| Never store Outlook PST (Personal Folder) file on | | | | Outlook PSTs prevent backup to complete. |
| network storage devices! That's what Microsoft | | | | Cause |
| suggests by stating that PST has not been designed | | | | In case of remote PST, Outlook uses standard file |
| for long-term and constant method of storing | | | | command to read/write data from the file, which |
| messages in any enterprise environment. Many of the | | | | creates a great overhead and cause delays in read |
| network administrators think that the traditional | | | | write operations as operating system requires to |
| strategy of backup will also work for PST. So they | | | | send these commands to the the network computer |
| store the PST files on a network which is shared | | | | and not to the local computer. This can result in a |
| centrally, and let Outlook access them, and run a | | | | corrupted PST in case the connection fails or goes |
| scheduled backup. But the administrators need to | | | | down. As a result, the backup software running on |
| understand that PST stored on any network share is | | | | network storage device may fail on finding one or |
| susceptible to certain conflicts that can eventually | | | | more corrupted PST. |
| corrupt the file. In such situations, backup availability | | | | Solution |
| becomes a must-have asset or it can call for pst file | | | | As suggested, do not store the Outlook local files on |
| recovery solutions. | | | | network share. Move the files to local system and |
| Let's take an example to illustrate the problem and | | | | run Outlook Inbox Repair Tool (Scanpst.exe) to |
| describe the PST disputes through the solution. | | | | repair. If this fails, restore from the last available |
| Let's say an administrator stores several Outlook | | | | backup or use a third-party pst recovery software. |
| PST files on a file server that is scheduled to run a | | | | A commercial PST File Recovery utility uses effective |
| timely backup of all the data it stores. At times, it | | | | scanning procedure to diagnose and repair the |
| observes that its backup software reports backup | | | | corrupted PST. These software are easy to install |
| process failure. On diagnosing the root through the | | | | and use. |
| backup log, it notices that each time, one or more of | | | | |