File Repair Archives - SFWare Blog

How to Open, Extract RAR files on Windows & Mac?

Summary:

Extracting RAR files can be the easiest task if you are regular user of .rar or .zip formats. If you are newly exploring the file formats such as RAR or facing any difficulties in extracting RAR files, this article explains the simplest ways to open RAR files on both Windows and Mac computers. With the help of the methods described, you will be able to learn how to extract large files and multiple RAR files as well.

RAR and Zip file formats are the most popular compressed file formats used while transferring files from one drive to another or via email as it reduces the storage space. Although RAR and Zip files uses compression algorithm to minimize the file size, RAR comes with an added advantage. With RAR you can divide a single file in to multiple pieces and send the file. You can extract back the multiple files as well without any hassle.

The Simplest Way to Open, Extract RAR Files

There are several applications used on Windows to open RAR files. The default application used to extract RAR file is WinRAR, precisely made for RAR file format. However, it is not the free app but a trialware. You can make use of the WinRAR app to easily create RAR file. To extract RAR file, you can try the free and open source 7Zip.

How to Open RAR files on Windows?

Methods mentioned below can be used to open RAR Files in the Following Windows Versions: Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista and older versions.

You can extract multiple RAR files using WinRAR or 7-zip application following the same procedure as extracting/opening RAR files.

Open RAR file with WinRAR

Follow the steps to open RAR file in WinRAR:

Double-click on the .rar file >> Select the files or folders you want to extract/open.
Now, click on the Extract To icon at the top of the WinRAR window and choose a destination folder where you want to save the contents of the extracted RAR file >> OK

Right-click on the RAR file >> Choose Open with WinRAR
Double-click on the file you want to open >> WinRAR will launch automatically.
Open WinRAR >> Select the file/folder from the WinRAR

Note: If you are encountering the checksum error while opening the RAR file, it is recommended to fix the error immediately. Click on the link to know how to fix WinRAR checksum error using 3 efficient ways.

Extract or Open RAR file using 7-Zip

If you are looking for any Free open source application to unRAR files, 7-zip is the application you are looking for. At first, you need to download the 7-zip application from the official website. When the download completes, launch the application and click on finish button.

Now to extract RAR files, follow the steps given below

Select the file you want to extract from the RAR archive
Right click on the file>> it displays multiple options like Open archive, Extract files, Extract here, Test archive, Add to archive and Compress and email.
Select Extract here. You will be now taken to another window that displays the time needed to extract all the files from the archive.

Now you can view the extracted files in the same directory it was opened.

Right-click the RAR file you want to open >> Select 7zip from the options listed
Now, select Open archive >> 7zip file manager opens
Click on Extract >> Choose the location you want>> OK

Once you click on OK, you will be directed to next window that displays the remaining time to extract all the files RAR archives.

How to Open RAR files on Mac?

To extract RAR files on macOS, you can make use of the free open source applications known as Unarchiver. Unlike Windows Mac doesn’t have multiple options to extract RAR files. However, Unarchiver supports extraction of multiple files from RAR archives.

Download and install the application on your Mac computer.
right-click the RAR file in Finder >> Choose The Unarchiver from the Open with
Enter the password if the RAR has encryption.
Now the app extracts the files to a new folder in the same directory

Note: If you want to know more about extracting an encrypted or password protected RAR file check this information.

How Do I Extract Large RAR Files?

The maximum limit of RAR file could be 2^63 bytes in size and 7-zip archive limit is 2^64 bytes. Therefore, you can use 7-zip archive to extract large RAR files without any trouble. What if your RAR archive is corrupt? How would you extract RAR files? Well, do not worry, with SFWare Repair RAR file tool, you can fix corruption and extract RAR files with ease.

When you try extracting large RAR files, there would be chances of RAR file corruption as it exceeds the file size limit. In such situations, you can make use of SFWare RAR file Repair software that not only helps you repair the RAR file but help in extracting large size RAR files without causing any damage to files. SFWare is the most recommended tool to repair the corrupt RAR files. the tool not only repairs but also extract corruption free RAR files.

Steps to Repair and Extract Corrupt RAR File

To Repair corrupt RAR file, download and install SFWare Repair RAR file on your computer and launch the application.

Select RAR file that you want to repair and click on Repair
Now, Quick repairing and recovering/extracting process will take place
Fixed Files can be stored on any external storage devices

Conclusion:

With all the above-mentioned methods, you can easily open/extract RAR files without any hassle. It is always recommended to keep multiple backups of important files to avoid any data loss scenarios. Avoid interruptions while downloading large RAR files to evade RAR file corruption. If you encounter any trouble extracting file due to corruption or damage on the file, you can make use of SFWare RAR file Repair tool.

How to Fix a Corrupt OST File In Outlook 2021/2019/2016

Summary:

OST files are widely used for their benefits of storing information offline when not connected to exchange server. Although OST file has an advantage in Outlook, it is not free from corruption. If you cannot access your Outlook data due to corruption in OST file, here are a few tested workarounds to fix the OST file corruption. If you are looking for an instant solution, you can repair the OST file and fix the corruption in jiffy.

OST file is an Outlook data file that is created when you configure the Outlook with IMAP, Exchange, Office 365, and Outlook.com accounts. This is the Outlook data file can help you in saving the synchronized copy of Outlook data on your computer and allows you to work offline. You can perform any actions including deleting mails, reading or creating one in offline mode. When the connection is re-established, all the changes made offline will be synchronized with the server. Therefore, you can access your updated Outlook data from any anywhere.

Repair Corrupt OST file

Although OST files are reliable and secure, they can get corrupt due to several reasons. Let us get to know why OST files get corrupted.

Quick Navigation:

What makes Outlook OST file get Corrupted?

How to repair Outlook OST files?

How to Fix Corrupt OST File?

Repair Corrupt OST file using SFWare PST/OST Repair Tool

How Outlook OST file Gets Corrupted?

Below mentioned are a few reasons that can cause corruption in OST files in Outlook-

1. Network drop while syncing with an online server or using unstable network sources can lead to OST file corruption.

2. Adding third-party add-ins can conflict with the application and cause corruption in Outlook data files.

3. If your Outlook profile is configured incorrectly, you cannot access the OST file and you may encounter the problem in configuring the Outlook data file which could be an indication of corrupt OST file.

4. Other reasons like power failures during OST files synchronizing with server or virus intrusion to Outlook data files can also lead to corruption in OST files.

5. Sometimes, any interruption caused while installing new Outlook updates makes Outlook not responding. In such cases, the damages are not limited to the application but to the OST files saved in the application will be damaged too.

How Do I Repair A Corrupt OST File?

You can repair corrupt Outlook OST file using 3 different approaches.

If the corruption is restricted to files on one folder, you can easily update the folder to fix the OST file corruption. The other two methods are using ScanPST.exe tool and repair OST file respectively.

Depending on your scenarios and level of corruption in OST files, you can try the methods mentioned below.

How to Fix A Corrupt OST File in Outlook?

The methods mentioned below hold good for all the versions of Outlook including the latest 2021, 2019,2016, 2013 and others.

Method 1: Update the OST Folder to Fix Corruption

You can update the folder in Outlook when the issue is with particular folder. All you have to do is, delete the offline items in the corrupt folder and update the folder by establishing the connection to the Exchange server.

Open Outlook >> right-click the folder you want to update.
Click Properties >> A dialog box will appear >> Click Clear Offline Items.
Click OK >> Select Send/Receive tab and click on Update Folder

Method 2: Make use of ScanPST.exe to Fix corrupt OST files

If you are wondering is it possible to repair OST file using ScanPST.exe, yes, the tool can be reliable for both PST and OST files. If you are using an Outlook version lower than 2013, you can make use of scanost.exe tool. At first find the location of OST file.

Scanost.exe can be found on the location C: \Program files\Microsoft office\ Outlook version.

Scanpst.exe can be found on:

Outlook 2019-32-Bit C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office19
Outlook 2019-64-Bit C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office19

Outlook 2019-32-Bit C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office21
Outlook 2019-64-Bit C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office21

All you have to change the office version of your respective Outlook.

Steps to run scanpst.exe to repair OST file corruption

Locate scanpst.exe on your system and follow the steps
Once you locate the scanpst.exe, run the inbox repair tool
Click on Browse and enter the location of the OST file you want to repair
Click Start to scan the file. After scanning is completed, make sure you have selected the backup option.
Click on Repair option to repair the file >> OK

With the help of ScanPST, you should be able to fix the OST file corruption. However, Inbox repair tool also have limitations. The Inbox repair tool (ScanPST) stops responding when trying to fix large files. If ScanPST fails to repair the OST file, it will ask you to recreate the file. In that case, you can just recreate the OST file in Outlook.

Method 3: Recreate OST file to repair corrupt OST file

The OST file can easily be recreated by downloading from the server and synchronizing with an online server. Before recreating the file, it is important to delete the corrupt existing one.

Steps to delete the OST file:

Close Outlook application before starting the process
Open Control Panel >> User accounts >> mail
It opens a new dialogue box >> click on E-mail Accounts
Clicking on email accounts will open account settings dialogue box
Click on Data file tab >> select the corrupt OST file and open file location
Once you accessing the file go ahead and delete it

Just after deleting your corrupt OST file, you can set up your account with the same credentials. Outlook will automatically synchronize with your online server and create a new OST file without any data being lost.

If none of the above-mentioned methods helped you in fixing corrupt OST file or for the situation where your data is not synchronized with server, the best way to recover and repair the OST file is to make use of an efficient OST/PST repair tool.

Repair Corrupt OST file using SFWare PST/OST Repair Tool

To repair OST file, download and install SFWare PST/OST repair tool and launch the application. The software is able to repair OST file and recovers that as PST file. Therefore, you no need to synchronize with the server again.

Step 1: The main screen displays three options, select the one as per need:

Open PST File: If you know the path to open PST file, select the option

Find PST File: If you are not aware of PST file, the tool easily finds that for you

Select Outlook Profile: Select the profile in which you need to repair the Outlook files.

Step 2: Select Normal Scan or Smart Scan from the next screen.

Normal Scan: This scan is suitable for repairing minor corruptions in PST file.

Smart Scan: If you want to repair severely corrupted PST file, click on Smart Scan.
Select PST File to Repair

Step 3: Click on Repair option to fix cannot start Microsoft Outlook error
End Screen

After completion of the repair process, you can preview the repaired PST file in Outlook styled browser. Give the desired location to save repaired PST file.

The SFWare PST repair tool can easily fic corrupt or the encrypted Outlook data files files. The tool compatible with all the Outlook versions including the latest 2021, 2019, 2016.

How to Fix the Error Cannot Start Microsoft Outlook Set Of Folders Cannot Be Opened?

Summary:

Is your Microsoft Outlook having trouble opening or displaying an error “Cannot start Microsoft Outlook. Cannot open the Outlook window. The set of folders cannot be opened.”? This article describes all the effective solutions that helps you fix the problem cannot start the Outlook.

Cannot Start Microsoft Outlook

Table of contents:

What does set of folders cannot be opened in Outlook?

Indications of Microsoft Outlook cannot start

Fix Cannot start Microsoft Outlook the set of folders Cannot be opened

How to fix corrupt PST file that leads to Cannot Start Microsoft Outlook

What does it mean when Outlook says the set of folders Cannot be opened?

The main cause of the error cannot start Microsoft Outlook is corruption in xml file in Navigation Pane settings. The Navigation Pane is present on the left side of the Outlook window and helps in switching between different areas of Outlook such as mail, contacts, calendar, tasks and notes. In addition, it also displays the folders when working within a view.

Other causes that lead to Cannot start Microsoft Outlook are:

Damaged or corrupt Outlook data files (PST or OST files)
Using Outlook in compatibility mode can also lead to the error
Improper re-installation and un-installation can cause problem in Outlook

Indications of your Microsoft Outlook Cannot start

When you click on Outlook icon, Outlook takes long time to respond and displays an error “Cannot start Microsoft Outlook”.

Another instance might be when navigation pane settings file -profilename.xml is corrupted, where “profile name” is the name of your Outlook profile. If the file is corrupted, the file size is shown as 0 kb. The corruption in the xml file can be observed in any outlook versions including Outlook 2019.

Based on the versions of Outlook you use, you might encounter unlike errors.

Error 1: Microsoft outlook has encountered a problem and need to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.
Unable to open MS Outlook

Error 2: Cannot open your default email folders. The information store could not be opened. Incorrect Outlook profile settings or corrupted Outlook profile.
Set of folders cannot be opened on Outlook

Error 3: Cannot start Microsoft Outlook. cannot start Microsoft Outlook invalid XML, the view cannot be loaded.

Invalid xml Microsoft Outlook cannot be opened

How do you fix Cannot start Microsoft Outlook the set of folders Cannot be opened?

The methods used to fix the error cannot start Microsoft Outlook. Set of folders cannot be opened. are listed below. The fixing methods can be used on all Outlook versions including the latest Outlook for Microsoft 365 Outlook 2021 Outlook 2019 Outlook 2016 Outlook 2013.

Turn off the Compatibility Mode

Start Outlook in safe mode

Recover navigation pane setting file

Repair Outlook using Inbox repair tool

Create new Outlook profile and import the old data

Method 1: Turn off Compatibility mode

As mentioned earlier, if Outlook is being used in compatibility mode, the trouble of Outlook cannot be opened cannot be stopped. Therefore, turn off the compatibility mode and verify if the solutions worked.

Type “exe” in search box >> right click on Outlook.exe >> Select Properties
A dialog box will open, click on the Compatibility
Uncheck the option Run this program in compatibility for. Click on OK for confirming the actions.

Try opening the Outlook now and check if it was bale to open without displaying any error.

Method 2: Open Outlook in Safe Mode

Advantage of opening Outlook in safe mode is that Outlook starts without loading the add-ins. Therefore, if the trouble is due to faulty add-ins, this method can fix the issue. To run Outlook in the safe mode, follow this process:

Type exe /safe in search box >> Enter
A message user wants to start outlook in safe mode will appear. Click Yes.

Or can make use of outlook.exe

Right click on exe /safeClick on Open

Note: While processing if it asks for account credentials, enter your password and choose “Accept.”

If Outlook works without receiving an error cannot open Microsoft Outlook in the safe mode, its understood that there is a problem with the add-ins. If you again encounter the issue while starting Outlook. You need to disable the add-ins.

Disable faulty add-ins

Open Outlook, File >> Option >> add-ins
Select COM Add-ins in the Manage box, at the bottom of the window. Hit on Go button
List of the Add-ins working with Outlook is displayed. Deselect all of them and click OK

Now restart the Outlook. If you still face the problem of Microsoft Windows not opening, try out other methods given below.

Method 3: Recover Old Navigation Pane Settings

If the trouble is due to corruption in navigation pane setting file, recovering the setting will help you fix the error.

Go to Start menu >> Run Command >> Type exe /resetnavpane
Enter OK >> Restart Computer

Automatically Outlook opens, check for the error cannot start Microsoft Outlook is displayed or not. If you encounter the error again try deleting XML file that stores the navigation pane settings by executing below steps:

Enter %appdata%\Microsoft\Outlook in search field on Windows
Select Outlook >> Find and delete the xml file

If this method does not work for you, then search PST and select restore previous versions.

Restoring Previous PST file version

Previous versions are copies of files and folders created by Windows Backup that Windows automatically saves as part of a restore point.

Type exe in Windows search filed
Right click on exe >> Click on Restore previous versions

This method only works if you have created a Restore point. If you have no backup created, then restoring previous version won’t be helpful. All you can do is Repair Outlook data file with the help of an inbox repair tool.

Method 4: Use Inbox Repair Tool to Fix unable to open MS Outlook

Scanpst.exe or inbox repair tool is used to analyse and recognize problems in PST files. ScanPST only looks at the personal folder files to determine whether data has been corrupted.

Locate and run inbox repair tool. Next, Browse or provide folder path where the PST file is saved.

Folder path- C:\Program Files (x86) \Microsoft Office\root\Office19

Quick Note: The above path applies to Office 2019 and Office 365. If you’re using Outlook 2016, use the path: C:\Program Files (x86) \Microsoft Office\Office16. In case of running an older version of the application, change Outlook versions.

Close the Outlook application if its currently open and double click to launch it
Click on the Browse button to go to the folder path where the PST file is saved
Click Start to initiate the scan process and repair Outlook PST file
Finally, click on the Repair button to fix the issue Microsoft Outlook doesn’t start.

If the problem is associated with corrupt PST file, this method should be able to fix it. However, the tool has few shortcomings.

The main disadvantage of Scanpst.exe is that it works on the original copy of PST file, therefore the chances of damaging the PST file is high than repairing it. Hence it is recommended to make use of a safe and secure Outlook PST Repair tool for fixing the corruption on PST file and fix cannot start Microsoft Outlook by repairing the Outlook PST file.

Method 5: Create a new Outlook Profile and import the data

If none of the above methods worked for you, try creating a new profile in Outlook. You no need to worry about the data, you can easily import the Outlook data from the old profile to newly created profile.

Go to Setting>> Control Panel >> Mail >> Data Files >> Add and create the profile
Now, keep the new profile as default profile. To make it default, once the profile is added, set to default option is enabled. Go to Account setting >> data files >> select your profile and set as default
Once you create the profile, verify if the outlook cannot start problem exists or not. If your profile is free from error, import your old data to the new profile.
Go to the File option and click on Open >> Import. Choose Import from another program or file >> Next
Now, select Outlook Data File (.pst) >> Next >> Browse >> select your old .pst file >> Next >> Finish

This method should help you fix the error and get your old data from previous profile. What if you still encounter the error due to severe corruption in Outlook Data Files? Do not worry, we got your back.

SFWare PST Repair Tool is a tool that fixes severe corruption on PST files. Also, it works on the copy of the data files, therefore, the data remains intact. Along with repairing the file, the tool recovers all the attributes attached with Outlook like emails, calendars and more. Download the software now and fix the PST file issue in a minute.

How to fix corruption in PST file that leads to Cannot Start Microsoft Outlook?

To fix the corruption on PST file that makes your Outlook unable to start, download the SFWare PST repair tool, and launch the application.