Outlook Inbox Repair Tool

When you run the Inbox Repair Tool on a Personal Folders (.pst) file, it does the following: The Inbox Repair Tool analyses the Personal Folders (.pst) file directory structure and item headers to try and recover all folders and items.

If the Inbox Repair Tool recovers the Personal Folders (.pst) file, it means that the repair tool found problems, and repaired what it could.

The Inbox Repair Tool tries to turn any file into a Personal Folders (.pst) file. (For example, if you rename an executable file to “Something.pst,” (without quotation marks) the tool changes the file to a mountable .pst file).

After you run the Inbox Repair Tool, start Outlook by using the profile that contains the Personal Folders (.pst) file that you tried to repair. On the View menu, click Folder List to turn on the Folder List view. In your Folder List, you should see the following recovered folders:

    Calendar
    Contacts
    Deleted Items
    Inbox
    Journal
    Notes
    Outbox
    Sent Items
    Tasks 

These recovered folders are usually empty, because this is a rebuilt .pst file. You should also see a folder called “Lost And Found” (without quotation marks). This folder contains folders and items that the Inbox Repair Tool recovered. Items that are missing from the Lost and Found folder are beyond repair.

You should move as many of the items from the Lost And Found folder to a new Personal Folders (.pst) file in your profile. First, create a new Personal Folders (.pst) file entry in your profile and drag any recovered items from the Lost And Found folder to the appropriate location in your new Personal Folders (.pst) file.

See this Microsoft Knowledge Base article for more information: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/287497

Applies To: Microsoft Office Outlook 2002, 2003, 2007