Causes of Data Corruption and Manual Ways to Fix Them
Microsoft Outlook is the popular personal information management software in the Microsoft Office Suite. According to Wikipedia, it is primarily an email client but includes functions such as task management, calendaring, note taking, web browsing, and journal logging. Microsoft Outlook uses PST data files for string mailbox items such as emails, contacts, calendar entries, and more. PST stands for Personal Storage Table introduced by Microsoft. PST files have been widely used for two decades as a complete storage format by Outlook to store local copies of basically all mailbox items.
Most of the features of PST files, their stability, and their storage capacity effectively supported by Microsoft Exchange are some of the prominent reasons why PST files are popular. PST is often the most popular choice for archiving and backup. However, PST files are prone to corruption issues. Moreover, the problems cannot be solved without identifying the specific root causes that started the corruption. There are many reasons for PST file corruption in Outlook.
Common Hardware Reasons
We mainly come across three types of hardware corruption or problems. Whenever the hardware fails to transfer or store PST file data, you face the risk of file corruption.
Data stage device failure:
In the event, the hard disk faces some bad sectors, and your PST data files are stored mainly on these sectors, you may face PST file corruption problems. You may encounter wrong data marked with error or only partially get to read the PST file.
Faulty Networking Device:
You have a PST data file exactly on your network server. Suppose you are accessing your PST data file from the client’s computer through network links, corruption issues may arise. In case network cables, routers, interface cards, hubs and other devices that contain network links show any problem, in such case, copy your PST data file from another computer or a remote location. Access can cause corruption issues. You can consider a suitable PST solution to manage the corruption immediately.
Sudden Power Outage:
If there is an unexpected and sudden power outage while accessing your PST data files on MS Outlook, corruption may occur. There are many ways to prevent or minimize PST data file corruption or damage, for example, investing in a versatile and powerful UPS to reduce or minimize power-out problems. Always focus on using reliable hardware devices to reduce the risks of data corruption.
Incorrect file system recovery:
Outlook PAST file corruption can be caused by incorrect file system recovery. When you find that a file system has been corrupted, it is better to get help from a competent and reliable data recovery expert or a reliable data recovery tool to retrieve and restore your PST data files. In Outlook. Due to sudden problems, some parts of the data file may be permanently lost or compromised. Some parts of the authentic PST data file may be corrupted or overwritten with useless or dirty data. Most saved PST files may contain data that has errors.
Lack of competence or competence:
The rehabilitation professional may not be highly skilled or trained to correct the problems. He may not have experience or relevant expertise. As such, some garbage data may be stored in your PST file by mistake. There may be occasions when recovery tools or recovery experts have identified the correct data blocks but failed to add them in the correct order. As a result, the saved file is ultimately unusable.
Virus attacks or malicious software problems:
It is extremely important to understand that your PST data files can be infected by viruses making them corrupted and inaccessible from time to time. You should invest in and install reliable and trustworthy antivirus software to protect your Outlook.
Manual Ways to Fix Corrupted or Inaccessible PST Files
Some of the most effective and recommended ways to fix PST file corruption are discussed below:
- Run Outlook in ‘Safe Mode’ to fix the error, provided there is low level corruption. This is an indication of incorrect addition. It is recommended by experts to start disabling add-ins once you run Outlook in ‘Safe Mode’.
- Check the firewall settings. Often incorrect firewall settings can make your PST data files inaccessible. In addition, some apps in the background may interfere with the smooth functioning of Outlook. You can disable or turn off your Windows Firewall for a while and verify that your PST file can be accessed.
- Use a reliable inbox repair tool to repair damaged PST files. It is a built-in PST file repair and recovery software provided by Microsoft.
Result
PST file damage or corruption is so widespread that you have access to a wide range of free and paid Outlook PST repair and recovery tools. Today, it is possible to completely repair and restore PST files without losing data. However, on some occasions, valuable data can be lost forever and cannot be recovered.
