CHKDSK Deleted Outlook .pst file = I lost 5 yrs worth of emails?!?

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Hi, I'm a first time poster with an emergency at hand. I have a 1.5 year old
Gateway laptop running Windows XP. Friday night, I shut down my computer. A
few hours later, I restarted and CHKDSK ran. It took longer than usual, so I
left my computer and came back when it was finishing up. I noticed there was
a whole bunch of text on the screen with respect to actions taken, but I
didn't pay attention to what it said.
So I logged in and double clicked on the Outlook icon. However, it said
"Cannot start Microsoft Outlook. The file C:\Documents and
Settings\robin\Local Settings\Application Data\MicrosofOutlook\Outlook.pst is
not a personal folders file." So I went to that path and found that
outlook.pst, a file that used to be over 200 MB, was now 0 KB, and completely
empty in fact. Outlook won't even startup.
I assume CHKDSK caused this, because I was using Outlook before I restarted
and CHKDSK ran.

So I am in big trouble, because I need all my calendar, contacts, and emails
that were in that darn .pst file. Can you please help me? Is there anyway
to recover it? How can I find out what CHKDSK did? Is it
recoverable/reversible???

Thank you!
Robin
 
RobinFromLA said:
Hi, I'm a first time poster with an emergency at hand. I have a 1.5 year
old
Gateway laptop running Windows XP. Friday night, I shut down my computer.
A
few hours later, I restarted and CHKDSK ran. It took longer than usual,
so I
left my computer and came back when it was finishing up. I noticed there
was
a whole bunch of text on the screen with respect to actions taken, but I
didn't pay attention to what it said.
So I logged in and double clicked on the Outlook icon. However, it said
"Cannot start Microsoft Outlook. The file C:\Documents and
Settings\robin\Local Settings\Application Data\MicrosofOutlook\Outlook.pst
is
not a personal folders file." So I went to that path and found that
outlook.pst, a file that used to be over 200 MB, was now 0 KB, and
completely
empty in fact. Outlook won't even startup.
I assume CHKDSK caused this, because I was using Outlook before I
restarted
and CHKDSK ran.

So I am in big trouble, because I need all my calendar, contacts, and
emails
that were in that darn .pst file. Can you please help me? Is there
anyway
to recover it? How can I find out what CHKDSK did? Is it
recoverable/reversible???

Thank you!
Robin
Click to expand...

Look for a file called archive.pst. It is probably in the same folder as
outlook.pst but may be elsewhere. Outlook auto archives unless you turn the
feature off. You may be able to import this and recover some of your data.

Kerry
 
RobinFromLA said:
Hi, I'm a first time poster with an emergency at hand. I have a 1.5 year old
Gateway laptop running Windows XP. Friday night, I shut down my computer. A
few hours later, I restarted and CHKDSK ran. It took longer than usual, so I
left my computer and came back when it was finishing up. I noticed there was
a whole bunch of text on the screen with respect to actions taken, but I
didn't pay attention to what it said.
So I logged in and double clicked on the Outlook icon. However, it said
"Cannot start Microsoft Outlook. The file C:\Documents and
Settings\robin\Local Settings\Application Data\MicrosofOutlook\Outlook.pst is
not a personal folders file." So I went to that path and found that
outlook.pst, a file that used to be over 200 MB, was now 0 KB, and completely
empty in fact. Outlook won't even startup.
I assume CHKDSK caused this, because I was using Outlook before I restarted
and CHKDSK ran.

So I am in big trouble, because I need all my calendar, contacts, and emails
that were in that darn .pst file. Can you please help me? Is there anyway
to recover it? How can I find out what CHKDSK did? Is it
recoverable/reversible???

Thank you!
Robin
Click to expand...

I assume you have already used the Search function (Start /
Search) to look for your .PST file elsewhere on your disk.

Your best chance of recovering the file is to stop using the machine
immediately, then take it to a data recovery service so that they can
take a snapshot of your hard disk. They will then trawl through the
whole disk to see if anything can be recovered. If you use the
machine before they take the snapshot then you reduce your
chances of recovering the file, because Windows is highly likely
to overwrite whatever is left of your .PST file.

After recovering from this disaster, consider the iron law of
computing: All important files must be backed up to an independent
medium once every week. Many people ignore this rule until
they suffer a major disaster.
 
Thank you. I will try my best. My search was, indeed fruitless. I had
contemplated switching to gmail for a while because every thing is saved on
external servers, and I was also thinking of backing up my data, but
stupidity and laziness got the best/worst of me. Do you know how much I
should expect to pay a place like that?
Thank you Pegasus!
 
Thanks for the idea, but I searched my whole computer and there were no other
pst files. :-(
 
I think an older version of Outlook (or I may be thinking of Outlook express)
saved all the folders of emails in separate files. Is that no longer the
case with Outlook XP?
Thanks,
Robin
 
Outlook saves all mail, contacts etc. in a single .PST file, and perhaps
in an archive .PST file as mentioned by Kerry Brown. Outlook Express
uses numerous .DBX files.

I have no idea how much a data recovery service would cost.
I recommend you explain the situation and get a couple of quotes.
 
Robin,

I think that your HDD is a goner. Maybe the data lost is caused by
having bad sectors? Do you remember what CHKDSK gave you as
explanation?

Regards,

Philip.
 
=?Utf-8?B?Um9iaW5Gcm9tTEE=?= said:
Thanks for the idea, but I searched my whole computer and there were no other
pst files. :-(
Click to expand...

Hi Kerry

Have you tried any data recovery software yet?

If not I think it is worth a try. But first of all until all avenues
of discovery have been exhausted you should not be doing anything else
on this computer of yours. These are the steps that I wold recommend
in an attempt to see if there is any sign of the original PST files.

On another PC go to my website www.hddrecovery.biz and select the
button "data recovery for windows" on the left side. Download the demo
version of R Studio from here and install it on the PC you have used
to download on.

Once the software has been installed copy the R Studio program folder
onto a CD. Do not copy the contents of this cd onto your computer.
Instead, run R Studio from the cd and use this CD to investigate the
contents of your PC. R Studio will scan the entire disk and identify
all deleted files. The manual can also be downloaded from the same
place for a detailed explanation of what is happening and how to
interpret the screens.

Once the scan process has finished you need to go through the files
that have been identified by R Studio to see if the original PST file
is still available for recovery.

Good luck and if you need any help contact us through the website.

Robh
 
RobinFromLA said:
Hi, I'm a first time poster with an emergency at hand. I have a 1.5 year
old
Gateway laptop running Windows XP. Friday night, I shut down my computer.
A
few hours later, I restarted and CHKDSK ran. It took longer than usual,
so I
left my computer and came back when it was finishing up. I noticed there
was
a whole bunch of text on the screen with respect to actions taken, but I
didn't pay attention to what it said.
So I logged in and double clicked on the Outlook icon. However, it said
"Cannot start Microsoft Outlook. The file C:\Documents and
Settings\robin\Local Settings\Application Data\MicrosofOutlook\Outlook.pst
is
not a personal folders file." So I went to that path and found that
outlook.pst, a file that used to be over 200 MB, was now 0 KB, and
completely
empty in fact. Outlook won't even startup.
I assume CHKDSK caused this, because I was using Outlook before I
restarted
and CHKDSK ran.

So I am in big trouble, because I need all my calendar, contacts, and
emails
that were in that darn .pst file. Can you please help me? Is there
anyway
to recover it? How can I find out what CHKDSK did? Is it
recoverable/reversible???

Thank you!
Robin
Click to expand...

Comments.
When you search for *.pst files, you need to enable show hidden files or
search for hidden files.

CHKDSK should only effect a *.pst file if the file was damaged or the disk
sector where the file was stored was damaged.

Likely reason that Outlook will not start is that your current outlook.pst
file is not a valid personal folders file. Suggest you rename or delete the
0 Kb file. Outlook should create a new one when started. Will not recover
your data, but Outlook should work. Also, running Help, Detect and Repair
from any Office application or Repair from Office CD or Add/Remove Programs
should correct you Outlook start problem.

For current versions of Outlook, Microsoft offers a free pst backup utility.

Don
 
Also all Office Suites include a Outlook PST repair tool, called
ScanPST.Exe. It doesn't get an Icon, so it's necessary to search
your Office folder to locate it.
It's doubtful that a zero byte file can successfully be recovered.
But it is beneficial to run this on your Personal Folder periodically
just to check it's integrity.
 
RobinFromLA said:
Hi, I'm a first time poster with an emergency at hand. I have a 1.5 year old
Gateway laptop running Windows XP. Friday night, I shut down my computer. A
few hours later, I restarted and CHKDSK ran. It took longer than usual, so I
left my computer and came back when it was finishing up. I noticed there was
a whole bunch of text on the screen with respect to actions taken, but I
didn't pay attention to what it said.
So I logged in and double clicked on the Outlook icon. However, it said
"Cannot start Microsoft Outlook. The file C:\Documents and
Settings\robin\Local Settings\Application Data\MicrosofOutlook\Outlook.pst is
not a personal folders file." So I went to that path and found that
outlook.pst, a file that used to be over 200 MB, was now 0 KB, and completely
empty in fact. Outlook won't even startup.
I assume CHKDSK caused this, because I was using Outlook before I restarted
and CHKDSK ran.

So I am in big trouble, because I need all my calendar, contacts, and emails
that were in that darn .pst file. Can you please help me? Is there anyway
to recover it? How can I find out what CHKDSK did? Is it
recoverable/reversible???

Thank you!
Robin
Click to expand...

If CHKDSK determined that the .PST file was damaged it should have
saved the file remnants in one or more .CHK files on your hard drive.
Look for these. They will probably be in a FOUNDnnn folder.

If the .CHK files are there then you will probably have to use an
Outlook recovery tool to scan these files and see if anything can be
recovered.

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

In memory of a dear friend Alex Nichol MVP
http://aumha.org/alex.htm
 
Robin, the lesson here is that if you have important files on your
computer (doesn't matter if it's E-Mail, your Ph.D. thesis, your
accounts receiviable files or all of your photos of your children since
they were born) YOU ***MUST*** BACK THEM UP ON SOME FORM OF REMOVEABLE
MEDIA.

Your data may or may not be recoverable, unfortunately probably not, but
since this thread has been going on for a while, I don't feel that I can
add anything to that.

You need to buy yourself a CD or DVD burner and appropriate software and
learn how to use both.

And then do it (lots of people who have the hardware and software still
don't have the backups).
 
2002 SP3 Running Windows XP 3

I might add that a few times every week, Outlook would find errors with the
PST and would spend a few minutes checking it. I don't know if that helps
 
There were only 3 .chk files. 2 were 8kb files, edb.chk and one was 1kb.
None were modified on the date in question. Is there a log somewhere of what
chkdsk has done?
Thanks,
Robin

PS Thank you all for your suggestions!!!
 
=?Utf-8?B?Um9iaW5Gcm9tTEE=?= said:
Hi, I'm a first time poster with an emergency at hand. I have a 1.5 year old
Click to expand...

Keep all important stuff on paper in a file cabinet. Dont trust
electronics to keep your important data.
 
Plato said:
year old

Keep all important stuff on paper in a file cabinet. Dont trust
electronics to keep your important data.
Click to expand...

.. . . and when you suffer a fire, water damage or a burglary,
kiss all your paper documents good bye!

Keeping electronic records of important things is far easier
than keeping paper records. It's incredibly cheap to make
several copies on independent media and store each in a
different place. The OP got into trouble because he relied
one one single storage place, the PC. You would end up
in the same predicament if your filing cabinet got burnt out
in a fire.
 
Pegasus said:
Keeping electronic records of important things is far easier
than keeping paper records. It's incredibly cheap to make
Click to expand...

Lo and behold I have a 100 year old book written by nurses regarding
home remedies. If it was in an electronic form there would be no way to
access that data now as no pc would be able to recognize the media.
Heck, pcs these days cant recognize backup media from 5 years ago. Data
kept on paper will far outlive an data kept electronically.
 
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