Repair Corrupt PST File Using These Two Effective Methods

A strong majority of Outlook PST files and OST files are home to critical data that is essential for day-to-day operations at the office. Without these Outlook data files, which contain important data like reminders, email chains, calendars, and contacts, a company would be in a serious mess.

If your PST file becomes unresponsive, freezes, or hangs, it may be damaged or corrupted. you will notice several issues like Something Went Wrong with One of your Data Files Outlook, Send receive error, etc
There are several ways to make the situation worse. However, with the right methods, we can repair your Outlook PST file and restore all its data.

How do I know if my PST File is Corrupted?

1. Read the error message description
You can look up the error number/ name on the internet to learn about its effects, causes, and more.

2. Use the PST file on another computer
If a PST does not work on any system, the file itself is the problem and might be corrupt.

3. Use ScanPST
You can use ScanPST to scan your PST file for any signs of corruption or damage.

If you believe that your PST file needs to be repaired, you can try out the DIY methods given in the section below-

Is there a free way to repair a PST file?

You can repair corrupt PST file(s) in two ways. One by using a specialized PST file repair software, which can fix severely corrupt or extremely damaged Outlook PST files. The other way is to use an in-built tool called ScanPST, which is a free tool but can only fix minor issues and corruption in the Outlook data files.

What is the best tool for repairing Outlook PST files?

ScanPST first, always. It ships free with every version of Outlook, including Outlook 365, and it is the right starting point even though it only handles minor corruption. If ScanPST finishes with no errors but your inbox is still missing messages or folders, that is your sign the damage is past what it can repair.

From there, the right tool depends on how bad the damage is and whether you can afford to lose anything. SFWare PST Repair Tool is built for exactly the files ScanPST gives up on: severely corrupted PST files, oversized files that choke ScanPST’s repair process, and files where the folder structure itself is broken rather than just a few messages. It scans the file independently of Outlook’s own repair logic, which is why it can often recover data ScanPST reports as unfixable.

There is no single tool that is best for every situation. A lightly corrupted 1.5 GB file is a different problem than a 40 GB PST that will not mount at all.

1. Repair Corrupt PST File Using SFWare PST Repair Tool

SFWare PST Repair Tool is a powerful software that is designed to repair Outlook issues by fixing PST files with extreme levels of corruption that cannot be fixed by ScanPST. Its effective algorithm and user-friendly interface make repairing your PST file a smooth process.

Before you use the SFWare PST Repair Tool make sure to implement the following-

1. Log in as an Administrator or ensure you have admin rights to run the software.
2. Ensure that the Outlook application is closed.
3. Disable your computer’s AntiVirus software.
4. Update Windows, Microsoft Office, and Outlook before you begin.
5. Once the file is repaired, you need to buy the full version to save the repaired file.

How do you fix PST files using the SFWare PST Repair Tool?

1: Download, Install, and open the SFWare PST Repair Tool.

2: Select a PST file import method.

• Open Default PST file: Imports default Outlook PST file.
• Select PST File Manually: Manually Browse and select a PST file.
• Find all Your OPST Files:  The software scans the entire drive and lists all the Outlook data files from which you can choose.

3: Select the scan, choose a destination path for the repaired PST file, and click on Repair.

4: View the results summary, and save the file if satisfied.

This brings us to the next solution to fix corrupt PST files.

2. Repair Corrupt PST Files Using ScanPST

ScanPST is a free tool that comes with Outlook and should be easy to locate on your Windows Laptop. You can use ScanPST to scan and repair corrupted PST files easily. Before you proceed to follow the steps, there are a few things that you would want to consider.

Precautions / Pointers to keep in mind

1. Create a Backup of your PST file beforehand.
2. Close the Outlook application.
3. Disable your computer’s AntiVirus software.
4. Update Windows, Microsoft Office, and Outlook before you begin.

How do you fix PST files using ScanPST?

1: Locate and Open Scanpst. (you can refer to the table below.) you can make use of the search bar to locate ScanPST on your PC. If the at does not work you can refer to the file location below.

If you have the 32-bit version of Outlook: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16
or
If you have the 64-bit version of Outlook: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16

2: Using the Browse Option, Import the corrupted PST file. Then click on Start to begin the scanning process.

3: After the Scanning process, the ScanPST will inform you if there are any issues with your PST file.

4: Tick the box to create a backup of your PST file, select a save location, and click on Repair.

5: Verify the results after the repair is complete.

Conclusion

Thank you for your time. When faced with a technical error, I urge my readers to always read about the situation they are in and pursue it with caution. More often than not, a user makes things worse by trying to tamper or solve the issue on their own which in turn makes things worse.