How to Use Inbox Repair Tool for MS Outlook ?

The Inbox Repair tool also named Scanpst.exe is designed to recover folders and items from a corrupted Personal Folders (.pst) file in Microsoft Outlook 2002, Outlook 2003, and Outlook 2007.. Depending upon your operating system the tool is automatically installed with all English-language Microsoft Outlook installation options.

Location of inbox Repair Tool:

For Microsoft Windows NT and Microsoft Windows 2000:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\Mapi\1033\NT
For Microsoft Windows 95 and Microsoft Windows 98:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\Mapi\1033\95

You don't need to install Inbox Repair Tool in Microsoft Outlook 2002 and Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 setup. Microsoft Office 2000 does not place the Inbox Repair tool on a menu as compared to
Microsoft Office 97 version.

Process to run Inbox Repair Tool:

1.Click Start, and then point to Find or to Search, depending upon your operating system.
2.Type scanpst.exe in the search for files or folders named box
3.Double click the Scanpst.exe file to open the Inbox Repair Tool.
4.Type the path and the file name of the personal folders (.pst) file or browse to locate the file by using the Windows file system.
5. Click Start.

How Inbox repair Tool Operate:

1. Directory structure and item headers of .pst file is analyzed to try to recover all folders and items.
2. Recovery of the Personal Folders (.pst) file means that the tool found problems, and repaired what it could.
3. The Inbox Repair Tool tries to turn any file into a Personal Folders (.pst) file. For example, if you rename an executable file to "Something.pst" (without quotation marks), the tool changes the file to a mountable .pst file.
4. Before trying to repair the file the tool makes a backup copy of the .pst file..

Validation and error correction process of Inbox Repair Tool:

The .pst file is a database file and the inbox repair toll validates and corrects errors in internal data structure such as B-Tree and reference counts. There is abstraction between low level objects and upper level structures which includes messages, calendar items, and so on. During Validation an item associated with a block will be removed which is either unreadable or corrupted. Folder and Messages reflects visible changes at higher level.


Limitations of Inbox Repair Tool:

• Inbox Repair Tool mainly works to repair the file in case of file header corruption due to version upgrade like situations. The tool repairs the header of PST file and then remove everything in the file which it did not understand in case if the contents of file are damaged.
• Check the size of pst file in earlier versions of outlook to avoid hindrance to repair process. Inbox Repair Tool might not work properly if the size of the pst file exceeded its 2GB size limt in case of Microsoft Outlook 2002 or earlier versions.
• Backup is very necessary before you proceed for any repair process to recover additional information and missing items. If you can not open the original PST file before you run the Inbox Repair Tool, you can not backup the PST file and you may lose your critical data.

To handle such cases, you need PST recovery software!

Outlook PST Repair software is an effective Inbox Repair Tool to scan, repair, and restore corrupted PSTs (Personal Storage Files). Designed for Microsoft Outlook 2007, 2003, 2002 (XP) and 2000, the inbox repair tool can recover all PST components including e-mails, notes, contacts, calendar entries, journals and more.