Trouble With Ost Files And Their Solution

By Author: Frasier Elbert
Total Articles: 2
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OST (Offline Storage Table) files are the most exciting part of MS Outlook that helps users to perform email work in the absence of Exchange server. But, time may come when you may face trouble while using Office Outlook 2007. Consider a situation when you are trying to start Office Outlook 2007 and you fail to start. Additionally, you may receive following error message depending on the Windows platform you are using:

In Windows XP
Microsoft Office Outlook Offline Folders

The file C:\Documents and Settings\user name\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\Outlook.ost is in use and cannot be accessed.
Close any application that is using this file, and then try again. You might need to restart your computer.

In Windows Vista

Microsoft Office Outlook Offline Folders
The file C:\Users\user name\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\Outlook.ost is in use and cannot be accessed. Close any application that is using this file, and then try again. You might need to restart your computer.

After getting this error message when you click OK to close it, the error message appears ...
... repeatedly. When you click OK to close the error message again, you receive the following error message:
Microsoft Office Outlook

Cannot open your default e-mail folders.
Again, when you click OK to close this error message, Outlook 2007 exits unexpectedly.
Cause
You may encounter this trouble if one of the following programs is running when 2007 Office Suite SP1 is installed:
Office Communicator 2005
Office Communicator 2007
Workaround
In order to work around this problem, restart the computer, and then start Outlook 2007.
If you still cannot access your OST file, there can be a clue of corruption or damage. If you determine that OST file has become orphaned or inaccessible due to damage, you need to repair OST. You can do so by using built-in tool called Scanost.exe to scan OST file. Follow underneath steps to scan OST file:
1.Close Outlook.

2.On the Start menu, click Run.

3.In the Open box, type

drive:\Program Files\Common Files\System\Mapi\LocaleID\scanost.exe
where LocaleID is the locale identifier (LCID) for your installation of Microsoft Office. For example, the LCID for English (United States) is 1033. For a list of LCIDs, see Microsoft Office Help.

4.Click OK.

5.Click either Scan all folders or Choose folder to scan. If you click Scan all folders, this may take several minutes.

6.Select the Repair errors check box.

7.Click Begin Scan.

Details of actions performed during the scan and repair are saved as a message in your Outlook Deleted Items folder with the subject "OST Integrity Check."

If you still cannot repair the Offline Folder file, you can disable it and create a new one. However, disabling existing OST file and creating new one will lead to the loss of data stored in it. The best way to you can have is to use Kernel for OST to PST Conversion tool. This conversion tool helps you Scan OST File and converts it into working PST file that can be further accessed using MS Outlook. Kernel for OST to PST Conversion tool is an instant way to Scan OST that becomes orphaned due to server downtime, server crash, accidental user account deletion, database corruption, etc.