Office 2000 Professional - Need to reinstall Outlook?

[Sherri]

My Outlook has been giving me problems for a few weeks. Started by crashing
a lot. I did a disk defrag and a disk cleanup within the last week, as well
as running Spy Sweeper. As of yesterday morning, I can no longer receive new
emails in my Outlook. If I try to delete items or dismiss reminders, I get
the following message "Cannot turn off the reminder. You may be reminded
again. The file C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Local Settings\Application
Data\Microsoft\Outlook\outlok.pst could not be accessed. Data error (cyclic
redundancy check).

I'm not having problems in other Office products too, and dragging in
internet page display. I called Verizon Fios and they tested the line and
said it wasn't the line, it was probably my computer.

I did a search for .pst files on my computer and came up empty handed. Is
it possible some bug deleted the file?

Do I need to reinstall Outlook? If so, I want to ensure that I don't lose
my emails, contacts, calendar, etc.

I'm not a computer geek by any means, so please advise.

Thanks,
Sherri

 

[Pat Willener]

Reinstalling Outlook will not solve the problem that you see; your PST
file is either missing or corrupted.

If you don't see your PST file in the path that is specified in the
error message, enable 'Show hidden files and folders' (Windows Explorer
| Tools | Folder Options | tab View), then check again.

The file really should be there, as you get a data error. Try to run
CHKDSK on your C: drive.

If that doesn't fix the problem, run the Inbox Repair Tool, but make a
backup of the file before you start.

Come back and ask if you have troubles with any of these instructions.

 

[Sherri]

Hi Pat,

My "Show hidden files and folders" was already clicked, but in the search
itself it was excluding them and I didn't realize it. I found a .pst file in
the path, as well as one in the same path but Administrator vs. Owner. That
particular one was just created when i was trying to fix things (I think) and
I deleted that one in case it was confused where to go.

I did CHKDSK and it's still not working. Outlook is incredibly slow to
open...taking a min or two for all the menus to even come up.

How do I ensure the backup of Outlook data is valid? I downloaded a program
called Outlook Express Quick backup, but want to ensure it captures all
data...calendar, contacts, inbox, sent items, etc. Any way to check this?

Where do I go to find the Repair Inbox Tool?

Thanks so much.

Sherri

 

[Pat Willener]

Hi Sherri,

The easiest way to do a backup of your PST file is just to copy it
somewhere else (e.g. using drag-and-drop in Windows Explorer; use
right-click drag-and-drop to select between Copy, Move, and Create
Shortcut). Another way is to use Windows' own backup tool (from Start |
Programs | Accessories).

I don't know Outlook Express Quick Backup - is it really for Outlook, or
for Outlook Express (which is an entirely different program)?

The Inbox Repair Tool can be found via Start -> Programs -> Microsoft
Office -> Microsoft Office Tools, or via Windows Explorer in C:\Program
Files\Common Files\System\MSMAPI\1033\SCANPST.EXE

Don't hesitate to ask again if you have more questions. Someone else may
jump in after I go home later today.