help needed! can't open my pst file

[bambzmojo]

hi..
need your expetise... im really desperate to open my pst files. im
having a hard time to open it. i encountered errors when opening the
file. like: this file is not a personal folders file. i already tried
to run scanpst.exe, but no good. tried to import/export files but
really cant get through. even tried the data file management option..
but still no luck!

need help... please..
i can send you the file to try it on..

please advise..

thanks in advance,
bambz

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

Sorry, but the most basic information is missing - version of Outlook and
where the .pst file is stored.

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. Due to
the (insert latest virus name here) virus, all mail sent to my personal
account will be deleted without reading.

After furious head scratching, (e-mail address removed) asked:

| hi..
| need your expetise... im really desperate to open my pst files. im
| having a hard time to open it. i encountered errors when opening the
| file. like: this file is not a personal folders file. i already tried
| to run scanpst.exe, but no good. tried to import/export files but
| really cant get through. even tried the data file management option..
| but still no luck!
|
| need help... please..
| i can send you the file to try it on..
|
| please advise..
|
| thanks in advance,
| bambz

 

[bambzmojo]

hi milly,
the outlook version that i used was 2003 .. and i burned it on a CD.
i tried to run scanpst and says the was not recognised.
others said that the file is corrupted or something.. i really it is
not..
is there anything we can do about this.
really need help.

thanks a lot...

 

[DL]

Copy to hd, ensure read only is off then open it within OL

 

[bambzmojo]

hi... already tried it... my pst file is already in my hd.. and it is
not a read only... i think it is corrupted.. and i think it not simple
corruption... i've tried as well the outlookrecovery.exe ... but
still no good. is there any software that i can use to fix this? please
do send me the software or even link where i can get one..

really desperate to open it..

 

[DL]

Inbox repair tool, scanpst.exe, you may have to run it several times, and as
I said do not import, open in OL

 

[bambzmojo]

hi. ive run scanpst many times already and it doesnt work.. i did not
import...
anything we can still do aside from scanpst.exe? please advise

 

[DL]

Dosnt work says nothing.
What msg does it give?

 

[Brian Tillman]

hi... already tried it... my pst file is already in my hd.. and it is
not a read only... i think it is corrupted..

So it would seem. The symptoms you describe are indicative of having
incorrectly copied the PST to the CD.

 

[bambzmojo]

hi brian,
is there any way of fixing this? i just burned it as a normal file...
please advise.. is there any chance that i can get my files/pst? please
advise..

thanks
bambz

 

[Brian Tillman]

is there any way of fixing this? i just burned it as a normal file...

The main question is whether or not Outlook was open when you copied the
file. Also, I've heard of PSTs being corrupted by some CD burning software.

please advise.. is there any chance that i can get my files/pst?

You've already tried a commercial product. If that didn't work, I'd say
you're out of luck.

 

[bambzmojo]

when i burned the pst files.. my outlook was closed... and what
commercial products that you're referring to? i tried scanpst and
outlookrecovery .. and no luck.. it didn't work...

 

[Brian Tillman]

when i burned the pst files.. my outlook was closed... and what
commercial products that you're referring to? i tried scanpst and
outlookrecovery .. and no luck.. it didn't work...

Outlookrecovery is a commercial tool.

 

[Chad Harris]

Bambzmojo--

Having read all the posts, and your valiant efforts to recover I think I
know what you ommitted that caused the probable corruption, and the only
possible remedy but I'm afraid it may not work:

Hindsight is of course 100% but before you copy to a CD, you need to use the
import/export wizard. Had you exported the message folders to a .pst, you
would have been fine (clicking the folder(s) with messages you wanted to
backup) via:

Import/Export
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA011030811033.aspx

Backup Method Comparison
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HP030853561033.aspx

Reconnect your Old Outlook Data to New Computer
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA010771141033.aspx

Outlook file locations
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HP030822101033.aspx

To restore try:

Restore Items in A Data File By Dragging from the .pst data file:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HP030823591033.aspx

Best,

Chad Harris

 

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

Not correct. Importing and Exporting may be the cause of the problem here
because it may have permitted the copying of the exported PST to a CD
without having closed Outlook.
The original PST should be copied to the CD. You cannot copy the default PST
unless Outlook is closed and has fully disconnected from the PST.

 

[Brian Tillman]

Having read all the posts, and your valiant efforts to recover I
think I know what you ommitted that caused the probable corruption,
and the only possible remedy but I'm afraid it may not work:

Hindsight is of course 100% but before you copy to a CD, you need to
use the import/export wizard.

Sorry, but you're wrong. In fact, if you _do_ use the export tool, you will
lose information during the export.

 

[Chad Harris]

Brian--how do you or Russ suggest *step wise she should have done it*? Just
copied the .pst to the CD--because she can't open it and using any of the
Resource kit tools don't help her. Did she just get bad luck in the draw
and end up with a corrupted .pst folder? What would you do *now* if you had
the problem? Neither of you specified *that.*

Best,

Chad Harris
______________________________________

 

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

If you backed up the file by exporting it, you may have copied it while
Outlook was still holding a connection to it. That will corrupt the file.
Outlook only drops connections to pst files when you close Outlook (even if
you chose to Disconnect the PST file).
The steps to repair a corrupted PST are already well documented. If
alternating the Inbox Repair Tool with a scandisk utility fails to repair
the PST file, you can use the following tool to find out what can be fixed:
http://officerecovery.com/outlook/index.htm
After that, you restore from backup.

 

[Chad Harris]

Russ--

Thanks and Russ/or Brian--

That spells out *Recovery measures to take*, (I don't believe from her
account on another forum she used the import/export wizard at all, but the
question still remains *precisely* how should she have *done the backup*
using OL 03 to save to CD for use on another machine and prevent the
corruption and non-recovery she now faces?

Also when she burned the .pst folder, "OL was closed." She may not have
used every recovery tool available from MSFT or 3rd party.

Brian said she may have "incorrectly copied the PST to the CD." I'm trying
to come away with the absolute best practices way to back up here. I see
from DL "Copy to hd, ensure read only is off then open it within OL" and
from Brian "Inbox repair tool, scanpst.exe, you may have to run it several
times, and as
I said do not import, open in OL--The main question is whether or not
Outlook was open when you copied the file. Also, I've heard of PSTs being
corrupted by some CD burning software."


I don't find this clear because she did copy her .pst to a CD as you had
suggested to do:

Back up messages to a .pst file

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA011030811033.aspx

or

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/r...M,ES,FX,HA,HP,QZ,RC,TC,XT&Query=backup&App=OL

I don't find anything in the MSKBs on "How to Backup"
http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=ph;en-us;2520

So: Again, exactly *how* should this be done please and what what CD
Burning software would be optimal. The two most popular market wise are
Nero and Sonics(aka Roxio) Easy Media Creator. So far what I've learned is
that

* Outlook should be closed and closing disconnect it from the PST. Then you
burn it with whatever CD software won't corrupt. * What would you do and
would you add to this? Precisely what CD Burning software would be optimal
or what do you use for this?

Tia,

Chad Harris
____________________________________________

If you backed up the file by exporting it, you may have copied it while
Outlook was still holding a connection to it. That will corrupt the file.
Outlook only drops connections to pst files when you close Outlook (even
if you chose to Disconnect the PST file).
The steps to repair a corrupted PST are already well documented. If
alternating the Inbox Repair Tool with a scandisk utility fails to repair
the PST file, you can use the following tool to find out what can be
fixed:
http://officerecovery.com/outlook/index.htm
After that, you restore from backup.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

Brian--how do you or Russ suggest *step wise she should have done it*?
Just copied the .pst to the CD--because she can't open it and using any
of the Resource kit tools don't help her. Did she just get bad luck in
the draw and end up with a corrupted .pst folder? What would you do
*now* if you had the problem? Neither of you specified *that.*

Best,

Chad Harris
______________________________________

 

[Brian Tillman]

That spells out *Recovery measures to take*, (I don't believe from her
account on another forum she used the import/export wizard at all,
but the question still remains *precisely* how should she have *done
the backup* using OL 03 to save to CD for use on another machine and
prevent the corruption and non-recovery she now faces?

The way I do it is to close Outlook (and make sure it's closed by not having
something else keeping it open, like a cradled PDA. Task Manager will help
with that) and then drag the PST to the CD drive, allowing Windows XP's
built-in burning feature handle it. I have never had this fail.