subject: How to use Inbox Repair Tool [print this page] How to use Inbox Repair Tool How to use Inbox Repair Tool
Being an Outlook user, you must be aware of the term Inbox. It is a folder where Outlook saves all incoming emails. However, you may create more folders to segregate emails but Outlook by default saves incoming emails in Inbox until a rule is defined to automatically save the incoming email into the respective folder. You see the emails in inbox but actually, they are stored somewhere in your computer in .pst file. When you start Outlook, it loads all of your emails, notes, contacts, appointments, etc. in their respective folders in your mailbox. The .pst file where Outlook stores emails, notes, contacts, etc. can be damaged anytime due to reasons like power outage, virus attack, application error, etc. Anyhow, once the .pst file is damaged, you will loss all of important emails, notes, contacts, etc. This is because Outlook cannot read the damaged .pst file. However, if you have backed up the .pst file then you can save you from the loss of emails and other related items.
In case, you are lacing full backup, you need to repair the damaged .pst file. Microsoft provides Inbox repair tool (scanpst.exe) to help you repair the damaged .pst file. The tool is automatically installed in your computer when MS Outlook is installed. What you have to do is to locate the tool. Execute the following steps to locate scanpst.exe:
1.Launch the Windows search companion.
2.Select All files and folders option.
3.Select all drives available in to your computer system if you do not know where Outlook is installed. Generally, Outlook is installed in C drive.
4.Type scanpst.exe in the search box.
5.Press the ENTER key. In just few seconds of search, you will see the scanpst.exe in the searched file. Double-click the scanpst.exe file and a dialog box pops up. In the dialog box, browse the damaged .pst file and start repairing the damaged file. This way inbox repair tool can be a help for you when you get error messages indicating the damage of .pst file. It may happen that inbox repair tool cannot perfectly repair the damaged Outlook file. This often happens when there is a major corruption in the file. When the file is corrupted to a great extent, use third party inbox repair tool that are especially designed for repairing the highly corrupted .pst file. The third party inbox repair tool creates a copy of the damaged .pst file after repairing it thus, provides you with the lost emails, notes, contacts, etc. back in your hand.
