ScanPST does not repair PST file? – laparenthese-gourmande

PST files play a crucial role in managing Outlook email data, especially when you work offline or have limited storage on your email server. However, your PST may get corrupted or damaged, leading to loss of emails, contacts, calendars, tasks, and other mailbox items.

Fortunately, Outlook offers its own PST repair tool called ScanPST or Inbox Repair Tool. Here is how to effectively use it, along with the alternatives, when scanpst.exe fails to repair PST file data.

Launch of ScanPST

The location of Scanpst.exe may vary depending on the version of Outlook and Windows you are using.

1. First, close Outlook before running Scanpst.exe.

2. If you are using Office 365, the latest version of Outlook is always under Office 16. To search for Scanpst.exe, navigate to:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office15\

Or whatever version of Office you’re using. That is, Office14, Office12.

How to use ScanPST?

The Inbox Repair Tool is an executable, so all you need to do is:

3. Double-click Scanpst.exe file to launch the Inbox Repair tool.

4. In the Inbox Repair Tool window, click Browse to select the PST file you want to scan and repair. The default location for PST files is usually:

C:\Users\(Username)\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\

5. Click To start to start scanning. The tool will scan the file for errors and inconsistencies.

6. If any errors are found, click Repair to solve problems. The tool will attempt to recover data from damaged PST file.

7. Check to save original PST file like a “.bak”. During this time, the repaired file will have the same name as the original file.

8. Reopen Outlook to see if your data has been recovered.

Limitations of ScanPST

Although Scanpst.exe is a handy utility for repairing corrupted PST files, it has some limitations:

Limited repair capacity: Scanpst.exe can fix minor corruption issues in PST files, but may fail to repair severely corrupted files. It cannot handle all types of PST corruption and may not recover all lost or damaged data.

Multiple attempts required: Sometimes Scanpst.exe may require multiple attempts to repair a PST file, which can be time-consuming and frustrating for users.

File size limits: Outlook 2010 through 365 only supports PST files up to 50 GB in size. It’s even smaller if you’re using older versions of Outlook.

Alternatives to ScanPST.exe

When Scanpst.exe fails to repair PST file data, you may see messages such as:

“An error occurred that caused the scan to stop. No changes were made to the scanned file.

“The Microsoft Outlook Inbox Repair Tool does not recognize the file. No information can be retrieved.

In this case, it is better to use a third-party PST repair tool such as Stellar Repair for Outlook.

Stellar Repair for Outlook

Compared to ScanPST, Stellar Repair for Outlook repairs and recovers PST files that are larger or more seriously damaged. It is also fast, provides a comprehensive overview, and can export data to standard PST or other formats.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Download the free tool to preview or purchase the software for complete PST recovery.

2. Click Select Outlook Data Filethen let it automatically find your profiles or navigate directly to the PST file.

3. Click Repair and follow its progress on the screen.

4. Once finished, you can preview all data by browsing the tree or using the Search for a message functionality.

5. Uncheck any folders or mailbox items you do not want to recover.

6. Click Save Analysis to save the results for later or Save the repaired file to export the data.7. Save as PST to restore to Outlook or choose MSG, EML, RTF, HTML or PDF.

8. Reopen Outlook and go to File > Open & Export > Open Outlook Data File.

9. Locate the PST file saved by Stellar Repair for Outlook.

The software also offers a Technician version for splitting and compacting PST files and a Toolkit version which can merge multiple PST files into one.

Conclusion

ScanPST is a useful tool to repair small corrupt PST files. By following the steps above, you can easily check if your data is recoverable.

However, when ScanPST fails to fix PST file data, Stellar Repair for Outlook offers a more powerful and comprehensive solution.

Keelan is a lifelong Windows user and is passionate about all things technology and security. He enjoys exploring the latest tools and software to see what really works, so users can make an informed choice. As a trained journalist from the United Kingdom, Keelan combines his love of computers and writing to create helpful reviews and guides for others.