To understand how to use scanpst.exe, Microsoft's Inbox Repair Tool
for Outlook, you first need to understand a bit about Outlook and how it
stores your personal information. Outlook stores all of your
information inside a single .pst file. That includes any email messages,
contacts, calendar events, journal entries, notes, tasks, etc. Anything
you create or receive using Outlook gets stored in one, big PST file.
And if anything bad should ever happen to that file, such as getting
deleted, getting damaged, or getting corrupted in any fashion, then you
run the risk of losing all of your information.
Microsoft's solution to the problem of pst file
corruption has been to provide a free pst repair program called the
Outlook Inbox Repair Tool (also known as Scanpst). For most situations
in which Outlook is not functioning properly, and the problem appears to
be the .pst file, the first step they suggest is to run scanpst.exe to
see if it can fix things. Unfortunately, scanpst is not very powerful
and often fails to fix corrupt pst files. So if scanpst fails, you'll
have to move up to better, more powerful pst repair program, such as our advanced Outlook PST Repair.
It's tempting to think that since Microsoft created Outlook and is
fully aware of how susceptible it is to corruption, that they would be
in the best position to fix the problem. However, that hasn't been the
case for years, and there is no indication of this changing any time
soon. If you search the Internet for discussions about corrupt pst files
you will find that quite often Scanpst (the Inbox Repair Tool) simply
doesn't succeed in repairing damaged .pst files. And it cannot recover
lost or forgotten passwords. So use it as first step in getting Outlook
back up and running, but don't be surprised if it comes up short.
Finding Scanpst.exe On Your Computer
Unfortunately, Microsoft doesn't make it easy to find this program,
and its location varies across operating systems (XP vs. Vista, for
example). And because the program also varies across versions of Outlook
(Outlook 2000 vs. Outlook 2007, for example), it isn't necessarily a
good idea to download scanpst.exe off the Internet. Instead, you should
always run the version installed on your computer. So be sure you know
how to search for files on your computer or get the help of someone who
does. Note that scanpst.exe is usually a hidden file, and you may need
to check an option to search for hidden files in order to find it. Here
are some directory locations where Scanpst typically gets installed:
Windows 2000:
C:\Documents and Settings\\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\Scanpst.exe
Windows XP
If you don’t have Microsoft Office installed, look here:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\MSMAPI\1033\Scanpst.exe
If you do have Microsoft Office installed, look here:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\Scanpst.exe
or here:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office12\Scanpst.exe
Windows Vista
If you don’t have Microsoft Office installed, look here:
C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\Scanpst.exe
If you do have Microsoft Office installed, look here:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\Scanpst.exe
or here:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office12\Scanpst.exe
How To Run Scanpst
Before you use scanpst, you'll want to review and understand the
basic process for using it, which appears below. Once you know how to
find the necessary files and are prepared to make backups, follow these
steps:
- Exit Outlook and stay out of it until all steps are completed.
- Locate all .pst files on your computer (search for *.pst).
- Make backup copies of all .pst files.
- Locate scanpst.exe on your computer and run it.
- Scanpst will ask for the location of your .pst file(s).
- Click the "Start" button to scan the file.
- Scanpst will then report the results of its scan.
- Select the option to make a backup of the scanned file before repairing.
- Click the "Repair" button to attempt a repair.
Scanpst.exe Limitations
If the Inbox Repair Tool was able to successfully scan and repair
your Outlook.pst file then consider yourself lucky. Quite often this
utility will fail to correct the problem. If you search the Internet you
will find lots of users complaining that scanpst did not work, and
wondering what else they can do. Because scanpst is the only tool
Microsoft provides, if it can't fix your corrupt .pst files then you'll
have to look elsewhere. Microsoft has more information about scanpst.exe
in their knowledgebase support article "
How to find and run the Inbox Repair tool in Outlook".
Also note that the Inbox Repair Tool does not solve the problem of a
.pst file being corrupt because it has exceeded the file size limits for
PST files. For example, versions of Outlook prior to Outlook 2003
cannot open a .pst file that has grown bigger that 2 gigabytes (GB) in
size. If you have a 2GB pst
problem, Microsoft recommends its PST Crop Tool. However, this tool
simply chops off part of your file and places a new header on it. The
result is that you will end up losing data, and you'll have no easy way
to tell what you've lost until it is too late. Because of that, we do
not recommend the Microsoft crop tool. Instead, our Outlook PST
Repair software will allow you to intelligently split an oversized
.pst file into two or more smaller files so that you won't lose any
valuable data.
Try Outlook PST Repair For Yourself
Download our Outlook repair
tool and try it yourself on your .pst files. Click on one of the Free
Download buttons to download the installer (pst-repair-t.exe) from our website. Install the software and scan your system for corrupt
.pst files.
