Help *** Outlook 2003 PST file corruption almost every time Outlook runs

  • Thread starter Thread starter Carol Haynes
  • Start date Start date
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Carol Haynes

I am really frustrated.

I have been checking my Outlook PST file recently regularly and have found
that almost EVERY time I open Outlook and close it again my PST file has
"Minor inconsistencies". I don't have to do anything in outlook, like check
emails, open emails or anything else - just Open app, close app => corrupt
PST! I fix it each time but next time ...

Has anyone else experienced this?

I have WinXP SP2, Office 2003 Pro.

With Outlook I have NOD32 and AdMuncher running ( both of which at least
read incoming stuff) and also POPfile.

I have tried the following:

.... Fix the file using SCANPST - it then scans clean until next time Outlook
is run.
.... Run "Office Detect And Repair", Delete profile and create new profile.
Import mail from old PST file.
.... Reduce the size of PST file (currently 27Mb), repeat 2.
.... Change file format (Outlook 2003 can use 2003 format or XP/2002 format),
repeat 2
.... Disable AdMuncher/NOD32 OMON and EMON/Remove POPfile

Nothing I do makes any difference at all.

Has anyone got any ideas how to troubleshoot this? There are no error
messages unless I manually run SCANPST on my PST file. The log produced
during the fix process tells me nothing at all:


Quote
Microsoft (R) Inbox Repair Tool
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corp 1995-1996. All rights reserved.

**Beginning NDB recovery

**Attempting to open database

**Attempting to validate header

**Attempting to validate AMap

**Attempting to validate BBT

**Attempting to validate NBT

**Attempting to validate BBT refcounts

**Attempting to validate header NID high-water marks

**Beginning PST/OST recovery

**Attempting to recover all top-level objects

**Attempting to walk all folders

**Attempting to locate any orphaned folders/messages

**Attempting to check top-level objects for consistency

**Updating folder hierarchy

**Attempting to fix original file

**Attempting to copy back BBT

**Attempting to copy back NBT



There are absolutley no error message

Follow up .... I just set up Outlook with a brand new empty PST file.

I set it as my default PST file (where emails are received) and after
downloading 2 emails only the new file has ERRORS (not even minor
inconsistencies).

I set my old file as an additional PST that opens with Outlook and there are
no issues when I open and look at emails etc..

It seems to be related to being the main PST file in the profile!

Strangely the fixing process actually makes the file BIGGER !! A chunk is
added to the end of the file and just a few bites near the beginning are
changed.

Please any help would be much appreciated.

Carol Haynes
 
Have you anything that has a hook into the data file, eg a desktop search
app, sync software?
Disabling on line AV scanning or other scanning doesnt neccessarily remove
the 'hook' these apps have on Outlook, often its neccessary to completely
uninstall these apps, before reinstalling AV without the OL addin

I recently had a similar problem, which seemed connected to my desktop
search app, Copernic DTS.
 
I have recently been experimenting with various desktop searches (including
ExaLead, Copernic and Archivarius) but none of them worked well with extra
PST files (I have quite a number of archive files) so I have uninstalled
them all.

I don't think it can be POPfile (that just acts as a proxy server which
filters mail before it gets into Outlook) as it doesn't have any hooks. It
just uses local loop back as a server address.

AdMuncher doesn't hook into programmes as far as I know - it just looks at
incoming streams of information for all applications and filters out adverts
before they get to the destination application.

The only applications that have any 'hooks' that I can see are:

NOD32 virus scanner. I have been using this for years and never had any
problems with it in the past. There haven't been any recent application
updates. Again I suspect this is just watching the incoming data stream
rather than doing anything with the PST file or Outlook data in memory.

The only addin I currently have installed is Attachment Options - but again
I have had that installed for years without problem

There are a couple of extra buttons and toolbars - a quick link to Evernote
and a Snagit toolbar - but I really can't see what they would be doing to
Outlook data.

It is so frustrating because Outlook never reports any problems - if I
didn't know SCANPST existed I would know there was an issue at all! Given
that SCANPST gives no information about the problem how do you go about
troubledhootin an issue like this?

Cheers

Carol
 
Not sure yet if it has totally solved the problem but removing Office 2003
SP3 seems to have sorted out the issue at the moment. I will keep monitoring
the situation and report back if it recurrs.

Carol
 
Carol Haynes said:
I have been checking my Outlook PST file recently regularly and have
found that almost EVERY time I open Outlook and close it again my PST
file has "Minor inconsistencies". I don't have to do anything in
outlook, like check emails, open emails or anything else - just Open
app, close app => corrupt PST! I fix it each time but next time ...
Click to expand...

In what way do you believe the PST is corrupted? What error messages do you
receive that indicate that to you?
 
Brian Tillman said:
In what way do you believe the PST is corrupted? What error messages do
you receive that indicate that to you?
Click to expand...

Hi Brian,

I received no error messages at all in Outlook.

I have been experimenting with using different user profiles (containing
common PST files) and with different desktop search engines. In the past I
had some PST corruption issues doing this with X1 (and eventually gave up
using X1). When I do this sort of experimenting I backup my PST files and
also use ScanPST to check the integrity of my PST files regularly. Recently
I found that it reported 'minor inconsistencies' almost every time (probably
95%+) I opened Outlook (even if I did nothing in Outlook that should change
the PST file - just open the app and click close). Sometimes it reported
actual errors (2-3% of the time). If errors or inconsistencies were noted I
allowed the repair to go ahead and then ran ScanPST to check it worked - it
always then reported a clean PST file. The logs produced after errors gave
no useful information (I quote one in full in my original post and that was
typical).

I had a fairly large PST file so I archived off a load of stuff and reduced
the size to about 26Mb - the reported inconsistencies/errors continued at
the same rate.

I compared the PST file backup produced by ScanPST with the corrected
version using "Beyond Compare" which lists file differences byte by byte for
the file. Interestingly the repaird file had stuff added at the end (usually
~200Kb of info) and a handful of single byte changes to the original data.
The repaired files were always bigger. I tried this using the 2003 and
2000/2 format files supported by Outlook 2003 and found similar correction
changes occuring in both formats.

Someone on another forum asked if I had updated with SP3 for Office 2003 as
that has been causing issues for some users. I had run the service pack
updater.

I have now reverted to Ofiice 2003 (by uninstalling Office 2003 altogether
and then reinstalling from the original DVD). I then applied all updates
(SP2 etc) short of the SP3 update.

So far over the last couple of days I have downloaded hundreds (probably
thousands) of new emails, deleted a lot of rendundant info, compacted my PST
file repeatedly. I have written rules to reoganise emails fairly extensively
within the folder tree etc. I have reinstalled the addons/extras I was using
before I started to try to troubleshoot the problems - which includes a
multiple PST file indexer.

Since removing SP3 I have been unable to force an error or inconsistency no
matter how much 'stress' I apply within Outlook. ScanPST simply reports no
errors every time.

The problem seems to be another issue with the SP3 release and I have set
all the computers I work with to ignore the SP3 download from automatic
update until the issues are resolved.

The other MAJOR problem, that seems to creep from version to version of
Outlook, is that there is no built in integrity check within Outlook. Surely
Outlook should check your data file is consistent and safe to use when it
starts up each time? Why is it that the only way to discover these problems
is to run an obscure and hidden utility on a file that is by default hidden
from users eye? It really is madness to trust your data to PST files without
the knowledge that they could be getting progressively damaged over mobths
of use only to fail to load one day, and fail to repair fully when needed.

Cheers

Carol
 
Carol Haynes said:
I received no error messages at all in Outlook.
Click to expand...

Then what makes you think there's any "corruption"?
I have been experimenting with using different user profiles
(containing common PST files) and with different desktop search
engines. In the past I had some PST corruption issues doing this with
X1 (and eventually gave up using X1). When I do this sort of
experimenting I backup my PST files and also use ScanPST to check the
integrity of my PST files regularly. Recently I found that it
reported 'minor inconsistencies' almost every time (probably 95%+) I
opened Outlook (even if I did nothing in Outlook that should change
the PST file - just open the app and click close).
Click to expand...

And exactly what are these "inconsistencies"?
Sometimes it reported actual errors (2-3% of the time).
Click to expand...

You said above that Outlook displays no errors. Does this statement refer
to scanpst.exe?
I had a fairly large PST file so I archived off a load of stuff and
reduced the size to about 26Mb - the reported inconsistencies/errors
continued at the same rate.
Click to expand...

What reports these anomalies and what is the exact text of the report?
I compared the PST file backup produced by ScanPST with the corrected
version using "Beyond Compare" which lists file differences byte by
byte for the file. Interestingly the repaird file had stuff added at
the end (usually ~200Kb of info) and a handful of single byte changes
to the original data. The repaired files were always bigger. I tried
this using the 2003 and 2000/2 format files supported by Outlook 2003
and found similar correction changes occuring in both formats.
Click to expand...

I'm unconvinced that the changes "Beyond Compare" reports are of any
significance.
Since removing SP3 I have been unable to force an error or
inconsistency no matter how much 'stress' I apply within Outlook.
ScanPST simply reports no errors every time.

The problem seems to be another issue with the SP3 release and I have
set all the computers I work with to ignore the SP3 download from
automatic update until the issues are resolved.
Click to expand...

There have been some issues reported with SP3.
The other MAJOR problem, that seems to creep from version to version
of Outlook, is that there is no built in integrity check within
Outlook. Surely Outlook should check your data file is consistent and
safe to use when it starts up each time?
Click to expand...

Only if it wasn't closed properly will Outlook perform an integrity check
when it starts.
Why is it that the only way
to discover these problems is to run an obscure and hidden utility on
a file that is by default hidden from users eye?
Click to expand...

It's not an obscure and hidden utility.
 
Brian Tillman said:
Then what makes you think there's any "corruption"?
Click to expand...

Because as I said I ran SCANPST
And exactly what are these "inconsistencies"?
Click to expand...

That's the point. SCANPST reports that the PST file is inconstsitent or has
errors - it never tells you what they are in the log produced during the
repair process, and it doesn't tell you what it did to the PST file in order
to repair it.

Given that SCANPST often just drops damaged bits of PST files I find this
behaviour unnerving at best. It certainly doesn't feel like a professional
approach to data integrity in an industry standard mail client.
You said above that Outlook displays no errors. Does this statement refer
to scanpst.exe?
Click to expand...

SCANPST - sorry I thought I made that clear.

Outlook never seems to flag errors except when it shuts down in a non
standard way - and even then it doesn't seem to examine the PST file for
problems it just turns off any addins. I can understand why it does this but
it also seems a bit arrogant of MS to assume that any problem with Outlook
can only be caused by third party addins!
What reports these anomalies and what is the exact text of the report?
Click to expand...

As above they are reported by SCANPST - but with no details.
I'm unconvinced that the changes "Beyond Compare" reports are of any
significance.
Click to expand...

It may not be significant but if SCANPST suggests that there is about 200Kb
of information missing from inconsistent PST files something odd is
happening.
There have been some issues reported with SP3.
Click to expand...

Is this a new issue with SP3? I have seen other issues mentioned but not
this one.

Still owrking with Outlook and SCANPST has not reported any issues at all
since removed SP3. Currently I am workingh with 9 separate PST files which
load in my main profile - and since removing SP3 every one of those files
has scanned with SCANPST and shown no inconsistencies or errors.
Only if it wasn't closed properly will Outlook perform an integrity check
when it starts.
Click to expand...

As I said above it doesn't appear to check the PST files in your profile -
it just shuts down third party addins.
It's not an obscure and hidden utility.
Click to expand...

I have to disagree - a standard installation of Windows and Outlook hides
the PST file so a user has to do some research to do just to find their
data. SCANPST, to the best of my knowledge, is only referred to as the
"Inbox Repair Tool" in all the documentation prior to Office 2003 - and
isn't accessible without burrowing down into hidden folders. The first time
I used SCANPST was back in Office 2000 and I had to do a websearch to find
out where the "Inbox Repair Tool" was located.

I have worked with computers for over 20 years in education and in a
technical support role so this isn't a problem for me. However even though I
see that in Outlook 2003 they finaly mention the file is called SCANPST.EXE
but you have to go online to get that information and then for a lot of
average or non-technical users the description is less than clear:

Quote: Scanpst.exe is installed when you install Microsoft Outlook and is
located at: drive:\Program Files\Common Files\System\MSMAPI\LocaleID
folder - where LocaleID is the locale identifier (LCID) for the installation
of Microsoft Office. The LCID for English - United States is 1033.

If it isn't a silly question why isn't there a simple link installed in the
START > Microsoft Office > Microsoft Ofiice Tools menu ? Similarly for
ScanOST ?

Back to the subject at hand - if this is a new issue with Office 2003 SP3 is
there anywhere I should be reporting the issue to get a revised, fixed SP3
out there to save headaches for other users ?

Cheers

Carol Haynes
 
I have the same behaviour. XP SP2 and Office 2003 SP3.
If I run scanpst.exe on my single .pst file it usually reports "minor
inconsistencies."
I elect to fix them and get an OK from scanpst.exe but usually running
scanpst.exe again on starting the system again later in the day will produce
the same error message.
I usually run scanpst.exe about once a week as I have found that .pst files
with "errors" reported by scanpst.exe could slow Outlook and increase it's
CPU useage while being unreported by Outlook itself.

At a blind guess I would expect it to be a problem between the suspiciously
well-hidden scanpst utility and SP3.

Or, perhaps, due to a recent update (guessing again) to the action of AVG's
mail scanner?
 
Pat said:
I have the same behaviour. XP SP2 and Office 2003 SP3.
If I run scanpst.exe on my single .pst file it usually reports "minor
inconsistencies."
I elect to fix them and get an OK from scanpst.exe but usually running
scanpst.exe again on starting the system again later in the day will produce
the same error message.
I usually run scanpst.exe about once a week as I have found that .pst files
with "errors" reported by scanpst.exe could slow Outlook and increase it's
CPU useage while being unreported by Outlook itself.

At a blind guess I would expect it to be a problem between the suspiciously
well-hidden scanpst utility and SP3.

Or, perhaps, due to a recent update (guessing again) to the action of AVG's
mail scanner?
Click to expand...
Probably not AVG since I don't use it.

I am still having no problems with my PST files EXCEPT when I use NEO
organiser (an addin which indexes and allows me to organise my emails in
a variety of ways from within Outlook).

I am beginning to wonder if there is an issue between the MAPI interface
and third party utilities. As I understand it desktop searches such as
X1 and utilities like Neo only read the email information via the MS
MAPI interface - they don't alter mail. However, I have found consistent
issues with various desktop search applications and Neo with PST files.
As soon as I remove MAPI dependent utilities/apps I get no PST corruption ??
 
Follow up ...

I contacted the Neo Pro developers and they suggested I run FIXMAPI.EXE

This is something I have not heard of before but it seems to have cured
problems with Neo and PST corruption.

Just thought it may be something useful for others to try if they regularly
get inconsistent PST files or errors occuring.

Carol
 
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