What Causes Outlook Data Corruption? – Know the Reasons
Outlook has OST and PST data files that serve different purposes. The OST file is for offline use whereas the PST saves the data in a local drive. The OST file gives the possibility to the users to work with data and then sync it when there is an internet connection. The PST file can be shared with other users and accessed by them. However, when you are working with the data, there can be several reasons that cause Outlook data corruption.
User Query: “Hi! I have corrupted Outlook PST files that I had not used for months. I urgently need to access their data, how can I fix and use those Outlook PST data files?”
We shall see what causes Outlook data damage, how can you prevent it or repair the already corrupt data.
What Causes Outlook Data Corruption?
The damage can happen because of hardware issues or software problems such as:
- Power Failure: If you are working with your data and suddenly power goes off, your PST file may get damaged permanently.
- Data Storage Device Failure: This can lead to data corruption if your hard drive has bad sectors and your Outlook data is saved in there. This can cause an error in the data that you access.
- Virus or Malware: If you suffer any virus attacks, the PST files with you are in danger. You can install an anti-virus for your Outlook email system.
- Improper Outlook Termination: Quitting Outlook appropriately is very important especially when you are working on the PST files. Else, your data is prone to corruption which can happen if you shut your computer without quitting it. Similarly, ending Outlook from the Task Manager can lead to file damage too.
- Huge PST Files: PST files can be as huge as 50 GB but that is exceeding the safe size of the files. Keeping the file sizes low can safeguard them against corruption.
How to Repair Corrupt Outlook Data?
Previously, we have discussed what causes Outlook data corruption and ways to prevent it. Users must follow these points to avoid any further damage. But what if you already possess PST files that need repair? In that case, you can choose the manual way by using the Inbox Repair Tool. you have to launch the scanpst.exe from its default location.
Then, browse your source files and repair them. This can fix your low-level file corruption, however, if you have strongly damaged files, you must go for external software to repair corrupted outlook PST files. It comes with many advantages such as:
- It repairs any level of file corruption.
- Can convert the repaired files to other formats.
- It Fixes password-protected PST files too.
- Can decrypt OpenPGP & SMIME encryptions.
- Restores lost or deleted Outlook PST data.
- Different scanning modes: Quick or Advanced.
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Conclusion
In this article, we have discussed the reasons for the popular query: “what causes Outlook data corruption?”. Along with that, we also discussed ways that one can use to prevent them. However, if you have already damaged files, in that case, we advised two methods that users can choose from as per their needs.
