How to Repair PST File When ScanPST Fails?
Have you run ScanPST multiple times but still Outlook won’t open your PST file? Or are you facing errors with the Inbox Repair Tool while fixing files? If so, then your PST file may be more severely corrupted than ScanPST can handle.
In this guide, we’ll explain why ScanPST fails, the common reasons, troubleshooting methods you can try and the most effective way to repair and recover Outlook mailbox including emails, contacts, attachments when the Inbox Repair Tool is no longer responding.
Quick Answer: Can I Repair PST File Without ScanPST?
Yes, you can repair your PST files without using the default Microsoft Outlook Inbox Repair Tool (ScanPST). It is useful to fix only minor PST inconsistencies and often fails when the file is severely corrupted, oversized, inaccessible or contains some extensive mailbox damage.
To fix this, you can try some troubleshooting methods such as creating a new Outlook profile, reducing PST file size or checking the disk for errors before relying and using an advanced repair solution.
In case these methods also fail, a professional PST Repair Solution is recommended that will help you repair and recover entire data without affecting its quality and originality.
Why Does ScanPST Fail to Repair PST Files?
ScanPST, also called Inbox Repair Tool is Microsoft’s in-built tool to identify and fix minor issues with Outlook PST files. While this tool can repair basic errors, it has some limitations and fails when the corruption is severe or affecting the important mailbox components.
Here in this section we have listed most common reasons why ScanPST fails to repair PST file:
- Severe PST file Corruption- ScanPST cannot handle heavily damaged PST files. The tool will repeatedly detect errors without successfully repairing them.
- Oversized PST files- Large Outlook files are more prone to corruption and leading to performance issues. When the file size becomes large ScanPST freezes and stops responding which can lead to an incomplete repair process.
- Physical Storage Problems- Bad sectors on hard drives, SSD failures or improper system shutdowns can damage PST files. In such situations, the corruption generates from the storage device itself, making the repair process more difficult.
- Multiple Corruption Layers- Sometimes a PST file contains multiple types of corruption layers at once. While the ScanPST can repair only one issue. This leads to ScanPST failure in repairing PST files.
- File Access Restrictions- If the PST file is locked or stored on an unstable network location then the permission issues may occur due to which the Inbox Repair Tool may not be able to access and repair the corrupt PST file properly.
- Interrupted Outlook Operations- Closing Outlook forcefully, system crashes or unexpected interruptions while sending, receiving or synchronizing emails can leave PST files in an inconsistent state that can damage them. ScanPST can struggle to fix these files.
- Lack of System Resources- Repairing large PST files needs disk space and memory, if your system lacks sufficient resources, then ScanPST may become unresponsive and stop working before completing the repair process.
Common Signs That ScanPST Failed
You may observe these messages or things while experiencing unsuccessful repair via Microsoft Outlook Inbox Repair Tool.
- Outlook still cannot open PST file after repair.
- ScanPST is showing the same error again and again.
- Your emails, folders and attachments are missing after the repair.
- The Inbox Repair Tool is freezing and stops responding in between the process.
- Error messages continue to appear.
- Outlook crashes when you are trying to access the repaired PST files.
When any of these symptoms persist after trying multiple ScanPST attempts, then it indicates that the PST files require an advanced level repair approach.
How to Fix PST File When ScanPST Not Working?
There are some troubleshooting methods that you can use depending upon the cause of corruption & restore access to your mailbox.
Method1- Create New Outlook Profile
This will help you determine that the issue is with the mailbox file or the Outlook configuration. As a damaged Outlook profile can cause the same error as a corrupted PST file.
Steps to Follow:
- Close Outlook on your system.
- Open Control Panel and Search Mail(Microsoft Outlook).
- Select and click on Show Profiles > Add > enter a new Outlook profile name.
- Now, simply configure your email account.
- Launch Outlook again using the new profile created.
If it opens normally without any error, then the issue would have been related to the original profile rather than the PST file.
Method2- Check the Disk for Errors
File system issues can also damage PST files. Follow the steps to fix it.
- Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
- Type chkdsk /f /r and press Enter.
- Now allow Windows to scan and repair disk errors.
- Restart your computer once the process is completed.
After restarting, run ScanPST again and check whether the PST file becomes accessible or not.
Method3- Reduce PST File Size
Oversized PST files are more vulnerable to corruption so reduce its size by
- Deleting unnecessary emails
- Emptying the Deleted Items folders
- Remove large attachments
- Compact the PST file from Outlook Account Settings
After reducing, try opening Outlook and running ScanPST again.
Method 4- Disable Problematic Add-ins
Sometimes the third-party add-ins can interfere with Outlook operations and prevent PST files from loading properly.
Steps:
- Open Outlook in safe mode, press Windows + R.
- Type outlook.exe /safe > Enter.
- Navigate to File > Options > Add-ins.
- Disable all the non-essential add-ins and restart your Outlook.
If Outlook opens normally, then one of the add-ins was creating the problem.
Limitations of the Manual Methods
While all the above discussed manual methods are problem solvers, they rarely can repair the severely damaged PST files. If ScanPST continues to fail then go to the advanced solution as it is the perfect and one-stop solution to all your PST corruption, damage, oversized and other related issues.
How to Repair PST file without ScanPST?
BitRecover PST Repair Tool is the most practical solution to repair inaccessible, oversized, damaged, broken, corrupt and password-protected Outlook PST files. It has a simple-to-use interface and is designed to restore entire mailbox data without any loss and facing complicated technical procedures.
This robust software performs deep-level scanning to recover mailbox data including emails, attachments, folders, contacts, calendars and tasks from severely corrupted PST files as well while preserving originality and metadata details.
Moreover, using this Outlook PST Recovery Tool, you can split the large PST files and export them in different formats plus to various email clients, in a single go. Try its free demo version to have a look at its working and features.
Core Benefits of the PST Repair Software
- Repair severely corrupt PST files.
- Support large size files without imposing any limitations and showing error.
- Allow users to preview PST files before repairing.
- It has the ability to repair password-protected PST files without any data loss.
- Compatible with all PST file types including ANSI and Unicode.
- Help users to save corrupt PST files to healthy PST files easily.
- Split oversized PST files into 2GB, 5GB, 10GB and 20GB files.
- Work smoothly with all Outlook and Windows versions.
- Maintains all the email properties intact throughout the repair process.
How to Repair Outlook Files Without Data Loss? Steps
- Download and launch the Outlook PST Repair software on your PC.
- Select folders or files that you want to repair.
- Now, preview them in the software panel to verify before proceeding.
- Once done, select your preferred saving format from the list including PST.
- Browse the destination path and click on Repair to start the process.
Compare: ScanPST vs BitRecover PST Repair Tool
| Feature | ScanPST (Inbox Repair Tool) | PST Repair Tool |
| Repair Minor PST Errors | Yes | Yes |
| Repair Severely Corrupted PST Files | Limited, often fails | Yes, it has advanced repair engine |
| Repair Password-Protected PST Files | No | Yes |
| Support Repairing Large PST Files | Limited | Yes |
| Preview Data Before Recovery | No | Yes |
| Preserve Original Folder Structure | Limited | Yes |
| Exports Repaired Data to Multiple Formats | No | Yes |
| Splits Oversized PST Files | No | Yes |
| Handles Inaccessible PST Files | Limited | Yes |
| User-Friendly Interface | Basic | Easy-to-Use |
| Success Rate on Severe Corruption | Low | High |
| Compatible with All Outlook Versions | Yes | Yes |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Why is Microsoft Outlook Inbox Repair Tool taking a long time?
The Inbox Repair Tool (ScanPST.exe) takes a long time if your PST file is very large, severely corrupted or contains a significant amount of mailbox data. The tool must scan the entire file and fix detected errors, this process can extend the repair time.
Q2. What should I do if ScanPST gets stuck during the repair process?
If ScanPST gets stuck during the repair process, wait for some time to ensure that it is not processing the large PST file. If the tool remains unresponsive for a long time, simply close it and create a backup of your PST files. Then check the file for disk errors, move it to the local drive and run the ScanPST again. Still freezing, then simply use the dedicated PST Repair solution for safe and successful recovery of mailbox data.
Conclusion
Although the ScanPST method is specially to fix PST files but it can only succeed when there is minor corruption. For complete and reliable Outlook PST recovery and repair, trust the professional solution. It can repair your files plus help you recover all the data easily. With this, you don’t need to be dependent on ScanPST when not responding and effectively working. So, always choose the right repair approach to regain PST file access back as one wrong decision can lead to permanent data loss.
For any doubt related to the software, feel-free to contact the support team.
