.PST file won't open, "is not a personal folders file" error

  • Thread starter Thread starter Pinchy
  • Start date Start date
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Pinchy

My problem is the same as the one in this forum
http://forums.thatcomputerguy.us/lofiversion/index.php/t7672.html
I've got XP Pro with Office 2000.

I was moving data around new hard drives (onto a new 250GB one) when in
the middle of copying, the hard drive died - it will not power on
(won't even get warm when plugged in). I was able to recover a fairly
recent one using a program called r-studio (http://www.r-studio.com/)
from another drive which used to hold that file. My .pst file is
slightly over 1GB in size.

When opening this .pst or importing a .pst file, it says:
"Properties for this information service must be defined prior to use"
and then:
"the file" _______.pst "is not a personal folders file"

Things I tried:
- Verify read only is unchecked in file properties
- Check and uncheck the archive checkbox in file properties
- The inbox repair tool (does the repair, then when opened comes up
empty in Outlook).
- Logging into safe mode as administrator and trying all the above.
- Tried importing into Outlook 2002 on another machine (same error
messages)
- Tried importing mail into Outlook Express (didn't see it)
- Downloaded EasyRecovery Professional Trial (http://www.ontrack.com/)
Didn't fix.
- Downloaded Search and Recover 2 (http://www.iolo.com/sr/2/) Didn't
fix.

Any ideas? Alternately, what can be done to resurrect a hard drive
which doesn't start up at all (or maybe got too hot). Are there
services to get this stuff back, and is it pricey? I've got about 30GB
of data on a 60GB drive that's dead.
 
I am having the same problem as are the people in the thread that Pinchy
quotes.

I can import .PST files that have been saved to my backup drive but if I
then save them to disc and try to import them (either direct from the disc or
by moving them back on to the hard drive) I get a similar error message.

I have tried it on two computers running xp home and xp pro and using two
different CD writing software. My files do not have read only attribute
ticked before I save them. My .pst files are relatively small. I get the
same error message. I have Outlook 2000 on one machine and Outlook 2003 on
the other machine.

I have used discs to store .PST files in the past and it has been successful.
 
Pinchy said:
Things I tried:
- Verify read only is unchecked in file properties
- Check and uncheck the archive checkbox in file properties
- The inbox repair tool (does the repair, then when opened comes up
empty in Outlook).
- Logging into safe mode as administrator and trying all the above.
- Tried importing into Outlook 2002 on another machine (same error
messages)
- Tried importing mail into Outlook Express (didn't see it)
- Downloaded EasyRecovery Professional Trial (http://www.ontrack.com/)
Didn't fix.
- Downloaded Search and Recover 2 (http://www.iolo.com/sr/2/) Didn't
fix.
Click to expand...

Your PST is toast, since you've done what you can to recover it.
 
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