Outlook locked up

[Jack201]

While reading my email, I clicked on a email header (Snapfish) and I received
an error message that says: Errors have been detected in the file
C:\Documents and Settings\Jack Hopper\Local Settings\Application
Data\Microsoft\Outlook\outlook.pst. Quit all mail-enabled applications, and
then use the Inbox Repair Tool.

I have no idea where the "Inbox Repair Tool" is or how to get to it. My
Outlook will not open at all - it just gives an error box with the above
message.

Please HELP!!!!!

 

[K. Orland]

What version of Outlook are you using?

The inbox repair tool is also called scanpst.exe. What you want to do, while
Outlook is closed, is go into Windows Explorer and unhide all hidden files
and folders. Also enable yourself to view all known file types.

Do a search for scanpst.exe. Start > Search > Files and folders. When it's
found, double-click it and follow all the instructions, including browsing to
your PST file. The default PST is usually called outlook.pst unless it's been
named something else. Depending upon your O/S, it may be located here:

C:\Documents and Settings\%yourusername%\Local Settings\Application
Data\Microsoft\Outlook

Run scanpst.exe repeatedly on your PST file, until it finds no further
errors and then try opening Outlook again. You may want to take note of the
size of your PST file if you're using Outlook 2002 or earlier. If it's larger
than 1.6 GB or so, this could be causing part of the problem. There is a
restriction on the size a PST can be in older versions of Outlook.

Good luck, keep me posted on how you do.

 

[Jack201]

I'm using version 2000. I ran scanpst twice and each time it gave me a
message, "An error has occurred which caused the scan to be stopped. No
changes have been made to the scanned file."

I looked at my .pst file and it was quite larger than 1.6 GB so I deleted
it. It then allowed me to get into Outlook again but deleted all my old and
saved messages and my contact list. <sigh> It is getting new email messages
so I guess I'll have to rebuild my contact list.

Thanks very much for the help! If you have any other suggestions, please
let me know.

 

[K. Orland]

There are other options than deleting it. You could have created a new PST
file and moved emails over to it to make room. You might have had to compress
the file first or truncate it but likely we could have got it working again.
Good luck rebuilding!

 

[Jack201]

I did recover the file from my waste basket and it is now still in my
explorer - it is over 2 GB but I still have it. Is there anything else I can
do to recover my contact list and old emails? There is a new .pst file that
evidently outlook created when i deleted the old one - so there are two on my
system. How would you combine the two or compress the large one? Thanks for
all the help!!

 

[K. Orland]

If you can open the old one (File > Open > browse to it), you can move stuff
over to the new PST.
If you can't open the old one, let me know.

 

[Jack201]

Nope, I was wrong, there is only one .pst with my name on it, The other .pst
file is the one for my wife. I can't open the old one: C:\Documents and
Settings\Jack Hopper\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook 1.96
GB (2,111,209,472 bytes). Sorry to keep bugging you with this, I was just
hoping I could retreive some of my old data that was important to me.

 

[K. Orland]

What method are you using to try and open the old PST? I would stick with
File > Open.

If you open Outlook and can see the PST in the folder list, right-click on
it. Scroll to properties. Click Advanced. Click Compact Now.

 

[K. Orland]

I would still recommend running scanpst.exe against your PST file even if you
can get it to open or compact. You may have to run it repeatedly, until it no
longer encounters errorrs.
Another resort would be to create a new Outlook profile for yourself and
then try to open the PST.

 

[Jack201]

I cannot find anywhere to compact the .pst file - it is not in the folders.
I looked (I think) everywhere to compact the file but cannot find anywhere to
do it. I ran the scanpst again and it gave me the same error as before. "an
error has occurred which caused the scan to be stopped. No changes have been
made to the scanned file." <sigh again> Frustrating, huh?

 

[Brian Tillman]

I cannot find anywhere to compact the .pst file - it is not in the
folders.

Yes it is. The folder containing it is a hidden folder. Open Windows
Explorer and, in the Address bar, enter the path you named in your original
post; i.e.,

C:\Documents and Settings\Jack Hopper\Local Settings\Application
Data\Microsoft\Outlook

and click Go. I'd bet money you'll see it there.

 

[K. Orland]

The file is hidden. That's why in my first response to you I advised you to
use Windows Explorer to unhide hidden files and folders and also to make sure
you can see known file extensions.

 

[Jack201]

You have been wonderful in helping me and I have been such a dummy in all
this. Late last night I found the outlook.pst file and went to properties
and compressed it. It compressed it from 1.96 GB to 1.88 GB. That seems
like it is still a large file - should I or can I make it smaller and how
would I do that? I don't wnat it to lock up again.

And, I still have the problem that I have lost all my old emails and
contacts. Since I seem to still have that old data somewhere, can I retreive
it and put it back into my Outlook? The scanpst still gives me an error
mesage.

 

[K. Orland]

You may want to search for *.pst to see if you have more than one if you're
missing emails. With the current file, you may want to create another pst to
drag items into from the older file. However you need to verify if you can
indeed open the pst file with Outlook.
Is it possible you archived older email?

 

[Jack201]

No, there is only one pst file with my name. As I said, there is one for my
wife under her name. There is one small file named archive.pst dated today.

As far as "you may want to create another pst to drag items into from the
older file. However you need to verify if you can indeed open the pst file
with Outlook." I have absolutely no idea how to do either one of those
things. I thought I knew something about computers until I get into
something like this!

 

[K. Orland]

Use the mail applet in the Control Panel. In the properties of your profile
you may be able to add a PST to your profile. Not sure about your set up.
To open an existing PST file, open Outlook then click File > Open and browse
to the PST file you wish to open.

 

[Jack201]

I opened the mail applet and was unable to add a pst to my profile. In fact I
didnot find my profile. When I am in Outlook and click File > Open, it opens
"My Documents" which has no pst files. Again, I am using Outlook 2000
version 9 so it may not have some of the items you suggest.

 

[K. Orland]

I use Outlook 2000 at work.
To open a PST, when you open Outlook and use File > Open, you have to BROWSE
to the PST file. That means you need to know the location of it. The default
location is not in My Documents. It's located under your profile in Documents
and Settings. If you check my first response to you, it gives you the default
location for the PST file.

 

[Jack201]

Look, I really, really appreciate the time you have given to my problem but
either I'm too stupid to follow directions or my computer doesn't work the
same as yours. I can find the .pst file but there is no way - absolutely no
way - I can get it to open. It keeps asking me for a program to open it with
and none that I tried worked (including Outlook). You are instructing me way
over my head evidently and I get frustrated when it doesn't work when I
follow your instructions the best I can.

I guess that I am just going to have to live with what happened - rebuild
the best way I can - hope that whatever I lost was not that important, though
I had a lot of things there I wanted to keep for memorial sake and important
dates in my calendar. I am considering purchasing Microsoft Outlook 2007 and
see if there is something there to help me. And, I hope that it doesn't
crash on me again.

 

[Brian Tillman]

Look, I really, really appreciate the time you have given to my
problem but either I'm too stupid to follow directions or my computer
doesn't work the same as yours. I can find the .pst file but there
is no way - absolutely no way - I can get it to open. It keeps
asking me for a program to open it with and none that I tried worked
(including Outlook).

Do NOT try to open it in WIndows Explorer. Open in from within Outlook.
Start Outlook and click File>Open>Outlook Data File. Browse to the folder
where you find the PST, select it, and click OK.

But, there's something that bothers me a little: you said, in an earlier
post, "Late last night I found the outlook.pst file and went to properties
and compressed it. It compressed it from 1.96 GB to 1.88 GB." Dod you do
this from Windows Explorer? If so, that's wrong. You must do this from
within Outlook.