Common Issues Encountered In The Outlook PST File

Microsoft Outlook is a powerful email client, which also provides users with many personal management tools like calendars, journals, appointments, tasks and a contacts manager. Microsoft Outlook saves all information including emails, calendars, tasks and contacts into PST files. All information resides within these PST files, so if any error occurs within the PST file, you are in for trouble.
PST files typically produce errors if they are corrupted, oversized or attacked by some malware. Opening a damaged or corrupted PST file produces many error messages, which can be confusing for a new user. Below is a list of common error messages sorted according to their frequency of occurrence. A PST file is generally represented as filename.pst.

Error messages

• ‘The file filename.pst is not a personal folders file’ error message.
• ‘Errors have been detected in the file filename.pst. Quit Outlook and all mail-enabled applications, and then use the Inbox repair tool to diagnose and repair errors in the file’ error message.
• ‘Invalid XML errors’. Invalid XML error occurs typically when some security utility blocks Outlook messages as it suspects a threat. 
• ‘Microsoft Outlook has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.’
• ‘The file filename.pst could not be found’ error message.
•  ‘filename.pst cannot be accessed - 0x80040116.’

Luckily, Microsoft Outlook has its own Inbox Repair Tool called Scanpst.exe, which helps remove corruptions from PST files. The Scanpst.exe is an executable file that scans all PST files for errors and corruptions and removes them once detected. The drawback of this utility is that it is not very powerful and fails to remove corruptions it they are severe. Some common problems that can occur when the Inbox Repair Tool fails are listed below,

• The Inbox Repair tool fails to recognize the PST file filename.pst.
• Some sort of error prevented access to the file. You can use ScanDisk to check the disk for errors causing the access failure. Try using the Inbox Repair Tool again.
• Sometimes, your Inbox repair tool will hang and fail to repair.
• The PST file that was fixed contains no data or unwanted items.

You can also use the Advanced Outlook Repair tool to fix problems like,

• Oversized PST file.
• Forgetting or losing the password or login information.
• Some emails or items got deleted accidentally.

These are the common error notifications that can appear in your Outlook email client.