Healthy PST (Personal Storage Table) files are directly proportionate to the hassle-free functioning of Microsoft Outlook. Any issue related to the integrity of this file (.pst) will sometimes lead to the loss of crucial data. Besides putting the data on risk, you can’t open a corrupt PST file in Outlook. It will also cause operational issues like missing email messages, missing folders, inability to send or receive emails, etc.
There are ways to fix corruption issues in the PST files. In order to fix operational issues, the Microsoft has loaded Outlook with the Inbox Repair Tool or Scanpst.exe. But there are some exceptions to this method. Scanpst is unable to fix major corruption issues and sometimes it freezes during the repair process. In such situation, we can use a professional Outlook PST recovery to repair such severely-corrupted PST files with precision.
How to Repair Outlook Data File (.pst) Using Scanpst:
Follow the below steps to repair a corrupt PST file using Scanpst:
Step 1: Shut down the Outlook and navigate to one of the following file locations:
–Outlook 2019: C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft OfficerootOffice16
–Outlook 2016: C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft OfficerootOffice16
–Outlook 2013: C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft OfficeOffice15
(Note: Location may differ as per the Office version you have. Alternatively, you can use the Windows Search function.)
Step 2: Explore Scanpst.exe. Application by double-clicking on it.
Step 3: When the Scanpst starts, select the PST file you want to scan/ repair
Step 4: Click to select the required file, then click Open:
Step 5: When the selected file appears on Scanpst Window, click Start to begin the scan.
Step 6: Progress through the various phases will be shown. A large file will take a long time.
Step 7: The result of the scan will appear on the Window, create a pre-repair backup, then select Repair to initiate the process.
Step 8: Click OK when the repair has been completed:
Step 9: Once the process is finished, restart Outlook and re-open the repaired .pst file.
Why Scanpst Fails During the Repair Process?
Scanning corrupt PST files and repairing them is a time-consuming, manual process. Sometimes this utility fails to troubleshoot an oversized PST file. Like a Unicode pst-file and ost-file has been limited to 20GB in 2003 and 2007 versions. Even though the limit has been increased to 50GB in Outlook 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 and Microsoft 365, but a large file may create some issues in Outlook. Some of the reasons why Scanpst fails are listed below:
- Missing PST Files: If your Outlook mailbox is overloaded with data, it may lead to missing files. These missing files could be the reason for the failed repair attempt by Sanpst.
- Improper Outlook Installation: If the Outlook version on your system is not properly installed, it may cause Scanpst.exe to fail in fixing PST corruption.
- Large Data File: When it comes to repairing a large or oversized Outlook data file (.pst), Scanpst may miss several emails. In addition to this, this manual process consumes lot of time as the user need to run Scanpst several times.
- Outdated Version: If we are running an outdated version of the Inbox Repair Tool, it is bound to crash while repairing a damaged PST file.
How to Repair PST After Scanpst Fails:
It is needless to say that PST files store all crucial Outlook mailbox data. Any issue related to the integrity of these vital data files will surely pose a grave concern for the user. And what is more serious than a condition where Scanpst fails to repair these corrupt PST files? What to do next and how to repair PST after Scanpst fails? Well, worry not. We can take following steps to resolve this issue:
Install Scanpst.exe Updates: Check what updates are available for the Outlook version you are using and install them. It may be noted that Scanpst is an element of MS-Outlook installation and it can’t be installed or update independently.
Turn On the Safe Mode: Restarting the system in a safe mode is a better idea. It is worth mentioning that when we do something in a safe mode, only essential system services and drivers are loaded by the computer. This reduces the possibility compatibility issues between default and third-party add-ins.
Disable Antivirus Software: Anti-virus software may create compatibility issues in Outlook. To check weather anti-virus program is responsible for Scanpst’s crash, we can disable it and try to repair the file again.
Reinstalling Outlook: One of the methods to fix the issue of Scanpst freeze during repair is reinstalling the Outlook program. We can try this as well.
What to do if Nothing Works?
So, we have tried all above-mentioned methods to fix the issue of ‘Scanpst.exe, fails on repairing Outlook PST files.’ If you are puzzled regarding the next step, then this part of the post will surely guide you. Basically, Outlook Users now left with 2 options. They can call Microsoft support for assistance. And secondly, they can go for a PST repair software like Stellar Repair for Outlook to fix the issue. The detailed description of both these options are listed below:
- Contact Microsoft Support: You can try the Microsoft Support option for assistance. First, you will be provided with the self-help option. If this self-help option fails to resolve the issue, then you can try additional help, including live chat with a Microsoft specialist.
- Try PST Repair Software: The second option available to the Outlook user is trying PST repair software like Stellar Repair for Outlook, which is recommended by experts. Stellar Repair is capable of repairing complete mailbox data, including badly corrupt or large PST files or files infected with virus or malware. This tool supports Office 365, Microsoft 365, Outlook 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, and previous versions.
Benefits of Stellar Repair for Outlook:
- Available in 3 versions—Professional, Technician and Toolkit, to choose from
- Efficiently repairs corrupt PST files of all sizes
- Recovers all mailbox items like including emails, attachments, contacts, etc.
- Restores the deleted emails
- Provides advanced filters option to include/exclude emails
- Saves the mailbox data in PST, EML, MSG, RTF, HTML, and PDF file formats
- Splits, compacts the restored PST-Technician
- Exports the converted OST to Live Exchange or O365-Toolkit
- Exports contacts in CSV-Toolkit
- Merges multiple PST files-Toolkit
Conclusion:
The health and integrity of PST files ensure the flawless operations of Outlook. But sometimes the corruption issues in these vital files disturb Outlook’s performance and lead to multiple errors. Although, Outlook is powered with Scanpst.exe tool to fix such operational issues, but sometimes this tool also fails to troubleshoot the PST file corruption issues.
In the above post, we have discussed the possible reasons why Scanpst fails on repairing Outlook PST files. We have also explored several ways to fix this issue that include installing Scanpst updates, turn on the safe mode, disable antivirus software and reinstalling Outlook.
We have also discussed that if everything fails then we can reach out to the Microsoft Support for assistance. Besides this, there is a relatively less-complex way to repair a corrupted PST file. And, that alternate method is using Outlook PST repair software like Stellar Repair for Outlook. This specialized tool by Stellar not only repairs Outlook data file with full integrity and precision but also recovers all mailbox items. The option of advanced filtering of emails in this tool is also awesome. In addition to this, this tool also retrieves emails deleted from Inbox or emptied from the ‘Deleted Items’ folder in Outlook. This retrieving feature is beneficial in restoring emails and attachments that were deleted by mistake.
