"Unable to open your default e-mail folders" missing .pst file

[paf]

I am getting this message when I try to start Outlook -
"Unable to open your default e-mail folders.
The File c:\Exchange\mailbox.pst coule not be accessed.
Data error (cyclic redundancy)."
What does this mean? I've tried to find help by searching posts - can't
find or don't understand.
Please help.

 

[Hal Hostetler [MVP-S/U]]

See if this page helps:

http://www.slipstick.com/problems/scanpst.htm
To repair a damaged Personal Folders PST file

Hal
--
Hal Hostetler, CPBE -- (e-mail address removed)
Senior Engineer/MIS -- MS MVP-S/U -- WA7BGX
http://www.kvoa.com -- "When News breaks, we fix it!"
KVOA Television, Tucson, AZ. NBC Channel 4
Still Cadillacin' - www.badnewsbluesband.com

 

[paf]

WOW am I feeling dumb!!
When I ran scanpst.exe (Inbox repair tool) it told me to run scandisk.exe
first - can't find it - it isn't in programs/accessories/system tools and
when I do a search it doesn't find it. I'm using XP would it be called
something else?

 

[Hal Hostetler [MVP S/U]]

If you hard drive is formatted with the NTFS file system, you won't have a
"Scandisk" command. You will have a "ChkDsk.exe" which does the same thing
as scandisk on NTFS drives.

Hal
--
Hal Hostetler, CPBE -- (e-mail address removed)
Senior Engineer/MIS -- MS MVP-S/U -- WA7BGX
http://www.kvoa.com -- "When News breaks, we fix it!"
KVOA Television, Tucson, AZ. NBC Channel 4
Still Cadillacin' - www.badnewsbluesband.com

 

[paf]

Hello Hal,
Thanks, I do have NTFS system. Ran check disk - ran defragment - retried
scanpst.exe and still get message "An unexpected error prevented access to
this file. Use Scandisk to check for disk errors, and then try using the
Inbox Repair Tool again."
Any thoughts on what I should do next?

 

[paf]

I don't know how but the issue is resolved. Ran chkdsk.exe again and it
seemed to work/fix this time (along with several other bad files I didn't
know about). Then ran scanpst.exe again and that fixed it.
Thanks for all your help!! Don't know what I would have done without it!!