Why OST File Gets Corrupted - Reason & Solution


Have you ever faced problems related to OST file corruption? And want to know the reason and remedies for OST corruption. Then bear with this blog I will here to explain to you “Why OST File Gets Corrupted - Reasons & Solution”. In this blog, we will not only discuss the reason behind OST file corruption but also suggest the best possible solution for OST file damage. But before moving forward let’s have a look into an OST file.


An OST File


Almost, we all use Outlook. An OST is a storage file which is formed by MS Outlook. The OST stands for Offline Storage Table, a file format that is used by the Microsoft Outlook software. 

The OST files are the carbon copy of mails stored on Exchange Server. When the Exchange cached mode is ON, these files help to maintain accessibility of mailboxes. Sometimes, due to several reasons when a user went offline, OST files allow the user to work offline as a copy of mails that are available on local machines.


Reasons Responsible for OST Corruptions


Due to different reasons, chances of OST file corruption is very high. Let's we discussed some common reason behind OST file corruption. We can easily categorize these reasons into two different categories: Hardware reasons and Software reasons.


Hardware Reasons


Hardware reasons behind OST file damage are those which are related to the  hardware malfunction. It includes failure or wrong configuration of any hardware components of the computers like power unit, hard drive, motherboards etc. These are some common hardware related reasons behind OST file corruption.


Network Connector Issue


Issues related to network connectors adversely affect OST files. Any problem in network connectors like malfunctioning in the router, cables or network card impacted the OST file functions and cannot synchronize properly. It is advised to check network connection before working on OST files.


Sudden Power Failure


Sudden power loss is not good for systems and affects its components both hardware and software. While the user is working on an OST file the sudden power failure leads to file corruptions.


Bad Storage Device


Bad storage device is nothing but related to the performance of the storage device of the computer. Working with slower storage devices which are caused by some bug or hardware faults affect the device performance. And which ultimately leads to OST file damage.


Software Reasons


Software related problems also responsible for OST file damage. These problems include but not limited to virus or malware attacks, bugs and errors, application failure etc. Let's know some common reasons for file failure related to the software.


Unusual closing of Outlook


Abrupt closing of Outlook applications may harm the OST files. We should not close the task which is going on until that task is finished. On the other hand we should close all the dialog boxes one by one and save our OST files from damage and Outlook applications from freezing.


Outlook Program Problem


Sometimes Outlook application itself creates some errors and issues related to OST files. In such cases, It is difficult to find actual reasons responsible for file corruption. Though some sources help in finding real reasons associated with file corruption.


Storage Limit


Every file in the system is dealt to data storage as per storage capacity of the device. The OST files more than the size of that storage limit have greater chance to corrupt. It is always recommended to split large OST files into small OST files to avoid OST file damage.



These are some reasons related to systems hardware and software which ultimately caused corruption of OST files. Now, let us move toward the solution of this OST file corruption problem. There are two ways by which we can recover damaged OST files which are Manual method and Automatic method.


Manual Methods of OST File Repairing


Method-1: ScanOST Tool


In the manual method of OST repairing we use Outlook inbuilt utility named ScanOST tool. By using this native tool users can easily scan the OST file and can find any type of errors. This tool helps users to fix any issues related to OST file corruption manually and repair it.


Limitations of ScanOST tool


These are some limitations of this inbuilt utility:


  • Only fix minor errors.

  • Cannot restore missing mails from OST.

  • Lack of file safety



Method-2:  Folder Update


This method helps you by updating file folder properties. To repair our OST files you should use these steps:


  1. Click on the Properties option by right clicking on the folder.

  2. Now, click on the ‘clear offline items’ button in the dialog box.

  3. Hit OK.

  4. Click the Send option on the Outlook ribbon.

  5. To save changes click on the update folder option.



Automatic Methods to Repair OST Files


As manual method is tedious and due to its limitations, it is hard to execute by a novice user. An automatic way is recommended by using third  party professional software to repair OST files. Cigati OST File Recovery is one such tool which repairs your OST file of any size in a fraction of seconds. This tool has some unique features which ultimately helps you in OST file repairing like it add files to open or explore OST file emails with attachments, saves recovered OST file emails as PST, EML, DBX, MSG, and MBOX file format, recovers email including all items contacts, calendars, contacts, notes and deleted items from the OST file, supports all MS Outlook Version, including Outlook 2019, to open the recovered OST file etc.



Conclusion


In this technical blog we discussed OST files, its corruption and repairing. We also tried to understand the common reason behind OST file damage. I explain manual as well as third party tool methods to repair OST files with ease. Also, we find that a third party professional tool method is the best way to repair Outlook OST files without any interruptions. You can also open OST files without Outlook by using free tool named OST file viewer.

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