Microsoft Outlook, which is the undisputed leader in the segment of corporate email clients on desktop PCs, stores user data in OST and PST files. OST– the file is a cached copy of the user’s mailbox stored on the MS Exchange server. PST is a personal folders file containing the user’s emails and stored locally on the computer. Enough large number Outlook users have, to one degree or another, encountered problems opening pst files due to their corruption. The user's inability to open an archive of letters results in headache administrators and technical services. support.
In this article, we will talk about the main causes of damage to personal pst folder files and a simple method for restoring them.
Causes of damage to archive files of personal folders Outlook can be different: these can be like errors on file system(in this case, you should start with), and damage to the structure of pst files caused by emergency closing of the Outlook client (the most common), power failure, viruses, due to storing pst files in a common network folder(this configuration is not supported by Microsoft), etc.
Also, do not forget about the restrictions on the maximum size of a pst file in different versions Outlook. When you exceed the maximum file size or open a large file in old version mail client, Outlook may not work correctly. Limits on the size of pst files the following:
- Outlook 2002 or later early versions– pst files are in ANSI format and are limited to 2 GB in size
- Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007 – 20 GB limit
- Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2013 - pst/ost files are in Unicode format and are limited to a maximum size of 50 GB
In addition, do not forget that the larger the file, the greater the likelihood of errors appearing in it, so it is recommended to work with pst files of 2-8 GB in size
If a pst file is damaged, the Outlook client completely or partially loses the ability to open it, producing, for example, the following error:
Cannot start Microsoft Outlook. Cannot open the Outlook windows. The set of folders cannot be opened. Errors have been detected in the file ….outlook.pst
The file …outlook.pst is not an Outlook data file (.pst) 
The presence of such errors indicates that the pst data file is damaged and requires restoration of its logical structure.
First of all, let's figure out where Outlook actually stores pst files. By default, *.pst (personal folders) and *.ost (local cached copy of Exchange server folders) files are stored in the following directories depending on the OS version:
- Windows 2000, 2003, XP: C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook
- Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8: C:\users\%username%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook
But the user, if necessary, can create/move a personal folder file to an arbitrary location.
Important! Before you start restoring a pst file, create it backup copy, thereby protecting yourself from possible further damage to the file by the recovery utility or Outlook itself.
To restore damage to archived Outlook folders, Microsoft includes the Office package (in my opinion, starting with the 2000 version of MS Office) special utility Microsoft Outlook Inbox Repair Tool (scanpst.exe ). This small utility is not a universal panacea that allows you to recover a pst file after any damage, but it allows you to solve most common problems with personal folder files.
You can find the utility in the directory:
c:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE[Office version number, – 11,12,13,14)
So, for example, for Office 2010 the path to the directory with the scanpst.exe utility will be like this:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE14
For Outlook 2013 this rule does not work, look for the utility in the c:\Program directory Files\Microsoft Office 15\root\office15
Note. On a 64-bit system, if 64-bit is used, the path to looks like this C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office14
Let's try to repair damage in the pst file automatically. To do this, run the scanpst.exe utility and specify the path to the pst file.
Important! Before running the utility, be sure to close Outlook and other processes that use the restored pst file.
To start the process of scanning the file for errors, click the button Start. 
The process of checking and analyzing the file structure consists of 8 stages. The verification time depends on the size of the pst file and the number of errors in it. 
In our case, the utility reported that the personal folders file contains errors and offers to start the recovery procedure (button Repair). If you have not yet created a backup copy of the pst file, you can do so now by checking the checkbox and specifying the file name. 
After pressing the button Repair The pst file recovery process starts, which also consists of 8 stages. In our example, for a 1 GB archive, the recovery process took about 15 minutes.
If everything goes smoothly, a message will appear after the utility has finished running Repair complete and you can try to open the pst file in Outlook. 
So, as we have already said, the scanpst.exe utility should help in most cases (about 90%) when errors occur or pst files in personal folders are damaged. The scanpst utility will not be able to help if:
- there are corruptions in the headers of the pst file
- personal folders file is password protected
- need to recover accidentally deleted emails or folders
- when the maximum pst file size is exceeded
- in case of complex damage to the logical and physical structure of the pst file
In today's era, it is not necessary for MS Outlook environment to be present on all machines. Now consider the following general scenario:
Imagine being a computer user who does not have MS Outlook application on his machine. On the other hand, he wants to view and access the PST file that is provided to him by a second person. Now the question arises - how will he view this Outlook PST file without Outlook environment? "
To resolve this issue when viewing a PST file for storing Outlook data without its application environment, follow these steps, which give you guidance on how to view PST file without Outlook:
Measure 1: Convert Outlook PST email to TXT file
In this approach, follow the procedure below:
- Choose an e-mail
- Click on fillet tab to display your menu
- Choose Save as option and from Save as type field, select TXT Finally, click Save to save the file in TXT format
You can now open and view PST file emails. The main disadvantage of this approach is that it will do its conversion one by one, cannot get attachments embedded in emails, and is not relevant for a large number of emails.
Dimension 2: Convert Outlook PST File to MSG File
Another approach is to convert the Outlook store file to a very common file format, i.e. MSG file. To do this, you just need to drag the mail to your desktop or any other path. Now you just need the Edit Plus application to open this drag and drop file and hence you will be able to view the MSG file.
The limitation of this measure is that with this technique you will have to do the conversion one by one and also it does not matter when a large number of emails have to be viewed from the PST file.
Dimension 3: Using HTML File Format to View PST Emails
To view email PST file The next approach is to save the mail as an HTML file. To do this, follow this procedure:
- Choose an e-mail(one by one) which you want to view
- Click on fillet tabs to display its option
- Choose Save as option and from Save as type field, select HTML (*.htm, *.html) Finally, click Save to save the file as an HTML file
In the absence of Outlook, you will now be able to see PST file emails. However, this approach also has the same disadvantages/limitations discussed in the above measures.
Dimension 4: Import PST file into G-mail for viewing
This is the last manual approach to view your Outlook PST file without Outlook. This process is a bit of a technical method compared to the 3 procedures above.
NOTE: All the above approaches have some limitations with them and users may encounter one or the other interruption while working with these approaches.
Measure 5: Third party utility without any limitation
The best way to view and analyze Outlook data without any hassle is to use a third-party utility that is easily available in the web market. One such is Outlook PST Viewer, which allows clients to open and read PST files without Outlook as a supporting application. Apart from emails, it allows you to view other Outlook data items such as contacts, calendar, journals, etc. So, a complete personal storage file can be viewed by this product.
In conclusion
This was our article 5 Top tips to view Outlook PST file manually without Outlook, How did you like our article, you should write your opinion and suggestion in the comment box. Also write If you have any questions, I will try to get back to the request as soon as possible.
Hello everyone, earlier I mentioned in my article how to restore an Outlook 2010 archive folder in the program interface. Today there will be instructions on how to connect an archive file with the pst extension; this data file stores information about incoming or outgoing letters, depending on what was saved to this file. Over a long period of work mailbox on the computer has increased to a critical volume, and a situation has also arisen that the archive of letters has also exceeded permissible size As a result, it was decided to create a new archive file with the pst extension but under a different name. But how can I make sure that two archives (data files with the pst extension) are in the program and that I can read archived emails from several archives?
So, if we click on the file menu item, in my case the mailbox is full and archiving is required. 
Click the Archive button, only in the Archive File line: 
We write a new file name - arbitrarily, for me it is archive22.pst, I also set the archiving of elements until a certain date - Monday February 29, 2016 - all letters that were created before this date will be archived.
Now, to connect two archive files in Outlook, go to File – Open and Export tab – Open Outlook data file (.pst) 
When you select this item, a dialog box appears with the choice of the included file, let’s say the newly created archive file is called archive22.pst, and the old backup.pst - which means we need to select backup.pst 
so that the letters stored in this data file are loaded into the program. After selecting a file mail program Outlook takes some time to download all the files from the archive. As a result, we get two archive folders on the left in the navigation panel: 
These are Archive folders - newly created archive (Archive22.pst), Archives (backup.pst)
If mail has been accumulating for a long time, then you can similarly archive incoming and outgoing correspondence by year (for example, 2014,2015,2016) and create 2014.pst files, etc. Connect archives to the program using the above method and rename the names by right-clicking on the folder name - then data file properties 
In the “Folder Options” information window, click the additional button: 
In the General tab, change the name to the required one, for example, to the year of stored archived letters, for example 2014 
By splitting the archives into several files, we managed to reduce the main database of letters, and also split the archive into several files. We created a catalog by year of storage of letters. And got rid of long loading time program when it starts.
In any unclear situation with the operating room Windows system- most easy way This is a reinstallation of the operating system. However, if you have little experience or have never reinstalled such programs, then it is better to turn to professionals. This will reduce the time it takes to restore your computer to working order and save your nerves and finances; every city has service centers engaged in these services for several years, for example, installation of Windows in Zhitomir is carried out in as soon as possible, quickly, efficiently, and most importantly, reliably and professionally.
If you have installed on your computer antivirus program Can scan all files on your computer, as well as each file individually. You can scan any file by right-clicking on the file and selecting the appropriate option to scan the file for viruses.
For example, in this figure it is highlighted file my-file.pst, then you need to right-click on this file and select the option in the file menu "scan with AVG". When you select this option, AVG Antivirus will open and perform a scan this file for the presence of viruses.
Sometimes an error may occur as a result incorrect installation software , which may be due to a problem encountered during the installation process. This may interfere with your operating system link your PST file to the correct application software , influencing the so-called "file extension associations".
Sometimes simple reinstalling Microsoft Outlook Express can solve your problem by linking PST with Microsoft Outlook Express correctly. In other cases, problems with file associations may arise as a result bad software programming developer and you may need to contact the developer for further assistance.
Advice: Try updating Microsoft Outlook Express to latest version to make sure you have the latest patches and updates installed.
This may seem too obvious, but often The PST file itself may be causing the problem. If you received a file via an email attachment or downloaded it from a website and the download process was interrupted (such as a power outage or other reason), the file may become damaged. If possible, try getting a new copy of the PST file and try opening it again.
Carefully: A damaged file may cause collateral damage to a previous or existing malware on your PC, so it is very important to keep an updated antivirus running on your computer at all times.
If your PST file related to the hardware on your computer to open the file you may need update device drivers associated with this equipment.
This problem usually associated with media file types, which depend on successfully opening the hardware inside the computer, e.g. sound card or video cards. For example, if you are trying to open an audio file but cannot open it, you may need to update sound card drivers.
Advice: If when you try to open a PST file you receive .SYS file error message, the problem could probably be associated with corrupted or outdated device drivers that need to be updated. This process can be made easier by using driver update software such as DriverDoc.
If the steps do not solve the problem and you are still having problems opening PST files, this may be due to lack of available system resources. Some versions of PST files may require a significant amount of resources (for example, memory/RAM, computing power) to open properly on your computer. This problem occurs quite often if you are using a fairly old computer. hardware and at the same time a much newer operating system.
This problem can occur when the computer has difficulty completing a task because operating system(and other services running in background) can consume too many resources to open PST file. Try closing all applications on your PC before opening Outlook Personal Information Store File. By freeing up all available resources on your computer you will provide the best conditions for attempting to open your PST file.
If you completed all the steps described above and your PST file still won't open, you may need to run equipment update. In most cases, even when using older versions of hardware, the processing power may still be more than sufficient for most custom applications(unless you are doing a lot of CPU intensive work such as 3D rendering, financial/scientific modeling or multimedia intensive work). Thus, it is likely that your computer does not have enough memory(more commonly called "RAM", or RAM) to perform the file open task.
Outlook is a part of your daily routine. Used to send email messages, set up calendar events, and create tasks and other items. But is it possible to find out how and where all the elements are stored? For Office 365, Exchange and Outlook.com accounts, all information is stored on the server, but an offline copy is also stored on local computer to an Outlook offline data file (OST).
For POP and IMAP accounts, you can save Outlook items to an Outlook data (.pst) file. If you need to open or close an Outlook data file (.pst), you can do so in a few simple steps.
Please note A: If your organization has a policy in place where email messages are automatically archived, old email messages, calendar events, and tasks can be archived in an Outlook data file (.pst). Even if your account uses an Outlook Offline Data File (OST) for all of its day-to-day data, you could still have an archive.pst file containing old data.
It is very important to remember your password because it will not be possible to recover it through Microsoft. All recorded passwords should be stored in a secure place away from the information they are intended to protect.
Important: Neither Microsoft, your ISP, nor your email administrator has access to your password and will not be able to help you recover the contents of your PST file if you forget it.
Press the button three times OK .
When you click the account folder, you will be prompted to enter a password. Once you gain access, you will not have to enter your password again during that session. If you close and restart Outlook, you will be prompted for a password when you select a folder.
Important: The PST file password is not designed to protect against hackers. It simply prevents other people you share the computer with, such as family members, from viewing the file. For more reliable protection data on a computer that is used by several people needs to be created account Windows password protected for each user.
Archive of sent mail for December 2007
Removing a PST file from the navigation pane
You may want to remove unnecessary folders from the navigation pane since you don't need to access the PST file frequently. You can hide an Outlook data file from the Navigation Pane without deleting it from your computer.
Right-click the Personal Folders file you want to remove from the Navigation Pane and click Close personal folders.
If Close personal folders option is not available, you are most likely trying to delete the PST file that Outlook uses to save new messages. If you delete this data file, new messages will not be sent anywhere.
Advice: Are you afraid of deleting a file and losing data? Closing a PST file does not delete the file itself or the items it contains; the file simply stops being displayed in the navigation area. You can display the PST file again at any time:
On the menu file select item Open and select Outlook Data File.
Click the PST file you want to open and click OK.
