subject: Outlook 2007 on Vista reports PST as incompatible or corrupt [print this page] Are you getting an error message while trying to launch Outlook 2007 on a Vista-based computer? Well, you might run into issues pertaining to the attached PST file. A PST file stores all of your Outlook folders including Inbox, Contacts, Outbox, Calendars etc. If this major file becomes corrupt, your Outlook would behave in an abrupt manner. It might not get launched or it might throw an error message during start up. To tackle such situations, Microsoft has provided an inbuilt utility, Inbox Repair Tool, which fixes most of the errors in an affected PST file. If, for any reason, you are unable to resolve the problem and looking for an instant solution, you can trust upon a third-party PST Repair application.
Think of a practical situation, wherein, you have a Windows Vista-based computer and you are using Outlook 2007. On one instance, when you open Microsoft Outlook 2007 to send a meeting request to your team members, you may receive the following error message:
"FileName.pst file could not be opened. The file may not be compatible with this version of Outlook or it may be corrupted."
Thanks to the error message, you are not able to perform a single task with your Outlook 2007.
Cause
The above error message indicates an issue with the PST file. Let's take a look at the situations which might have led to the above error message:
If you relied on the Backup Status and Configuration program to take the backup of your PST file
If you have recently restored the PST file using Backup Status and Configuration program
Or if the PST file is encrypted
Resolution
All the above-stated causes call for effective Repair PST methods. Here is a list of things you can observe to deal with the issue:
You need to repair the affected PST file by using Inbox Repair Tool, Scanpst.exe.
Close Outlook 2007
Click Start>Control Panel
Click User Accounts and Family Safety or User Accounts
Click Mail>Data Files>Personal Folders>Settings
Jot down the text in the Filename box
Click OK and CLOSE
Click Start, in the Start Search box, punch in the following and press Enter: %ProgramFiles%Microsoft OfficeOffice12
Double-click Scanpst
Enter the name which you jotted down in Step 6 in the Enter the name of the file you want to scan box
Click Start
After the scanning and repairing finishes, click OK
If you still get the same error message or any other issue related to the PST file, it is suggested you switch to a professionalPST repairsoftware.
In my observation, Stellar Phoenix Outlook Recovery is a reliable application which repairs corruptRepair PST PST files and restores all its folders and components. You can use this Outlook PST repair application for Outlook 2010, 2007, 2003, 2002 and 2000 versions. It also recovers deleted e-mails and individual messages in both MSG and EML formats.
Outlook 2007 on Vista reports PST as incompatible or corrupt
