Error Opening PST from a CD Backup

Outlook PST file is consisted of two parts: the file header and the following data. The file header is composed of file metadata including data like, file creation and modification details, file size, file signature etc. For Outlook to recognize the file as a valid .pst file, the file header should remain intact. If it is corrupted, you will need to repair it using Outlook Inbox Repair Tool. But if this fails, you should Repair PST by using commercial applications.

To illustrate such scenarios, consider the following practical instance:

1-You backup your Outlook PST file to a CD to restore it later after system upgrade or reinstall

2-When you try to restore and then open the file, it fails with an error, similar to below:

“The file <file_name>.pst is not a personal folders file”

Cause

This error shows that Outlook is unable to recognize the file as a valid personal folder. It generally occurs when the file is corrupt. Following are the possible reasons that can cause this:

1-Storage media errors. In this case, the corruption in CD structure could have introduced file errors

2-Outlook was opened when you were backing up the file to CD. The file could get corrupt when two applications access it simultaneously.

Besides the above reasons, if you backup a read-only file, this can also prevent the file from opening.

Solution

To repair the corrupted .pst file, you should run Inbox Repair Tool (Scanpst.exe). It is a built-in tool that can repair corruption issues associated with Outlook's personal folder. You first need to locate the tool by using Windows Search option for files and folders by the name 'scanpst.exe'. Since it is a hidden file, you should enable the view of hidden files and folders.

After the tool is located, you can start it and specify the path and name of your .pst file to start the repair process. The tool can fail in several situations. If it happens, the best solution is to use Outlook PST Repair tools. These software are competent to Repair PST safely and completely because of the high-end algorithms they use.

Stellar Phoenix Outlook PST Repair is a quality application that uses powerful scanning algorithms to repair a corrupted Outlook PST file. The software incorporates advanced options and features. It is a safe Outlook PST Repair utility that supports Outlook 2007, 2003, 2002 and 2000. It can restore all file objects, which include emails, notes, journals and tasks.