When your Microsoft Outlook personal folder (known as .pst) grows bigger, it tends to load, synchronize, or even download emails pretty slow. If your system happens to shut off unexpectedly or crashed@hung (as we’re all familiar), the first thing that you want to know whether your emails are safe. It is like a warehouse where your work, contacts, deals, passwords, financial info and other valuable datas are kept. It is a nightmare that all users of email clients such as MS Outlook and Mozilla Thunderbird want to get rid of.

Unfortunately, I’d just experienced the same thing over the weekend but I’m fortunate enough to be able to recover my personal folder data (.pst). My system has the tendency to crash quite often lately (perhaps due to overusage) and it has brought down my Outlook as well.

Usually, when my system backs up, most of the time I’m able to recover my Outlook back, by accepting the default prompt to repair the Outlook, or open it up on the Save Mode. But that day is not my day. My outlook just froze.

So be prepared, when your system crashes quite often, start performing back up on all your .pst and .ost files. Preventive is always better than cure. Don’t wait until your Outlook crashes. Luck may not be with you most of the time.

If your system has the symptoms that I mentioned above, start scanning and repairing your personal folder file (.pst) and offline folder file (.ost). To repair .pst file, use scanpst.exe, while scanost.exe is for .ost file. Both executable programs are available with your Outlook. Read More

Quick facts

What is the repair program?

Scanpst.exe - scan personal data file (.pst)
scanost.exe - scan offline folder file (.ost)

Where is the repair tool folder?

Office 2003 : drive:\Program Files\Common Files\System\MSMAPI\1033
Office 2007 drive:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE12

Where are pst and ost files kept?
drive:\Documents and Settings\<your login id>\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook