OL2000: (CW) Unable to Open Default Mail Folders

When starting Microsoft Outlook, you may receive the following error message: Then, Outlook displays a "Create/Open Personal Folders File" dialog box.

This error may occur if Outlook is delivering mail to a personal folders (.pst) file, and any of the following conditions are true:

• Your personal folder file where Outlook delivers your mail is located on a server that is currently unavailable.
• Your personal folder file where Outlook delivers your mail is corrupted and Outlook can not open it.

Open a New Personal Folders File

If you want to open a new Personal Folders file, type a name for the new file in the "Create/Open Personal Folders File" dialog box and click Create.

Personal Folder File Located on a Network Server

Contact your system administrator to check the availability of the network server where your Personal Folder file is located.

Corrupted Personal Folder File

If you suspect that your personal folder file is corrupted, you may be able to recover the file using the Inbox Repair Tool.

To use the Inbox Repair tool, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Find, and click Files Or Folders.
2. Type Scanpst.exe in the Named box and click Find Now.
3. In the list of found files, double-click the Scanpst.exe file.
4. Specify the name of the .pst file you want to repair, or click Browse to browse for the .pst file.
5. Click Start.

If there is an error, you have the option to make a backup of the file before attempting repairs.

The log file for the repair process has the same name as the .pst file, with a .log extension. So, if you repair a file named Mailbox.pst, the log file is named Mailbox.log.

Unless you are using either the Microsoft Exchange Server or the Microsoft Mail services, Outlook requires a personal folder file to store your mail messages, Calendar, Contacts, and Tasks. If Outlook is unable to find a personal folder file, the only other folders that you can open are the file system folders, by using Outlook as a document explorer.