Recovering .pst revisited

  • Thread starter Thread starter rb608
  • Start date Start date
R

rb608

I posted this problem a while back & got lots of helpful replies (thanks);
but none solved the problem. Having since gone through a HD failure, new
motherboard & processor, etc., I now have the time to tackle this thing
again.

The problem is apparently a familiar one:
I am going through the steps in the import wizard:
File>Import and Export
Import from another program or file
Personal Folder File (.pst)
Using "Browse", I locate and select the <archive.pst> file on my hard drive
and click "Open", then "Next".
That's when I get the error message: "Properties for this service must be
define prior to use."
I click OK.
Then I get the error message: "The file C:\WINDOWS\Desktop\archive.pst is
not a personal folders file."

Firstly, the system particulars:
Pentium Celeron 1.8 G
Office 2000 SR-1
Windows XP Home edition
The archive.pst file size is 344MB

Secondly, here's what I've tried in response to suggestions:
I copied it from the CDROM to my hard drive.
The "read only" attribute is unchecked.
I've tried using File>Open>Personal Folders File (.pst)
I've tried using File>Import and Export>etc.
I do not have a File>Open>Outlook Data File menu item.
I've tried associating the file with an application in the Folder Options
list; but Office Data File is not listed as an option. OTOH, if open the
Properties for the file, it is already recognized as an "Office Data File".
I tried running Tools>Detect and Repair, but the process eventuallt requires
something from a disk I don't seem to have, even though I installed this
directly from an original, licensed CD.
I tried switching modes (IMO, Corporate, No email) with no effect.

Okay, I know the answer is probably that the file is corrupted, but I'd
still like to recover this data. Any suggestions?

TIA,
Joe F.
 
Tools-> Services (or Accounts or E-mail Accounts depends on version and
mode)-> Add...-> Personal Folders-> browse for your pst-file

The directions could be a little off but as long as you do it by Tools->
Services and the pst-file is intact you can't go wrong by this method.

--
Roady [MVP]
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Roady said:
The directions could be a little off but as long as you do it by Tools->
Services and the pst-file is intact you can't go wrong by this method.
Click to expand...

The inevitable conclusion, I suppose, is that the file is not intact. I get
the same error that "The file C:\WINDOWS\Desktop\archive.pst is not a
personal folders file."

Nuts.

Thanks just the same. I guess I'll have to chalk it up to "these things
happen". On my company PC, after creating the archive file, I copied stuff
from the exchange server to the archive folders by drag & drop. Was that
wrong? Is there another "archive" procedure I should have used?

Tx,
Joe F.
 
I assume you already ran scanpst.exe against the file? If so then "No", this
should have worked. If the NTFS permissions are correct on the file
(Read/Write) and the file is not marked as "Read Only" and it still doesn't
work the only thing I can think of is that the file is created with Outlook
2003 and uses the new file format. I wonder why scanpst.exe worked then. Try
opening the file on a PC that already has a pst-file configured.

--
Roady [MVP]
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-----
 
Roady said:
I assume you already ran scanpst.exe against the file? If so then "No", this
should have worked.
Click to expand...

I haven't done that. What/where is scanpst.exe?
If the NTFS permissions are correct on the file
(Read/Write) and the file is not marked as "Read Only" and it still doesn't
work the only thing I can think of is that the file is created with Outlook
2003 and uses the new file format.
Click to expand...

The file was definitely created with Outlook 2000, and the same version I
have here. In fact, it's from the exact same install disk (after
uninstalling from the other PC). The only difference is that the company
email system was administered through an exchange server with all of the
associated permissions, configurations, & passwords; and I'm now just a
stand-alone installation.

Joe F.
 
Well scanpst.exe will probably fix your issue then;
C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\Mapi\<local ID>

--
Roady [MVP]
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-----
 
Roady said:
Well scanpst.exe will probably fix your issue then;
C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\Mapi\<local ID>
Click to expand...

Well, that's progress of a sort at least. I found scanpst @ C:\Program
Files\Common Files\System\Mapi\1033\NT\scanpst.exe. I ran that & it did
indeed find some errors in the .pst file, which it repaired. I was then
able to have the appearance of importing the file without errors; but in
reality, no data came through. The scanpst program reported 16 folders
(sounds about right) and 0 files (that's bad). The original file size
(344MB) was unchanged.

I be toast?

Joe F.
 
rb608 said:
The scanpst program reported 16 folders
(sounds about right) and 0 files (that's bad). The original file size
(344MB) was unchanged.
Click to expand...

p.s. I also see there's a log assocoated with the repair attempt. The
first several lines (of many) are pasted below.


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

!!Header NDB magic incorrect (read=00000000, expected=4E444221)

**Attempting to validate AMap

!!PMap page @17920: PTYPE mismatch (read 00, expected 83)
!!PMap page @17920: BID mismatch (read 0, expected 4600)

!!PMap page @2049536: PTYPE mismatch (read 00, expected 83)
!!PMap page @2049536: BID mismatch (read 0, expected 1F4600)

!!PMap page @4081152: PTYPE mismatch (read 00, expected 83)
!!PMap page @4081152: BID mismatch (read 0, expected 3E4600)
 
Although I'm a different user, I have done all of the things you have suggested to this person up to this point

Unchecked read-onl
scanpst.ex
file>ope

and still the same error messages have occured (That's when I get the error message: "Properties for this service must b
define prior to use." I click OK.Then I get the error message: "The file C:\WINDOWS\Desktop\archive.pst i
not a personal folders file."

(Exported from Windows ME/Outllook 2000 & trying to load onto a Windows XP/Outlook 2000
 
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