How to use the Inbox Repair Tool to recover messages in Outlook 2000 that is installed with Internet Mail Only option

This article describes how to use the Inbox Repair Tool to recover folders and items from a corrupted Personal Folders (.pst) file.

NOTE: The examples listed below refer to using the Inbox Repair Tool on a .pst file. The same procedures apply to an offline folder (.ost) file. To locate the offline folder (.ost) file, click to select Offline Folders (*.ost) in Select File to Scan.

The Inbox Repair Tool (Scanpst.exe) is a tool designed to help repair problems associated with Personal Folder (.pst) files. This tool can also repair offline folder (.ost) files.

The Inbox Repair Tool ships with Microsoft Windows 95, and is contained on both the Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Office CD-ROM. It is installed automatically during setup. This utility is also installed with the Windows Messaging Service Setup on the Microsoft Windows 98 CD-ROM. You can find these programs in the following folder:

Run the Inbox Repair Tool

1. Click Start and point to Find, or Search, depending upon your operating system.
2. In the Search for files or folders named box, type scanpst.exe.
3. Type the path and file name of the pst file, or click Browse to locate the file using the windows file system.
4. Click Start.

What the Inbox Repair Tool Does

When you run the Inbox Repair Tool on a Personal Folders (.pst) file, it does the following:

• The Inbox Repair Tool analyses the Personal Folders (.pst) file directory structure and item headers to try and recover all folders and items.
• If the Inbox Repair Tool recovers the Personal Folders (.pst) file, it means that the repair tool found problems, and repaired what it could.
• The Inbox Repair Tool tries to turn any file into a Personal Folders (.pst) file. (For example, if you rename an executable file to "Something.pst," (without quotation marks) the tool changes the file to a mountable .pst file).

Recovered Personal Folders File

After you run the Inbox Repair Tool, start Outlook by using the profile that contains the Personal Folders (.pst) file that you tried to repair. On the View menu, click Folder List to turn on the Folder List view. In your Folder List, you should see the following recovered folders: These recovered folders are usually empty, because this is a rebuilt .pst file. You should also see a folder called "Lost And Found" (without quotation marks). This folder contains folders and items that the Inbox Repair Tool recovered. Items that are missing from the Lost and Found folder are beyond repair.

How to Recover Repaired Items

You should move as many of the items from the Lost And Found folder to a new Personal Folders (.pst) file in your profile. First, create a new Personal Folders (.pst) file entry in your profile and drag any recovered items from the Lost And Found folder to the appropriate location in your new Personal Folders (.pst) file.

How to Create a New Personal Folder (.pst) File in Your Profile

1. In Outlook, on the File menu, point to New, and then click Personal Folders File (.pst).
2. Accept or type a name for your new Personal Folder (.pst) file, and then click Create.
3. Click OK in the Create Personal Folders dialog box.

You should have a new Personal Folders (.pst) file in your profile. Drag the recovered items from the Lost And Found folder to your new Personal Folders (.pst) file. When you have finished moving all items, you may remove the Recovered Personal Folders (.pst) file, including the Lost And Found folder, from your profile.

How to Recover Items from the Backup Personal Folders (.pst) File

NOTE: If you cannot open your original Personal Folders (.pst) file before you run Inbox Repair Tool, it is possible that the following procedures may not work. If you are able to open the original Personal Folders (.pst) file, then it is possible that the following procedures may enable you to recover additional items from your damaged Personal Folders (.pst) file.

When you run Inbox Repair Tool, the option to create a backup of the original Personal Folders (.pst) file is selected. This option creates a file on your hard disk called <file name>.bak, and is a copy of the original <file name>.pst file with a different extension. The .bak file resides in the directory of your original Personal Folders (.pst) file.

You may be able to recover items from the .bak file that Inbox Repair Tool could not. Make a copy of the .bak file, giving the file a new name with a .pst extension, for example "Newname.pst" (without quotation marks).

How to Import Information from the Old Personal Folders (.pst) File

1. On the File menu, click Import And Export.
2. Click Import from another program or file, and then click Next.
3. Click to select Personal Folder File (.pst), and then click Next.
4. Under File To Import, click your Newname.pst file.
5. Under Options, click Do not import duplicates, and then click Next.
6. Under Import Personal Folders, type the path and file name, or locate and click the folder that you want to import, and then click Next.
7. Click to select Import folders into the same folder in , click your new personal folders file from step 4 in the "Recovering Repaired Items" section of this article, and then click Finish.

NOTE: Remember that the backup file was the original corrupted file, and you may find that you cannot recover anything other that what was recovered in the Lost And Found folder. If you are unable to import the Newname.pst file into Outlook, then you have lost all the information that is not in the Lost And Found folder.

How to Change the E-mail Delivery Location to Your New Personal Folders (.pst) File

1. Right-click your new Personal Folder (.pst) file, and then click Properties for Personal Folders.
2. Click Deliver POP mail to this personal folders file, and then click OK.
3. Click OK when you receive the prompt from the Office Assistant.
4. Quit and restart Outlook. Your messages may now be delivered to the new Personal Folders (.pst) file.
5. Click Yes to the Office Assistant prompt.
6. Right-click your old Personal Folders (.pst) file, and then click Close Personal Folders to remove it from your folder list.

How to Recover a 2 GB Personal Folder (.pst)

The upper limit of a Personal Folder (.pst) is two gigabytes. Often when a Personal Folder (.pst) approaches this limit, you may not be able to save or retrieve items. The same size limiitation applies to Offline Folders (.ost).

Microsoft has made a utility available that is designed to attempt to recover the stored items in the Personal Folder (.pst) by reducing its size below the critical limit. Use of this utility results in some data loss in order to recovery the maximum data.

For additional information about PST size limits and the PST/OST Cropping tool, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: