Common OST Corruption Errors and Efficient Way to Rectify Them

There are times when your Outlook OST (Outlook Storage Table) file gets corrupt, or becomes inaccessible, or fails to synchronize due to various reasons like Exchange Server crash, virus infection, down Exchange Server, oversized OST file, etc. Generally, in all these situations you get an error message indicating the corruption of OST file. However, you can get over these error messages and thus get back the accessibility of your OST file with the help of an efficient third-party OST to PST converter software.

Let’s see common error messages which a user gets when his/her OST file gets corrupt or becomes inaccessible:

“Unable to expand the folder. The set of folders could not be opened. Errors could have been detected in the file xyz.ost. Quit all mail-enabled applications, and then use the Inbox Repair Tool”
“Cannot open your default email folders. The file xyz.ost is not an offline folder file.”
“This message could not be sent. Try sending the message again later, or contact your network administrator. Error is [0x80040111-00000000-00000000]”
“Errors in background synchronization. In most cases, more information is available in a synchronization log in the Deleted Items folder.”
“Errors have been detected in the file. Quit all mail-enabled applications, and then use the Inbox Repair Tool”
“Task 'Microsoft Exchange Server - Sending' reported error (0x8004060C): 'The message store has reached its maximum size. To reduce the amount of data in this message store, select some items that you no longer need, and permanently delete them.”

The best way to rectify any of the above mentioned errors and to get back your crucial Outlook data saved on OST file is use of third-party OST to PST converter software. These tools fix the damage or corruption in OST file and convert it to importable PST file. One of the efficient and highly recommended software in this category is OST to PST Converter.

The efficient software easily converts corrupt or orphaned OST file to easily installable PST file additionally it restores emails, attachments, contacts, notes, etc as well as preserves the formatting of the HTML and RTF messages. The OST 2 PST Converter software shows the preview of all recoverable items before converting the OST file to usable PST file. Moreover the software saves the converted OST file at your desired location.

Therefore, to analyze the working of the software, you can download its free demo version. The free demo version provides the preview of the converted user mailbox items as separate PSTs. To save these converted individual PST files, you have to register the product.

Convert OST to PST to access corrupt or orphaned OST file

Enterprises require a collaborative communication environment. For this, Microsoft Exchange Server and Microsoft Outlook work in conjunction. Since, some users might be working off-site where the connectivity with the company's Exchange Server can not be established, MS Outlook has the ability to work in Cached Exchange Mode.

The Offline mode or Cached Exchange mode Outlook creates a copy of the Exchange Server maibox onto the local machine and carries out the operations on the local drive. This is possible with the help of OST files. In order to send and receive new emails, and to update the Server mailbox with all the offline work synchronization is done between the Exchange Server and MS Outlook.

This synchronization can fail at times in lieu of unforeseen factors such as hard drive failure, attack by a virus or malicious software, abrupt system shutdown, improper Outlook termination or poor network connection. Failed or erronous synchronization will make the OST file inaccessible.

Moreover, accidental deletion of Exchange Server mailbox or any modification to the Exchange profile will render the Outlook OST file as orphaned. A corrupt or orphaned OST file becomes unusable causing loss of significant data such as vital emails, contacts and appointments.

A corrupt or damaged OST file needs to be repaired to make it accessible again. An inbuilt utility by Microsoft is the Inbox Repair Tool (Scanost) by Microsoft. This tool will scan the OST file, checking for all sorts of errors and corruption and repairs it. A major drawback associated with this utility is that it restructures the entire OST file and removes all those elements that become unreadable due to corruption. This means, cardinal information can be lost.

To carry out safe and error free OST recovery, one needs to Convert OST to PST. To Convert OST to PST, third party tools are available that support almost all major versions of MS Outlook and MS Exchange Server. By converting OST to PST the software will scan the OST file in question and recover all the items into a usable and Outlook importable PST file.

All the user mailbox items such as emails, contacts, notes, tasks, journals and calendar entries can be recovered as a new PST file. The userr also has the option to append recovered data into an exisitng PST file. One such amazing utility is “OST to PST Converter”. This product is the choice of millions of users across the globe to Convert OST to PST. The software is compatible with MS Outlook 2010, 2007, 2003, 2002 and 2000.

A Real-time Scenario of Outlook Mail Data Loss and How to Easily Extract OST Objects to a PST File

I was using Outlook 2007 on my client computer. I had tons of contacts, emails, calendar entries in my Outlook data file. I was able to log on to the domain till last week. But there were problems with the login a few days back. So, I deleted my domain user account in the Active Directory and recreated a new account having the same name. I probably thought that the new account will automatically take the properties of the old one. It was now that I ran into a number of other profile issues and came to know that the Exchange was not running. When I started Outlook with the new account, it tried to create a new user profile and connect to the Exchange Server. But it did not succeed. It seemed that I had lost all my vital Outlook mail data.

I was not able to connect the old mailbox to the new account somehow. This issue possibly had one solution and that was converting the Outlook OST file to a PST file. Then, creating a new profile and getting all data in this profile. But this wasn't an easy job. I had to rigorously search for an efficient third-party OST to PST Converter software that would do the trick for me. I had already run the demo versions of various products, but none of them assured a complete conversion. I decided to contact a 'System Admin' for a quick fix to this. I narrated the whole problem to him. He doubted that my file was damaged as some of the tools had already failed to convert it. He suggested me to use an advance OST to PST Converter. He had a similar problem in the past with one of the employee's OST file and this utility was really helpful.

I took his advice and purchased this software after checking out its demo version. To my delight, the tool did it another time. It helped me quickly overcome this problem by safely extracting all objects in the file and restoring them to a new equivalent PST file. It allowed me to convert important messages, contacts, notes, journal, etc. without any slightest change in their original formatting and structure. I got all my emails back with their exact key properties, such as ''To', 'From', 'Subject', etc. Using this advanced OST Recovery tool, I also saved some of my emails as individual EML files in the system.

OST to PST Converter- Resolve for OST file corruption

It happens often that the MS Outlook users loose connection with the Exchange Server. Several times users need to work from client side, from home or out of office. This is where they loose connectivity with the MS Exchange Server. But their work never halts.

That is the beauty of Outlook OST file that allows its users to work in the offline mode, ie, in the absence of Microsoft Exchange. Outlook OST file privileges the users to work on their user mailbox items in a non Exchange environment.

However, there are many chances of OST file corruption that will make all the data unusable. The OST file once corrupted will not synchronize with the Exchange Server and the data stored in the file will remain inaccessible. A number of error messages are encountered by the Outlook users when their OST file gets corrupt. No matter how many attempts they make to access the file, the same error message will flash on the screen.

Once corrupted, the OST file in question needs to be repaired using Outlook OST Recovery measures. Microsoft has provided a free inbuilt utility Scanost.exe that can scan and fix the OST file when it becomes corrupt. Common causes of OST file corruption are virus attack, synchronization error, hardware or software malfunction, abrupt Outlook termination, power outage and more.

Though some of the known factors behind Outlook OST corruption can be avoided, but there are several other known factors that can render your OST file corrupt and beyond usage. Scanost.exe ca help in Outlook OST Recovery by repairing the corrupt or damaged OST file. But, there is a catch.

Scanost deleted the corrupted data from the OST file and rebuilds it. This creates a huge possibility of vital data loss, such as important emails or contacts. Moreover, Scanost is not able to recover data when the degree of corruption is quite high. At times like this, third party OST to PST Converter tools can help recover all the user mailbox data from the corrupt OST file.

A reliable utility is “OST to PST Converter”. The software can recover all the emails, contacts, calendar entries, notes, attachments, appointments, tasks and journals from the corrupt or damaged OST file and creates a new usable PST file at a user specified location. This adroit utility supports MS Outlook 2010, 2007, 2003, 2002 and 2000. The software preserves the data formatting while conversion. The log report of the entire process is generated and can be used for future reference.

The finest techniques to effortlessly extract data from unusable or orphaned Offline Folders file

Offline Folders (OST) file plays a pivotal role when working in an Exchange environment integrated with MS Outlook. An OST file is automatically created when you work in the MS Outlook offline mode. This file is saved as a local file in your system and contains a backup of all the Exchange mailbox data. They are beneficial in Exchange downtime situations when you do not have access to your mailbox on the server. All changes made to the OST file while working offline are synchronized when you connect to the Exchange server. However, if the Exchange administrator accidentally deletes your mailbox on the server, then the OST file will become orphaned. In such circumstances, you can easily get back all your lost data by performing reliable Outlook OST to PST conversion.

Besides deletion of user mailbox, there are a plethora of reasons that bring forth the need to convert Outlook OST to PST. You may occasionally run across various mailbox corruption cases that could make all your Exchange data inaccessible. This may happen due to several factors, such as virus attacks, upgrading from old to new server, rebuilding information stores in Exchange server, unexpected server shutdowns, software malfunctioning or hardware failures. The OST files act as a replica of your mailbox and help you regain access to your inaccessible information in the event of such disasters. You can convert Outlook OST to PST and import that PST back into your Exchange server information stores.

MS Outlook has a provision to copy emails in your OST file to a PST file. To do this, you need to start the application in offline mode and add a service named ‘Personal Folders (PST)’. After adding this service, select the emails that you need to copy and click ‘Copy’ on the ‘File’ menu. In the ‘Copy Items’ dialog box, specify the Personal Folders that you created recently. You need to repeat the process for copying emails in each mail folder. Finally, you can import these copied messages to a new server-based mailbox.

Another method that appears to be more safe and reliable is to use advanced OST2PST Converter tools. These third-party software can effectively extract data from orphaned OST files and restore it to an equivalent Outlook PST. They can easily convert all OST objects, including emails, calendar entries, contacts, notes, attachments, journals, etc. Moreover, they have support for all the latest Outlook versions, i.e. MS Outlook 2010, 2007, 2003, 2002, and 2000.

OST to PST Converter is an impeccable solution for OST file corruption

Microsoft Outlook is a renowned name in the world of business emails, as one of the most popular and extensively deployed email client. The reason why enterprises love Outlook is the fact that it works as a client for MS Exchange Server that helps to maintain a collaborative environment.

The beauty of MS Outlook lies in its ability to incorporate the accessibility to user mailbox data even in the absence of Exchange Server. This is possible with the use of Outlook OST files. OST files or Offline Storage Tables are the carbon copy of a user mailbox and get stored on the user's computer.

The OST file allows that user to access his email, contacts, notes, attachments, tasks and calendar entries in the offline mode. This OST file synchronizes with the Exchange Server and updates all the offline work to the actual Exchange mailboxes.

For a regular Exchange user, these OST files are the life line as they will contain cardinal data and information and allow that user offline accessibility. But these OST files are prone to corruption on account of certain hardware and software factors. Some of these may be a virus attack on the computer system, abrupt Outlook termination, synchronization error, hard disk failure, poor network connection or more.

With a threat of OST file corruption lingering behind, Microsoft has provided a free inbuilt utility to repair the corrupt OST file which is Inbox Repair Tool or Scanost. Scanost is one of the best utilities by Microsoft and it can make the unusable OST file, back to usable. The way Scanost works is that it compeletely restructures the Outlook OST file which can sometimes lead to loss of some vital data.

Often times, the corruption degree is too high or the OST file is orphaned and Scanost is not able to repair the file. When Scanost fails, there are commercial third party OST to PST Converter tools available in the market that can successfully Convert Outlook OST to PST. These software create usable PST file with all the vital data from the corrupt OST. This newly created PST file can be easily imported to Outlook.

Though the Inbox Repair Tool is not very easy to use and requires technical knowledge, the third party OST to PST Converter tools are very easy to use. Moreover, a complete step by step user guide is available along with real time tech support for any queries or issues regarding the software.

One such commercial solution is “Stellar Phoenix OST to PST Converter”. This is a powerful OST to PST Converter tool that has an interactive GUI and high compatiblity with all major versions of MS Outlook. This dexterous tool is also available in a risk free demo version that offers a preview of the user mailbox items such as emails, contacts, attachments, notes and calendar in a three view structure.

An efficacious fix for Outlook OST corruption issues

OST file is the twin of user mailbox stored on the Exchange Server. OST files make it possible for Outlook users to access their mailbox data in the absence of Exchange Server. All the emails, contacts, notes, tasks, journals, calendar entries and attachments are stored on the local machine that enables working in offline mode.

OST file is a vital data source for its user. Everytime the connection with the Exchange Server is established, the OST file synchronizes with the server mailbox and the work done offline is updated. OST files are required to work in the absence of Exchange Server which can be triggered by many factors, such as, Exchange Server downtime, network connection issues, Exchange maintenance or upgrade etc.

Over time the Outlook OST file grows in size. Since, in the earlier versions of MS Outlook the maximum file size for OST file was 2 GB, these files would soon outgrow the maximum permissible limit and become corrupt. To overcome this shortcomming, in the later versions of Outlook the default OST size limit was increased from 20 GB (Outlook 2003/2007) to 50 GB (Outlook 2010).

Another point of concern is that the OST file is stored on the user's computer and any sort of virus attack on the system or bad sectors on the storage drive can lead to the corruption in the OST file. There are end number of known and unknown factors that can cause corruption in the Outlook OST file. Keeping this in mind, Microsoft has provided the Inbox Repair Tool to repair the corrupt or damaged OST file. But this tool is not capable to repair the affected file in almost all the cases.

When the corruption degree is too high, professional tools are required to perform Outlook OST Recovery. The perfect fix for OST file corruption is to convert OST to PST and recover all the vital data using third party tools. A corrupt or damaged OST file is lost and becomes unusable. By converting it into a usable PST file, the data can be recovered hassle free.

One of the preeminent tools is “Stellar Phoenix OST to PST Converter”. This dexterous utility converts the severly damaged OST files to PST and recovers all the emails, attachments, appointments, contacts, notes, tasks and calendar entries intact. The software preserves the original RTF and HTML formatting of the messages while converting. This adroit tool to convert OST to PST is compatible with MS Outlook 2010, 2007, 2003, 2002 and 2000.

Are You Unable to Access Your Outlook Data Due to OST File Corruption? Solve this Issue by Easily Repairing Corrupt OST File

In MS Outlook, OST files are Offline Folder files that are exact replicas of your data stored on Exchange Server. An OST folder allows the user to access Outlook data in offline mode and it is very important for an OST file to synchronize with mailbox on Exchange Server. But at times, OST file also gets corrupted due to which, user is unable to access Outlook data. In such cases, you can use OST to PST converter software to recover your data from corrupt OST file.

I work as admin manager in a tech support company and use Outlook because of company policies. One day, I was sending an important e-mail to my team members and suddenly I received an error message. The error message was similar to the following message:

“AppName: Outlook.exe
AppVer: 14.0.4760.1000
ModName: Kernelbase.dll
ModVer: 6.1.7600.16385
Offset: 0003194b”

After receiving this error message, I was unable to access any of the Outlook items. As I was not aware of this error message so I called up the IT department but that day was a week off and none of the technical support staff was available. After trying a few more options, I started searching for a resolution to this issue and found that this error message occurs if the OST file gets corrupt. However, there are many reasons for corruption of OST file but the common reason is virus infection.

Viruses are malware content that enter into your computer without your knowledge and
infect the files in order to make them completely inaccessible. To confirm this, I performed a scan using antivirus software and the scan results showed that my system is infected with Trojan virus. I removed the entire virus and infected files by scanning my computer with antivirus software but the OST file was still corrupt. Then I called up one of my friends and he told me that I can easily fix this issue by converting the OST file into PST format and then I will be able to access my Outlook data. I started searching for such software on the Internet and found a list of popular software. I tried some of them and selected Stellar Phoenix Convert OST to PST software that allows you to repair and recover data from corrupt OST files and convert it into PST format.

Stellar Phoenix Convert OST to PST allows you to save the converted data into EML and MSG format. Moreover, this software previews all the data before actually starting the Outlook OST recovery process.

Recovering Outlook data post OST file corruption

It is quite troublesome when Oulook freezes or doesnot open and all the data becomes inaccessible. Everytime an attempt is made to access the OST file data, certain error messages are encountered. Outlook OST file becomes inaccessible in the following scenario when it gives the following error message:

“Event Type: Information
Event Source: Outlook
Event Category: None
Event ID: 30
Date: 5/1/2012
Time: 5:43:37 AM
User: N/A
Computer: Name
Description: The store C:\Documents and Settings\user.domain\Local
Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\outlook.ost is being reconciled
with the indexer for the following reason: Non-matching max change numbers.”

The user will not be able to access his Outlook OST file no matter how many times he tries to open it. Each attempt would result in the same aforementioned error message.

Cause:

OST file corruption accounts for this error and renders all the cardinal user data stored in that OST file as inaccessible. OST file corruption can result from myriad factors such as:

1.Incorrect file system recovery
2.Attack by virus or a malicious software
3.Abrupt Outlook termination
4.Dirty shutdown or power failure
5.Synchronization error
6.Network connection failure

Solution:

If the OST file is severely corrupt and is not required, then it can be deleted and a new OST file can be created by following these steps:

Step1- Quit MS Outlook.
Step2- Rename the existing OST file.
Step3- Restart MS Outlook in offline mode.
Step4- The following error message comes up:
"The file "C:\Exchange directory\file name.ost could not be found"
Click OK.
Step5- In the Offline Folder File Settigs dialog box, click OK.
Step6- You will receive this error message-
"The file c:\Exchange directory\file name.ost could not be found. Would you like to create it?"
Click Yes.
Step7- MS Outlook will start in online mode. Click Tools-> Synchronize-> All folders.

This way the newly created OST file will get synchronized with the Exchange Server and the user can resume working with the new OST file.

If the OST file contains precious data and can not be deleted then one needs to overhaul the corrupt Outlook OST file to recover vital data such as emails, attachments, contacts, calendar, appointments, jounals, tasks, To-do lists and notes. OST file can be repaired using “OST Integrity Check Tool” which is a free utility by Microsoft. Scanost.exe is able to repair the OST file and all the data is recovered. However, Scanost is not very efficient in repairing severly corrupt/damaged OST file. If you are in the same spot, then the only resolve is to convert OST to PST.

An adroit utility to convert OST to PST is “OST to PST Converter”. This powerful software is compatible with MS Outlook 2010, 2007, 2003, 2002 and 2000. It is a commercial OST Recovery tool that can create a new usable PST from the corrupt OST file while preserving the formatting from RTF and HTML messages.

OST conversion is needed after deletion of user profile

The deletion of a user mailbox in Microsoft Exchange Server can wreck havoc. It may get deleted accidentally or sometimes intentionally. After deletion, the mailbox gets disconnected for the default retention period in Exchange Server. You can reconnect the mailbox anytime during this period. However, after the specified retention period, the mailbox will be permanently deleted from the information store database. As a consequence, the OST File corresponding to the user profile becomes orphaned. At this stage, you could experience severe data loss. If you have an updated backup, you can easily restore your lost emails and other mailbox items. However, if the backup is unavailable, you should go for Outlook OST Recovery using a reliable third-party utility.

The chances of data loss significantly increase, if the original profile of Exchange gets deleted or changed. Let's talk about a scenario that will show how the data in an OST file becomes unusable. Suppose, you have made some changes to the user profile that was initially using an Outlook OST file. In such a situation, all data in the file would become inaccessible. This data can be easily recovered by moving email items from each folder in the OST file to a PST file. For accomplishing this, you should create a new profile, log on to the newly created server-based mailbox, and then copy data from the OST to PST.

An effective remedy to this problem is to use a third-party OST Recovery Software. There are a handful of utilities available in the market that efficiently convert an orphaned or corrupt OST file to an equivalent PST file. Such tools are capable of retrieving all your lost email messages, appointments, contacts, calendars, tasks, etc. from unusable OST files without losing the original data integrity. They also provide users with an option to preview their emails prior to conversion.

You can easily download the free trial version of these products from the Internet. These tools are developed under the guidance of various industry experts. They are embedded with robust mechanisms to perform a precise OS T to PST conversion, thereby retrieving every piece of user data from any corrupt or orphaned OST File.

Stellar Phoenix OST to PST Converter is a professional tool that safely performs Outlook OST Recovery by converting OST files of MS Outlook 2010, 2007, 2003, 2002, and 2000. The software facilitates selective conversion of mailbox folders. Moreover, it is compatible with Windows 7, Vista, Server 2003, XP, and 2000. 

Discussing Outlook Synchronization problems and efficient OST to PST conversion software

Cached Exchange mode is one of the most significant features of Microsoft Exchange Server. It enables you to access Outlook data even while working offline or with unreliable Internet connectivity. Once synchronization is done with Microsoft Exchange Server, all the OST file data gets reflected in the Outlook PST file. You might have worked offline for a considerable period of time and at this stage, if you are unable to synchronize those changes with the Exchange server, you might face serious data loss. This may occasionally happen due to corruption of the Outlook offline folders (.ost) file. To repair corrupt OST file and effectively retrieve your lost invaluable data, you need to go for OST Recovery Software using a reliable third-party utility.

Imagine a practical scenario. Suppose you are using Microsoft Outlook in offline mode. In the middle of an operation, you come to know that your OST file is corrupt and you are unable to synchronize the file with the Exchange server. As a consequence, all your vital emails and other mailbox items would become inaccessible. In such circumstances, you should use the most recent backup to restore all your lost data. However, if the backup is unavailable, follow the below mentioned resolution steps.

Root of the issue:

You encountered this erratic behavior as a result of corruption of the Outlook OST file. This could happen due to various reasons, such as hardware failures, unexpected system shutdown, malicious virus, application malfunction, etc.

Solution:

In order to resolve the issue of OST file corruption and regain access to your precious data, you should convert OST file to an equivalent PST file. You can easily do this using a professional OST to PST converter. Data of an Outlook OST file can be accessed or viewed in a PST file. This is possibly one of the best remedies to overcome this problem.

There are a handful of third-party utilities available in the market that can quickly perform OST to PST conversion without causing any risk of potential data loss. Initially, you can use the demo version of these products. Once satisfied and assured, you can go for the full version.

Stellar Phoenix OST to PST Converter is a competent tool that converts OST files of MS Outlook 2010, 2007, 2003, 2002, and 2000. Moreover, the tool is compatible with Windows 7, Vista, Server 2003, XP, and 2000.