Getting .pst files from external hard drive back into Outlook

[Shelley]

I had to restore my computer to factory settings because of a virus. I have
Outlook files backed up in my external hard drive (My Book) in the form of:

C\Users\hp\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook (which contains .pst files)

I am having no success in getting these files back into Outlook. The process
I am using is as follows:

- copying the zipped files onto the desktop
- extracting them
- opening Outlook and clicking Import to import a Personal Folder File
- browsing to an extracted .pst file

When I have identified a file to import and click Next, I get a message,
“The file C:\Users\Shelley\Desktop\My Book pst files\Outlook.pst is not a
personal folders file.â€

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Diane Poremsky [MVP]]

Does it work if you copy the file to your My Documents folder?
Is the file marked read only?
Can you open it using File, Open, Outlook Data file?
Did you run scanpst.exe on it?

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]

Outlook & Exchange Solutions Center: http://www.slipstick.com/

Outlook Tips by email:
mailto:[email protected]

EMO - a weekly newsletter about Outlook and Exchange:
mailto:[email protected]

Do you keep Outlook open 24/7? Vote in our poll:
http://forums.slipstick.com/showthread.php?t=22205

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]]

When I have identified a file to import and click Next, I get a message,
“The file C:\Users\Shelley\Desktop\My Book pst files\Outlook.pst is not a
personal folders file.â€

This is usually a sign that the PST was damaged in the copy process and is
often unrecoverable.

 

[Shelley]

- It did not work when I copied the file to My Documents.
- It is not marked read only.
- It did not open using File -> Open -> Outlook data file.

Where do I find scanpst.exe?

Another respondent (Brian Tillman) wrote: "This is usually a sign that the
PST was damaged in the copy process and is often unrecoverable". Do you
concur?

Does it work if you copy the file to your My Documents folder?
Is the file marked read only?
Can you open it using File, Open, Outlook Data file?
Did you run scanpst.exe on it?

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]

Outlook & Exchange Solutions Center: http://www.slipstick.com/

Outlook Tips by email:
mailto:[email protected]

EMO - a weekly newsletter about Outlook and Exchange:
mailto:[email protected]

Do you keep Outlook open 24/7? Vote in our poll:
http://forums.slipstick.com/showthread.php?t=22205

I had to restore my computer to factory settings because of a virus. I
have
Outlook files backed up in my external hard drive (My Book) in the form
of:

C\Users\hp\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook (which contains .pst files)

I am having no success in getting these files back into Outlook. The
process
I am using is as follows:

- copying the zipped files onto the desktop
- extracting them
- opening Outlook and clicking Import to import a Personal Folder File
- browsing to an extracted .pst file

When I have identified a file to import and click Next, I get a message,
“The file C:\Users\Shelley\Desktop\My Book pst files\Outlook.pst is not a
personal folders file.â€

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Gordon]

- It did not work when I copied the file to My Documents.
- It is not marked read only.
- It did not open using File -> Open -> Outlook data file.

Can you be a bit more explicit on what actually happened when you tried to
open it? "It did not open" is pretty vague....

 

[Shelley]

I have copied below my initial message. The exact error message is quoted
there:

I am having no success in getting these files back into Outlook. The process
I am using is as follows:

- copying the zipped files onto the desktop
- extracting them
- opening Outlook and clicking Import to import a Personal Folder File
- browsing to an extracted .pst file

When I have identified a file to import and click Next, I get a message,
“The file C:\Users\Shelley\Desktop\My Book pst files\Outlook.pst is not a
personal folders file.â€

 

[Gordon]

I have copied below my initial message. The exact error message is quoted
there:

I am having no success in getting these files back into Outlook. The
process
I am using is as follows:

- copying the zipped files onto the desktop
- extracting them
- opening Outlook and clicking Import to import a Personal Folder File
- browsing to an extracted .pst file

When I have identified a file to import and click Next, I get a message,
“The file C:\Users\Shelley\Desktop\My Book pst files\Outlook.pst is not a
personal folders file.â€

Right. DO NOT USE IMPORT.
Extract the file(s) to somewhere to which your User account has full
read/write permissions. A manually-created folder in your Documents folder
would be a good place.
Then right-click each file, select Properties, and check that the Read-Only
attribute is NOT checked.
Then, open Outlook and do File-Open-Outlook Data File. Navigate to where you
extracted the file(s)
If this STILL doesn't work, then it is safe to assume that the backed-up
files are corrupted.
You might be able to correct this by running scanpst against each file.

 

[Shelley]

Thanks, Gordon, for your response. I have done everything exactly the way you
specified and still get "_____ is not a personal folders file."

I now want to try scanpst.exe but cannnot find it in Start -> All Programs
-> Microsoft Office -> Microsoft Office Tools. The Microsoft Ootlook website
says
its in Microsoft Office under Office 12, but I don't have a folder called
Office 12 in Microsoft Office. Further guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks, Shelley

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]]

Thanks, Gordon, for your response. I have done everything exactly the way
you
specified and still get "_____ is not a personal folders file."

It's likely SCANPST.EXE will say that as well.

I now want to try scanpst.exe but cannnot find it in Start -> All Programs
-> Microsoft Office -> Microsoft Office Tools. The Microsoft Ootlook website
says
its in Microsoft Office under Office 12, but I don't have a folder called
Office 12 in Microsoft Office. Further guidance would be appreciated.

What version of Outlook are you using? You've never said. Where SCANPST.EXE
is located depends on your version of Outlook. It's likely that you have the
option to hide system files and folder enabled.

 

[Shelley]

I'm using Outlook 2007.

It's likely SCANPST.EXE will say that as well.


What version of Outlook are you using? You've never said. Where SCANPST.EXE
is located depends on your version of Outlook. It's likely that you have the
option to hide system files and folder enabled.

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]]

I'm using Outlook 2007.

Open Windows Explorer and, in the Address field enter

%ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Office\Office12

and click Go. You should see SCANPST.EXE there.

 

[wangdong]

Check your pst-file, and make sure it isn't broken or too big. you
can also try a tool called Advanced Outlook Repair. You can download
a free demo version at http://www.datanumen.com/aor/aor.exe . I think
it is a useful repair tool for you. It is easy to recover your PST
file by using its wizard. It is a powerful tool to recover messages,
folders and other objects from corrupt or damaged Microsoft Outlook
PST files.

Detailed information about Advanced Outlook Repair can be found at
http://www.datanumen.com/aor/

Wangdong