The files associated with Outlook, pst files, contain important information such as messages, contacts, notes, journals, appointments, calendars, and other information that is important to your business and professional life. If these files become lost or corrupted, it can be stressful to recover and repair them. Take a look at how you can prevent loosing this data and what you can do if it’s already too late:
Try to prevent computer shutdowns and freezes
One of the main reasons for data loss in this context is an improper computer shutdown. This could be due to issues with your computer, such as overheating or water spills. You could also have other programs running that are prone to cause crashes. But in terms of problems with Outlook, working with large batches of emails at one time will cause the program to freeze, which will likely result in a shutdown. Users will typically work with large batches of emails when they are moving or deleting them. A good rule of thumb is to not work with over 1,000 emails at once.
Close Outlook properly
One of the simplest things you can do to prevent PST corruption is to properly exit from the program. When you improperly shut down Outlook, files the program was accessing at the time could be corrupted or lost. One of the typical ways that Outlook is shut down incorrectly is through the task manager. Rather than the task manager, if you need to close down Outlook in a way other than the proper methods, try shutting down your network connection. Outlook keeps running even if you aren’t actively using it, as it must stay connected to receive emails. Shutting down your internet connection will help to keep Outlook from accessing information. Make sure to exit Outlook before you ever shut down your computer, because even if you haven’t used it for a while, the program will likely still be accessing information that could become corrupted as the system shuts down.
Keep them small
One of the keys to protecting PST file corruption is to resist bloating your files. Outlook 2010 can support 50GB, but there are several reasons why you would want to keep them smaller in order to prevent corruption and file loss. A good recommendation is to keep PST files at 10GB. Smaller files are less likely to corrupt. They also take less time to fix, as tasks with larger PST files tend to move slowly.
What if it’s too late?
If files do become corrupt, you can use the inbox repair tool, or scanpst, to fix more minor problems. However, don’t be surprised if you don’t completely recover every file you wanted. This function can be finicky, and so for files that still must be recovered, consider using DataNumen Outlook Repair software to recover and repair lost and corrupted files.