repaired items
Now that you have run the Inbox Repair Tool, you are ready to recover the repaired items. To start, create a new Personal Folders (.pst) file entry in your profile. Then, you can move the recovered items to your new Personal Folders (.pst) file.
After you run the Inbox Repair Tool, start Outlook. If you use multiple profiles in Outlook, make sure that you select the profile that contains the Personal Folders (.pst) file that you tried to repair.
On the View or Go menu, click Folder List to turn on the Folder List view.
In your Folder List, you should see the following recovered folders:
Recovered Personal Folders

Calendar
Contacts
Deleted Items
Inbox
Journal
Notes
Outbox
Sent Items
Tasks

These recovered folders are usually empty because this is a rebuilt .pst file. You should also see a folder named Lost and Found. This folder contains folders and items that the Inbox Repair Tool recovered. Unfortunately, items that are missing from the Lost and Found folder may be beyond repair.
Create a new Personal Folder (.pst) file in your profile. The steps may be different, depending on which version of Outlook you are running.

Outlook 2002
On the File menu, point to New, and then click Personal Folders File (.pst).
Click Create to open the Create Microsoft Personal Folders dialog box.
Enter a file name for your new Personal Folders (.pst) file, and then click OK.
You should have a new Personal Folders (.pst) file in your profile.
Outlook 2003
On the File menu, point to New, and then click Outlook Data File.
Click OK to open the Create or Open Outlook Data File dialog box.
Enter a file name for your new Personal Folders (.pst) file, and then click OK to open the Create Microsoft Personal Folders dialog box.
Enter a file name for your new Personal Folders (.pst) file, and then click OK.
You should have a new Personal Folders (.pst) file in your profile.
Outlook 2007
On the File menu, click Data File Management.
Click Add to open the New Outlook Data File dialog box.
In the Types of storage dialog box, click to select Office Outlook Personal Folders File (.pst), and then click OK.
In the Create or Open Outlook Data File dialog box, select the location and a file name for your new Personal Folders (.pst) file, and then click OK.
Click OK.
You should have a new Personal Folders (.pst) file in your profile.
Drag the recovered items from the Lost and Found folder to your new Personal Folders (.pst) file.
When you have finished moving all items, you can remove the Recovered Personal Folders (.pst) file from your profile. This includes the Lost and Found folder.
If you are satisfied with the information that you recovered, you are finished. However, if you want to try to recover additional information, go to "Step 3: Recover repaired items from the backup file."

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