OST Outlook File Corrupted – Restore and Fix it

Inside the Article: OST aka Offline Storage Table File are highly secure option for storing personal and professional email data and it’s attachments. An OST file Idol or Limit file sized be determined as the 50GB in some cases users exceed this limit and file being corrupted but it was not only a rare cases their are many reasons behind the OST corruption. In the following article we have to discuss about it and also the precautions related to Outlook file corruption. After that see some instant ways for OST file restoration into other formats for fix it.

Main Reasons Behind OST file Corruption

Various factors can cause OST file corruption leading to a user’s inaccessibility to email and other data. The following are the major causes of OST file corruption:

1. Sudden Power Failures or System Crashes: Unforeseen power disruption while running Outlook causes an improper interruption of the synchronization process, which corrupts the OST file.
2. Malware or Virus Attacks: Infection can damage the OST file, corrupting or deleting critical data, rendering the file unusable.
3. Forceful Termination of Outlook: Forcefully closing Outlook or a crash in the system while it is running leads to incomplete data writes, resulting in a corrupted file.
4. Size of OST File: The large size of the OST file creates complexities in files and makes them prone to corruption, especially when the file size approaches or exceeds the 50 GB limit for Outlook.
5. Problems in Network Connection: The problems occurring in the network may cause failure of proper synchronization between the exchange server and user’s OST. Thus, it causes inconsistencies in OST file.
6. Human Errors: Accidental or improper handling of OST files could result in file corruption, thus mandating the need for user caution in managing their files.

An awareness of the reasons is of importance in preventing any future occurrences of data tampering and protecting the integrity of data in Outlook.

Safety and Precautions Tips for Outlook OST File

1. Routine Backing Up: Always back up your OST files to avoid any form of loss due to damage or even by mistake deletion. The exported feature in Outlook has to be used at intervals to back up OST data as PST files.
2. Avoid Force Shutdown: Never force close Outlook. Allow it to exit properly to avoid corruption. If it becomes unresponsive, wait for it to respond instead of shutting down the system abruptly.
3. Filesystem Management: Your OST file size should be large enough and manageable enough (not more than 20 GB) to minimize the rate of corruption in it. Archive old emails regularly to maintain smaller file size.
4. Install and Use Reliable Antivirus Software:  Ensure that your system is updated with antivirus software so that it is protected against attacks from malicious files. These would destroy your OST files.
5. Storage Health Check: Regularly check hard drive errors using tools such as CHKDSK and check whether enough storage space is available to avoid affecting performance.
6. Update Software: Keeping all add-ins, versions of Windows, and Outlook updated reduces bugs and compatibility issues that are likely to lead to corruption.
7. Use Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS): Desktop UPS, while on a personal computer, saves any documents during an outage. All laptop users must ensure their batteries are in proper working order.

Taking these precautions will significantly minimize the risk of OST files being damaged and thus ensure the data safety of your Outlook.

4 Effective ways to OST file Restoration & Repair

Use of the Inbox Repair Tool i.e. ScanPST.exe: This is one of the built-in tools by Microsoft that basically helps to fix very minor repairs for all OST files. For this, first of all, you will have to close Outlook and search for ScanPST.exe into your system. Now run it and search for your corrupted OST file, hit Start, and then follow all the prompts to repair any detected errors. It will help in minor errors only; it won’t fix highly corrupted files.

Recreating the OST File: The OST file itself is such badly corrupted that there is no way it can be saved. Therefore, you delete it, and then allow Outlook to create a new one again. First of all, exit Outlook and go to the OST file location. Delete the corrupted OST file, then open Outlook again. The program will automatically create a new OST file as it synchronizes with the Exchange server to restore your data.

Create a New Profile in Outlook: Mostly it may be that the corruption is in the current profile of Outlook. Create a profile to get rid of such issues because it will solve the problems. Control Panel > Mail > Show Profiles, then click Add to create a new profile. You have then to configure your email account to that profile created. Thus, it syncs your data and may solve the corruption issue.

Using OST Repair Tools: Download the WebbyAcad OST recovery software like software and attach the corrupted OST Files > Preview the File Data and its Attachments > Select the File Format from 30+ different file formats as PST, MBOX, EML, HTML, CSV, EDB, PDF, etc. Set the file saving location and as the last step export the files.

Key Features and Benefits

Inbox Repair Tool (ScanPST.exe):

Features: This in-built Microsoft tool would check and repair minor corruption in the OST (Outlook Storage file). It runs multiple passes for the guaranteed completion of repair and is well-known for dealing with various issues.
Benefits: Free-of-cost, easy to use, and doesn’t require you to install any further software. Before repairing, this tool makes a copy of the original file so that data is safe during the repair process.

Recreating the OST File:

Features: In this method, the first step is to delete the damaged OST file, and then let Outlook recreate it automatically by synchronizing with the concerned Exchange server.
Benefits: It is very simple and resolves a large portion of errors without the need for complicated repairs. The user can quickly access the emails because Outlook will recreate the file using the current server data.

Creating a New Outlook Profile:

Features: The current problem can be fixed using this approach by allowing the user to create a new profile in Outlook; in this way, the corruption or any issue with the existing profile can be cleared.
Benefits: This new start can be done without losing any data in the server. It is a user-friendly mode and requires no advanced technical skills .

Using OST Repair Tools:

Features: Professional software provides advanced recovery possibilities, for example, conversion of OST files to PST format as well as extraction of data from highly corrupt files.
Benefits: Often these tools come with very intuitive interfaces and can manage larger-sized files better than manual means. They provide very all-encompassing options in recovering maximum volume of data. Using these methods, a user could indeed restore and repair OST files such that the user continues to access crucial email data.

Conclusion

Corruption of OST files can significantly disrupt access to important email data. Understanding the main reasons behind this corruption, such as sudden power failures, malware attacks, improper termination of Outlook, large file sizes, network issues, and human errors, is crucial for prevention. Implementing safety precautions like regular backups, avoiding force shutdowns, maintaining manageable file sizes, using reliable antivirus software, and ensuring software updates can greatly reduce the risk of corruption. For effective restoration and repair of corrupted OST files, methods such as using the Inbox Repair Tool, recreating the OST file, creating a new Outlook profile, or utilizing specialized OST repair tools like WebbyAcad provide users with reliable solutions to regain access to their data.