Archive Bit

[Brad Arnold]

Hello all,

I a recently used a backup program that uses the archive bit setting
for incremental backups rather than date/time stamp. When it backs
something up, it checks the archive bit so it knows next time to back
it up or not.

My problem is with Outlook PST files...It appears that when the
program backs up the file it checks the check box "this file is ready
for archiving". It now takes me about 3 minutes to get Outlook to
Open. Some additional info to hopefully help solve the problem...

Outlook 2007
2 PST files, local on the hard disk outlook.pst and archive.pst
outlook.pst = 444,433 KB
archive.pst = 1,083,281 KB

I have run SCNPST.exe on both files. It did find errors in each, and I
went ahead and fixed them. However, the problem didn't go away.

I have tried disabling search indexer, and also disabled my anti virus
(Avast!) which has Outlook plug in. I also disabled ALL Add-on's in
Outlook.

I thought it may have something to do with the archive property
because I noticed when I open outlook after 3 minutes or so, there are
two .tmp files that are created...I don't recall them getting created
before.

I tried manually un clicking that check box and hitting apply, then
OK. It seems to take, however, when i open outlook and then eventually
close it, the 'ready for archiving' is checked again on both files...

Have any of you heard of problems with PST files getting the archive
bit checked?

Any help would be greatly appreciated...I'm sort of out of ideas at
this point...

Thanks in advance,
Brad

 

[Brad Arnold]

Hello all,

I a recently used a backup program that uses the archive bit setting
for incremental backups rather than date/time stamp. When it backs
something up, it checks the archive bit so it knows next time to back
it up or not.

My problem is with Outlook PST files...It appears that when the
program backs up the file it checks the check box "this file is ready
for archiving". It now takes me about 3 minutes to get Outlook to
Open. Some additional info to hopefully help solve the problem...

Outlook 2007
2 PST files, local on the hard disk outlook.pst and archive.pst
outlook.pst = 444,433 KB
archive.pst = 1,083,281 KB

I have run SCNPST.exe on both files. It did find errors in each, and I
went ahead and fixed them. However, the problem didn't go away.

I have tried disabling search indexer, and also disabled my anti virus
(Avast!) which has Outlook plug in. I also disabled ALL Add-on's in
Outlook.

I thought it may have something to do with the archive property
because I noticed when I open outlook after 3 minutes or so, there are
two .tmp files that are created...I don't recall them getting created
before.

I tried manually un clicking that check box and hitting apply, then
OK. It seems to take, however, when i open outlook and then eventually
close it, the 'ready for archiving' is checked again on both files...

Have any of you heard of problems with PST files getting the archive
bit checked?

Any help would be greatly appreciated...I'm sort of out of ideas at
this point...

Thanks in advance,
Brad

A little more info...The backup program uses shadow volume copy, in
case that matters...And the temp files I mentioned above are as
follows...

Outlook.pst --> ~Outlook.pst.tmp
archive.pst --> ~archive.pst.tmp

Thanks again for any help...
Brad

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]]

Have any of you heard of problems with PST files getting the archive
bit checked?

All of my PSTs have the archive bit set (Windows sets that bit when the file
system modifies the file) and none produce the symptom you describe.

 

[Brad Arnold]

All of my PSTs have the archive bit set (Windows sets that bit when the file
system modifies the file) and none produce the symptom you describe.

Thanks for the reply. I was afraid of that! That means i am back to
square 1...I did find something else interesting...

When I click email and outlook begins to open, in task manager task
list Outlook (Not Responding) shows up twice. However, OUTLOOK.EXE is
only listed once in the processes tab. When it does finally open,
OUTLOOK.EXE is still only listed once in process, and Outlook is now
only listed once in the task list. Doesn't it seem odd that its
showing up twice?

Another thing I noticed, when Outlook finally opens, i checked the
locked status of Outlook.pst, archive.pst and each pst files tmp
file...
Outlook.pst = locked 5 times by OUTLOOK.EXE
archive.pst = locked 5 times by OUTLOOK.EXE
~Outlook.pst.tmp = locked 1 time by OUTLOOK.EXE
~archive.pst.tmp = locked 1 time by OUTLOOK.EXE

Does it seem normal that the two PST files are being locked 5 times by
OUTLOOK.EXE?

One other thing I just noticed, and this is weird, if I open Outlook,
it sits for minutes as i explained...But also, the .tmp files are not
created until Outlook finally opens...But, I ran a compact on the PST
files, and the .tmp file showed up instantly and the compact ran very
quickly...

Any thoughts???

Thanks,
Brad

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]]

When I click email and outlook begins to open, in task manager task
list Outlook (Not Responding) shows up twice. However, OUTLOOK.EXE is
only listed once in the processes tab. When it does finally open,
OUTLOOK.EXE is still only listed once in process, and Outlook is now
only listed once in the task list. Doesn't it seem odd that its
showing up twice?

When I start up OL 2007, for a brief moment, I see two Outlook handles on
the Taskbar until the PST opens. I haven't specifically watched in Task
manager how many processes show, but I can.

Another thing I noticed, when Outlook finally opens, i checked the
locked status of Outlook.pst, archive.pst and each pst files tmp
file...
Outlook.pst = locked 5 times by OUTLOOK.EXE
archive.pst = locked 5 times by OUTLOOK.EXE
~Outlook.pst.tmp = locked 1 time by OUTLOOK.EXE
~archive.pst.tmp = locked 1 time by OUTLOOK.EXE

Does it seem normal that the two PST files are being locked 5 times by
OUTLOOK.EXE?

What tool do you use to show the locks? I've never had occasion to look,
but I can.

One other thing I just noticed, and this is weird, if I open Outlook,
it sits for minutes as i explained...But also, the .tmp files are not
created until Outlook finally opens...But, I ran a compact on the PST
files, and the .tmp file showed up instantly and the compact ran very
quickly...

While I don't know the details of how the .tmp files are used, this behavior
makes sense to me. I would think that since the tmp files are there to help
prevent data loss and speed recovery in the event of abnormal termination,
Outlook must use metadata from the PST in the process of creating the tmp
files. A compacted PST is more efficient to read and Outlook can gather the
data it needs for the tmp files more quickly.

 

[Brad Arnold]

When I start up OL 2007, for a brief moment, I see two Outlook handles on

the Taskbar until the PST opens.  I haven't specifically watched in Task
manager how many processes show, but I can.

OK, well at least your system is matching mine...

What tool do you use to show the locks?  I've never had occasion to look,
but I can.

I use Unlocker. It is freeware and is pretty thin...It's also just a
really nice utility for when windows won't let you delete a file you
know can be deleted without having to restart the http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/

While I don't know the details of how the .tmp files are used, this behavior
makes sense to me.  I would think that since the tmp files are there tohelp
prevent data loss and speed recovery in the event of abnormal termination,
Outlook must use metadata from the PST in the process of creating the tmp
files.  A compacted PST is more efficient to read and Outlook can gather the
data it needs for the tmp files more quickly.

I agree, compacted PST should be easier/faster to read...But, if I am
running the compact utility it makes the tmp file instantly, while
Outlook doesn't make it until minutes in when it finially opens...But
as I think about that it could just be that whatever is causing
outlook to take so long is before Outlook even attempts to make the
tmp file...

Brad

 

[Brad Arnold]

OK, well at least your system is matching mine...


I use Unlocker. It is freeware and is pretty thin...It's also just a
really nice utility for when windows won't let you delete a file you
know can be deleted without having to restart thehttp://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/


I agree, compacted PST should be easier/faster to read...But, if I am
running the compact utility it makes the tmp file instantly, while
Outlook doesn't make it until minutes in when it finially opens...But
as I think about that it could just be that whatever is causing
outlook to take so long is before Outlook even attempts to make the
tmp file...

Brad

Another update...I have completly uninstalled the backup program that
damaged the pst...Outlook still takes 3+ minutes to open. I may try
tonight creating a new PST and importing my emails, calendar, and
contacts..Is there a right/wrong way to do this? I want the data, but
none of the settings...

Thanks,
Brad

 

[Brad Arnold]

I'm getting closer to figuring this out. I deleted my Outlook profile
all together and started fresh. I setup my email account up and hit
finish. It got to the step where it creates the new PST file...And
when it tried to do this, it was like I was opening my old pst. It sat
for about 4 minutes and then finally finished. The PST is 200K, so a
tiny file.

Can you think of anything that would be causing outlook to take
forever to write to the disk? i tried different folders (My Documents
\email & C:\email) and different PST files. Word Excel, everything
else can write instantly to the same folder or any folder on the disk
so i don't think it's disk related.

I told my anti virus (Avast! Professional) to NOT scan the My Documents
\Email folder and the shield running all the time is NOT watching that
folder either...So i know it's not a delay due to anti virus
scanning...

Any ideas???

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]]

I use Unlocker. It is freeware and is pretty thin...It's also just a
really nice utility for when windows won't let you delete a file you
know can be deleted without having to restart the
http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/

I'd really hesitate to forceably remove locks on a file and then delete it.
I would think that deleting a file after unlocking it and then having that
space allocated to another file could lead to multiply-allocated blocks or,
at least, overwritten blocks if Windows ever flushes the buffer containing
the data that had been intended for those blocks originally.

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]]

Another update...I have completly uninstalled the backup program that
damaged the pst...Outlook still takes 3+ minutes to open. I may try
tonight creating a new PST and importing my emails, calendar, and
contacts..Is there a right/wrong way to do this? I want the data, but
none of the settings...

Importing is not proper when the data source is a PST. Opening the old PST
and copying the data is better.

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]]

I'm getting closer to figuring this out. I deleted my Outlook profile
all together and started fresh. I setup my email account up and hit
finish. It got to the step where it creates the new PST file...And
when it tried to do this, it was like I was opening my old pst. It sat
for about 4 minutes and then finally finished. The PST is 200K, so a
tiny file.

Can you think of anything that would be causing outlook to take
forever to write to the disk?

No, but I'd not allow Outlook to create the PST automatically.