PST File Recovery

I have already tried the Inbox Repairing tool otherwise also known as "Scanpst.exe" to fix my PST file.

The message I get in the log file is

Code:

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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 version mismatch (read=0017, expected=000F)

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The file is created using Outlook 2010. Any ideas to get this repaired would be great. This file contains 5 years of timesheets sent to my employer.

What else can I do to recover these mails?

I'd say "restore last night's backup" but it sounds like that's not an option. :)

Seriously though, have you tried importing it via Outlook into a new, empty mailbox?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jenner

I'd say "restore last night's backup" but it sounds like that's not an option. :)

Seriously though, have you tried importing it via Outlook into a new, empty mailbox?

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The helpdesk over here has tried everything, but so far nothing's happened.
Of course there's no backup, since this was a personal PST file on my C drive.

I have been informed that Outlook 2010 doesn't play nice with PST files on network folders. With 2003 outlook, all my data was on network folder which used to get backed up.

Being a pst is not all bad. Since you were sending the timesheets via your exchange account the exchange server should have some sort of backup on your Sent folder? Perhaps its another way to copy what was sent back into a new pst

Oh yea, do or have you had Archiving turned on? Maybe if you do it will have copies in your archive.pst file?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by abhijit

I have been informed that Outlook 2010 doesn't play nice with PST files on network folders. With 2003 outlook, all my data was on network folder which used to get backed up.

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Yeah, I still used Outlook 2003 and it does everything nicely and it still works. I backup old messages, etc on to my external hard drive when I need to clear hard drive space on my pc.

Scanpst only works with pst's that were created by the same version of Outlook. That is, if yo have Outlook 2010, it won't fix 2007 pst's. The fact that 2010 is only a couple years old and your pst is 5 years old, it's telling me that your pst was created in one of the older versions of Outlook.
I'd try copy the file to a machine with Outlook 2007 and run scanpst there. If failed, try again on machine with OL2003.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by stanav

Scanpst only works with pst's that were created by the same version of Outlook. That is, if yo have Outlook 2010, it won't fix 2007 pst's. The fact that 2010 is only a couple years old and your pst is 5 years old, it's telling me that your pst was created in one of the older versions of Outlook.
I'd try copy the file to a machine with Outlook 2007 and run scanpst there. If failed, try again on machine with OL2003.

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I don't have access to a machine with 2007. Wouldn't the file have been upgraded at somepoint of time, since I was using Outlook 2010 on it for a brief time.

That's a good question. I don't know if it would upgrade the PST or not to the latest version.

Personally, I really hate the PST file system. As someone who as to administer an Exchange system, I kinda wish it would keep the lookup database and the actual data separate; with the actual data being a discrete file per item (i.e. one file per email message). Thus, if the lookup database ever gets trashed, you can rebuild it against the data. If one of the data items gets trashed, the lookup database detects it an moves on with it's life.

Given that OL2010 can read PST files created by older versions directly without having to convert them, I doubt that the upgrading from 2007 to 2010 actually rebuilds the PST. It probably just uses it as is. But that's just my guess.

Actually pst files are separated at the end of Outlook 2002. So Outlook 97, 98, 2000, 2002 are all the same format.
Outlook 2003+ are the newer more capicity storing, unicode compatible, multilanguage file structure.

You can verify this by going to File > New > Data File... and reading the specs as described when one or the other pst file types are selected.

Also, I dont see a way off hand on how to upgrade a pst file from the old format to the newer format other then creating a new pst file in the new pst file format and moving all items from the old formatpst into thenew pst file.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by abhijit

The file is created using Outlook 2010. Any ideas to get this repaired would be great. This file contains 5 years of timesheets sent to my employer.

What else can I do to recover these mails?

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It's quire an old thread, and I know abhijit must not be waiting for me. To repair PST file, there's only one way: scanpst.exe, the Inbox Repair tool. If it fails or doesn't work, then Outlook users can try professional recovery solutions. There are many software companies in the market which provide such solutions with demo or trial version for free evaluation.

Hope it would be helpful here.

Regards.