• MS Outlook is an email client for Windows users. It can be used on both Workgroup Server and Domain Server.  Microsoft Outlook saves mailbox data of its users in PST files. PST files of MS Outlook are stored in the offline system folder and susceptible to various corruption threats such as virus and spyware attacks, crash of MS Windows, Power failure, corrupt computer drive and others. Corrupt or inaccessible PST file generates various error messages on the computer screen. One of the PST file errors displayed on the computer screen is:
  • xxxx.PST cannot be accessed – 0x80040116

Main reasons: The PST error shown above is generated mainly due to hard disk malfunctioning, Windows shutdown and Virus infection.

Troubleshooting: Use scanpst.exe to fix PST corruption issues. It is inbuilt with MS Outlook and stored in the local MS office folder of a computer. If you’re using Outlook 2003 or 2007 in your system, the default location of scanpst program will be:

  • C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office 12\scanpst.exe

Scanpst.exe tool of MS Outlook 2010 and MS Outlook 2013 are stored in different folders:

  • C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office 14\scanpst.exe  (For Outlook 2010)
  • C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office 15\scanpst.exe  (For Outlook 2013)

You can also search scanpst program manually using Search or find option of the Windows start menu. Scanpst or inbox repair tool fixes many database inconsistency, page mismatch errors & 2 GB email restriction of PST file. You can repair and fix PST file issues by scanpst program using following steps:

  • Double click scanpst program icon to open a pop-up Windows
  • Click “Browse” to select corrupt PST file from your computer drive
  • Press “Start” button to scan the corrupt PST file
  • Click “Repair” button to fix PST file issue

Scanpst program saves recovered PST file items in a “Recovered Personal Folders” folder of your Outlook mailbox. You can see Outlook items recovered by Scanpst tool in the newly created folder. PST items that could not be recovered by inbox repair tool are stored in a “lost and Find” folder of your Outlook account.  Now you must create a new PST file in the Account Settings of MS Outlook. For Outlook 2003 or 2007, PST file can be created using following steps:

  • Click “File” menu of your Outlook account
  • Select “Data File management” tab to open Account Settings Windows
  • Press “Data Files” option in the new Windows
  • Click “Add” button to create a new PST file in the default Outlook folder of your computer
  • Press “ok” and exit Account Settings Windows

Now export recovered email items of “Recovered Personal Folders” folder to new PST file using Import-export wizard of MS Outlook. However, inbox repair tool deletes invalid pages or corrupt indexes of a PST file and some data of your Outlook mailbox may be lost. You shall not be able to fix PST file issue generated by hard disk crash or other critical reasons.

RecoveryFix for Outlook is the best pst repair tool. It swiftly recovers Outlook emails and email folders from a corrupt PST file and stores recovered items in a new database. Outlook mailbox recovery tool can extract email items even from password protected, compressed and encrypted PST files. It is compatible with MS Outlook 2010, 2003, 2007, 2000 and 98. Outlook mailbox recovery program shows recovered Outlook emails in a preview list before saving them in a computer disk.

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Summary: PST corruption issues are generated due to multiple factors such as corrupt hard disk, Windows shutdown, virus and spyware attacks and others. Many inconsistency errors or other minor issues of PST file can be eliminated by the inbox repair tool or scanpst.exe of Microsoft Outlook. If scanpst program fails to fix PST file issue, you should use a third party Outlook mailbox recovery tool in that situation.