Anyone know what 'pst file isnt a valid pst file' means?

[news.microsoft.com]

Is there ANYONE out there who knows what it means when I try to open a PST
file in outlook and all I get is that the file isn't a valif PST file? I am
having this problem with an Archive.pst file which must have been an archive
file and therefore not opened when it was created

It wont open, import or drag-and-drop into the folders area of an already
opened application. Is there a third party utlity which can repair it so
that it looks to outlook like a PST file? It was last used in the same
version of Outlook XP as I am now trying to open it in or at any rate a
Windows 2000 (i.e. NT based) version

Scanpst just seems to find two errors on the third scan (of eight) in the
archive.pst file and creates a pst file with nothing in it out of a pst file
390 megabytes big

 

[Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

Is there ANYONE out there who knows what it means when I try to open
a PST file in outlook and all I get is that the file isn't a valif
PST file? I am having this problem with an Archive.pst file which
must have been an archive file and therefore not opened when it was
created

It wont open, import or drag-and-drop into the folders area of an
already opened application. Is there a third party utlity which can
repair it so that it looks to outlook like a PST file? It was last
used in the same version of Outlook XP as I am now trying to open it
in or at any rate a Windows 2000 (i.e. NT based) version

Scanpst just seems to find two errors on the third scan (of eight)
in the archive.pst file and creates a pst file with nothing in it out
of a pst file 390 megabytes big

Sounds like the file is corrupt. How big was the original PST file?
The OS has nothing to do with this, by the way.
Do you have backups of the PST file from when it last worked?

 

[news.microsoft.com]

Yes, I do and it is on a CD from which I keep copying it to my desktop from
where it wont run /open / import. The 390 meg file is transferred as a 390
meg file. Is there some special way of running scanpst which I am doing
wrongly? Or is there some program which will uncorrupt it better or better
way of copying it?


"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"

 

[JeffG]

Try removing the "read only" flag on the file - a CD will
automatically add that flag when it's copied to CD, it will not
automatically become read/write capable on the copy back. Outlook
must have read/write access to any pst file in order to work...

(right-click the file, properties, and clear the "read only"
checkmark...)

HTH
JeffG

Yes, I do and it is on a CD from which I keep copying it to my desktop from
where it wont run /open / import. The 390 meg file is transferred as a 390
meg file. Is there some special way of running scanpst which I am doing
wrongly? Or is there some program which will uncorrupt it better or better
way of copying it?


"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"

Sounds like the file is corrupt. How big was the original PST file?
The OS has nothing to do with this, by the way.
Do you have backups of the PST file from when it last worked?

 

[Brian Tillman]

Is there ANYONE out there who knows what it means when I try to open
a PST file in outlook and all I get is that the file isn't a valif
PST file? I am having this problem with an Archive.pst file which
must have been an archive file and therefore not opened when it was
created

It wont open, import or drag-and-drop into the folders area of an
already opened application. Is there a third party utlity which can
repair it so that it looks to outlook like a PST file? It was last
used in the same version of Outlook XP as I am now trying to open it
in or at any rate a Windows 2000 (i.e. NT based) version

Scanpst just seems to find two errors on the third scan (of eight)
in the archive.pst file and creates a pst file with nothing in it out
of a pst file 390 megabytes big

Sounds like your PST is irretrievably corrupted, unless you can find a
commercial tool that can help (see
http://www.slipstick.com/problems/scanpst.htm#tools). My guess is that the
file was open in Outlook when it was copied to the CD. That's the usual
cause of this problem. Just because it's not visible in the Folder List
doesn't mean Outlook doesn't have it opened, since it is an archive file.

 

[news.microsoft.com]

I'll bet that is what it is: I was assuming that an archive file is not in
use unless it is actually being archived at the moment it is being copied
but it was probably open in the folder list when I copied it to CD. Surely
there is a tool for repairing this, - which must be a really common problem?
"That's the usual

cause of this problem".

Does easyrecovery do this? scanpst just creates a 390 meg backup file (with
an archive, not a read only flag which is presumably what a CD file has as
you cant change a file once it is burned to CD) along with a mysterious 32
kilobyte supposed repaired file

 

[Brian Tillman]

I'll bet that is what it is: I was assuming that an archive file is
not in use unless it is actually being archived at the moment it is
being copied but it was probably open in the folder list when I
copied it to CD. Surely there is a tool for repairing this, - which
must be a really common problem?

You'll have to look at the web site I cited for a commercial tool. I don't
know of any free ones.