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mewtd

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broken .pst file

HI,

I have a very large .pst archive email file, which is way too big (more than 40gb).

It has now started cuasing problems, I cannot open it in Outlook.

I should have broken it down into smaller archive files, but never got around to it.

 scanpst.exe cannot fix it, it runs through the 8 stages, and finds issues, but when you go to fix the errors, it fails.

I can no longer open the .pst file from within Outlook.

Is there are more advanced tool to fix the errors?
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CES

Can you try importing it into a new PST?  That will probably take a while, but it might do some compacting during the import.  Newer versions of Outlook are able to open that large of a .pst file
Try importing it as suggested above and if that fails, try repairing it with Stellar PST Tools. I have done this.

https://www.stellarinfo.com/outlook-pst-file-recovery.php
There are lots of third party tools out there and I'm sure the vendors will be along shortly to recommend their brands. Just keep in mind that the "free" version generally will only tell you if it can recover the data. You'll have to buy it if you actually want it to work.

Edit: John beat me to it. Yes, Stellar is a good one.
I had same situation before in my old company.
Nothing worked, scanpst shows problems but was unable to fix it.
It went wors because in the middle of fixing I;ve got blue screen and computer shot down.

Then someone told me about third party tool

The Saviour
http://www.dsaviour.com/outlook-pst-repair.php?gclid=CjwKCAiA-KzSBRAnEiwAkmQ154gTi6f3_kjD4eqXfnVvYL5Rqicgxtoc2mZ6zaygpCBbstctTOLEoBoC_VIQAvD_BwE

Now you can buy it with discount for $99.00

This software was able to recover 99% of my pst file.
I;ve lost few emails but this was something I was able to leave with.
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ASKER

HI, I'm giving the Savior a go, it's scanning at the moment, just downloaded the free version, will let you know how I get on...
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Jerry Frey
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Hey mewtd,

Any update? As per discussed above, it's clear to you that your PST file is corrupted, you can use any PST Repair tool for restoring Outlook emails.

I recommend Kernel for Outlook PST Repair tool, which is best in performance and easily recover emails & data from corrupt Outlook data file. You can check the trial version of the software to check recovery of your emails, and working with easy and smart GUI of the software. Visit https://www.nucleustechnologies.com/outlook-pst-repair.html to know more about PST repair tool.

For the other things if you are looking forward to split large PST file, remove duplicate items, Compact PST file and as well repair PST file, you can check Kernel Outlook Suite, single solution for multiple purpose.
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ASKER

HI - the Savior is still running!
If you have a backup , try Stellar . It gives progress messages
I hope Savior will do the job, like did in my case :)
Yeah there are lot many tool available online to help you out from this scenario, as an alternatives to the given recommendation, I will vote up for SysInfoTools Outlook Recovery tool. Try its free version first to evaluate the efficiency and working of this software. Although I am pretty sure that it will definitely work for you.
All the best!
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ASKER

Dear All,
The Savior has (Finally!) finished scanning the pst file.

It did not report any errors, only the option to save the scanned file as a new file.

When you attempt to save the file as a new .pst file, it is at this point that you are directed to their website to purchase an activation code, which costs $99.

My question would be, is there a possibility that the saved file will also not open in Outlook, and therefore the purchase will be wasted.

We're talking about a very large file, and it would be disappointing if the file performance did not improve post purchase.

I am concerned as The Savior did not report any errors or report having fixed any in the process of scanning the file, so although it looks like it can read and display everything in the .pst file accurately, I have no guarantees that Outlook will do the same...
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ASKER

Will do. Will contact Savior and report back

Will try Stellar in the meantime....
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ASKER

Just an update - Stellar is still scanning. The two programs look identical. The main difference is that the savior is a one year licence, whereas Stellar is ongoing., which looks much better value?

Savior support came back and re-assured that once the product was purchased it would detail all errors fixed and would definitely work in Outlook.

Main difference so far seems to be the much higher price for Savior.
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ASKER

Gents - an update, Stellar finished scanning, and the file works as expected in Outlook, although it doesn't have exactly the expected and same folder structure, but everything seems to be there, and I can at least open the file.

Thank you all for advice.
Thanks for the update and I was happy to help.