PST File issue

[Marshal]

Greetings -

I have a personal folder file (PST) that will not open in
Outlook 2000. It is giving an error message as if the
file is 'read only'. That is not the case.

Is there anyway I can edit this file to extract my
messages?
Error Message when trying to open: "Properties for this
information service must be defined prior to use." when
I click ok to that it states 'the pst file is not a
personal folders file'.

 

[Allen Brown]

This error occurs in two instances:

The first instance involves a corrupted PST file, for
which you can run the Inbox repair tool to try and repair
the pst file and recover messages.

The second instance is a problem that occurs because
the .pst and/or the .ost files have a 2 gigabyte (GB)
size limitation, and the error message occurs when it is
exceeded. The Inbox Repair Tool cannot correct this
problem. Once a PST file exceeds 2GB, it basically
becomes unusable; you cannot open folders, send or
receive, or archive. A possible solution for using an
oversized PST file involves using the "Oversized PST and
OST Crop Tool" available for download from Microsoft. Be
very careful with this tool, as it can irrepairably
damage your PST. Make a backup copy of your PST before
proceeding. Full information on downloading and using the
tool can be found at:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-
us;296088

Although I have used the tool, I have yet to have it
successfully work for recovering an oversized PST.

Allen

 

[Joe]

Thanks for the reply, but the users' Outlook that this is
occurring in generally doesn't have a pst larger than 1 Gb.
I'm planning on trying to delete the outcmd.dat and see if
that might remedy the sloww startup.
As far as rebuilding pst files, we use an app called Easy
EmailRecovery by OnTrack software (www.ontrack.com). It
does Outlook and Outlook Express pst files and has NEVER
failed to recover a 2+ Gb pst. You might want to try it.
Thanks anywa,
Joe