Having a damaged pst file is about the same as having your whole computer go down. At least for me.If you have a backup program installed on your computer then you need to ensure you have selected to have your pst file backed up as well.
Your PST file stores all your Outlook data including contacts, attachments, e-mails. If you don’t know how to make a backup of this then we urge you to look over at this Outlook PST backup page. It has a link to the free Microsoft backup plug-in that will help ensure you never suffer if your pst file goes down.
If your file is already damaged then the above link will help you out big time on trying to recover it. Keep in mind that in the end if the free methods do not work then you will need to purchase some pst repair software to get the job done. While the software can be a hard hit on the wallet it’s nothing for the cost of all your e-mails back.
As you should already be able to tell the best thing to do is always have a back of any file you use a lot.Not only when the file is in good condition but alwasy before you attempt any repair. The reason for this is you need to ensure you do not do more damage to the file.Making a backup is a must. That way you can use multiple methods to try and get your data back without having to worry about doing more damage.
Outlook has a nice free tool called scanpst.exe that is worht trying first because it’s free. It is a very week tool but if your issue is just in the headers of the file it will resolve your issue.If the pst file get demaged more it is going to be that much harder to do a proper repair of it.It will only take you around twenty minutes or so to run the free tool so it’s well worth a look and it’s free so it should be your first option.
As far as I am aware this is the only free repair tool on the market at this time.Microsoft in my opinion has dropped the ball a little on this and I feel thet should provide a bettter recovery tool.
If you are having an issue with your old pst file being too big and over the 2g mark then there are a number of free and paid tools out there that can help you resolve this issue.
