.PST file causes Outlook to freeze, but isn't corrupt

[Roshan Qureshi]

I have a .PST file of 1.2 GB. It is running in Outlook 2000 (CW) using
POP/SMTP on a Windows 2000 machine. Whenever the .PST is opened, either as
part of a profile when Outlook is started, or manually (e.g., to import the
contents into another .PST or File-Open-Personal Folders File), Outlook
freezes. No error message ever appears.

I ran the SCANPST.EXE tool, which gave this report:

"**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"

SCANSPT.EXE showed no errors and exited after (presumably) completing the
scan. The file size and date were unchanged after it had run.

I set the user up with a new profile, including a new default delivery
location to a new .PST, but every time I try to import the contents of this
..PST into the new one, Outlook freezes.

So what I appear to have is a .PST which is not corrupt per SCANPST.EXE, but
causes Outlook to freeze. Any idea how to get to the data inside it?

TIA,
Roshan

 

[cyberspaz]

I have a .PST file of 1.2 GB. It is running in Outlook 2000 (CW) using
POP/SMTP on a Windows 2000 machine. Whenever the .PST is opened, either as
part of a profile when Outlook is started, or manually (e.g., to import the
contents into another .PST or File-Open-Personal Folders File), Outlook
freezes. No error message ever appears.

I ran the SCANPST.EXE tool, which gave this report:

"**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"

SCANSPT.EXE showed no errors and exited after (presumably) completing the
scan. The file size and date were unchanged after it had run.

I set the user up with a new profile, including a new default delivery
location to a new .PST, but every time I try to import the contents of this
..PST into the new one, Outlook freezes.

So what I appear to have is a .PST which is not corrupt per SCANPST.EXE, but
causes Outlook to freeze. Any idea how to get to the data inside it?

TIA,
Roshan

 

[cyberspaz]

Scanpst will do this , if you have a hex editor open the pst an 0 out bit 0
to 15 run scanpst again.
Micro gentle says pst can go to 2 gig but i have found after 1 gig you are
taking a chance

 

[Roshan Qureshi]

The solution: after running SCANPST on the original file on the original
machine, I copied the file to another machine and attempted to open it. It
opened, but the hard drive ran steadily for ~ 10 minutes. After that,
Outlook was OK. I then copied the file back to the original machine & was
able to successfully access it.

cyberspaz, thanks for your help.

roshan