Inbox Repair Tool Fails to Repair Corrupt Outlook Data (.pst) file on Windows 10 PC

[JamesAlison]

I have surprised to see that this exe file (scanPST) is not performing at Windows PC while it is a inbuilt Microsoft software. As an alternative, I can go for Stellar Phoenix Outlook PST repair but still wait for discovery of any completely free software.

Please guide me to find a free stuff!

[Zonie]

Welcome to WinDrivers JamesAlison. First if I understand correctly, you are saying you have run the Scanpst file to repair the Outlook pst file. What version of Outlook is this? Second, how large is the pst file you are trying to repair? Third, what version of Windows are you running?

[thomassalvo01]

Hi,JamesAlison

The Outlook PST file format is very complex. It starts with a file header containing the meta information of the whole file, followed by several parts containing the actual data. You can find more detailed information about the Outlook PST file format by searching on Google with the keyword “Outlook PST file format”. If the file header containing the meta information is corrupt, or any follow-up parts are damaged or corrupted, then you will not be able to open the file correctly with Outlook. In such a case, the first step is to try to use the built-in repair or recovery function in the Outlook, to see if it can repair or recover corrupted Outlook PST file for you. If not, then you need to resort to a third-party fix Outlook tool to scan the corrupted file and retrieve all recoverable data for you. It is also possible to find a data recovery expert or company to do the task, but in most of the cases, they will also use a third-party tool to do the recovery for you.

The main difference between using the software by yourself and by a third-party service company is:
(1) The company is familiar with the data recovery industry so he knows which software is the best one. While you need to search and compare the software online by yourself, which is time-consuming.
(2) The company purchases the software for multiple usages, while you purchase the software for one-time usage only. So normally the service fee may be cheaper than the license fee for the software.
(3) DIY will keep your data confidential while do the recovery via a company may cause data breach.

If you want to perform a DIY recovery, then you can try the following methods:


First, the Microsoft offical tool scanpst, also called Inbox Repair Tool, can repair the PST file, you can refer the following articles:


http://office.microsoft.com/en-001/o...010075831.aspx
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/272227
https://support.microsoft.com/kb/287497

2. If the above method does not work, then you can try DataNumen Outlook Repair at:

https://www.datanumen.com/outlook-repair/

I have used the tool in the past and it helps recovering some valuable data for me. The tool has a free demo so that you can try to see if it works on your file or not before you buy.

Hope this will help. Good Luck!