[GrumpyDragon]

Outlook 2003 on XP SP2.

I've just archived a load of old emails to an archive pst file.

In the navigation pane, if I right click 'Outlook' and select 'properties - folder size' it's now showing the total size for all folders as 5Mb, yet the pst file itself is still showing 262Mb in Windows Explorer.

From the 'Properties' dialogue I should be able to select 'Advanced - compact' but when I try to select 'Advanced' I get the message 'The operation failed. An object couldn't be found'.

I've run the inbox repair utility, it fixed some internal issues but it's made no difference to this problem.

Any ideas.

GrumpyDragon

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Hi, again.

I suspect with such a size discrepency, the file that is open in Outlook is not the file you're looking at in Explorer.

1. Open Outlook, right click the top folder level of the PST file you need to compact, Properties, Advanced, File Name. Take note of the file name and location.

2. Go to Control Panel, Mail, Data Files. Is that file listed here? If it is, remove it. You can add it back after #3.

3. Run Scanpst.exe to repair the file. See Microsoft article 287497 for instructions.

4. Add the PST file back to Outlook, using the instructions for creating a new file, except that you choose one instead of naming a new one (see #4). Open Outlook, expand the folders for that PST file, delete as many items as you can (out of Sent, Deleted, Inbox, etc). Try to compact it again.

Did any of this help? If not,

4. Create a new PST file (that you will move all the existing items from the problem PST file into). Go to Start, Control Panel, Mail, Data Files, Add, give the file a name, and click OK. Drag/drop items from the old PST into the new PST.

5. It may be that your Mail Profile is damaged. See Microsoft article 829918 for instructions on creating a new one.

Please post the results of what worked and what didn't.

[piper]

Hi, again.

I suspect with such a size discrepency, the file that is open in Outlook is not the file you're looking at in Explorer.

1. Open Outlook, right click the top folder level of the PST file you need to compact, Properties, Advanced, File Name. Take note of the file name and location.

2. Go to Control Panel, Mail, Data Files. Is that file listed here? If it is, remove it. You can add it back after #3.

3. Run Scanpst.exe to repair the file. See Microsoft article 287497 for instructions.

4. Add the PST file back to Outlook, using the instructions for creating a new file, except that you choose one instead of naming a new one (see #4). Open Outlook, expand the folders for that PST file, delete as many items as you can (out of Sent, Deleted, Inbox, etc). Try to compact it again.

Did any of this help? If not,

4. Create a new PST file (that you will move all the existing items from the problem PST file into). Go to Start, Control Panel, Mail, Data Files, Add, give the file a name, and click OK. Drag/drop items from the old PST into the new PST.

5. It may be that your Mail Profile is damaged. See Microsoft article 829918 for instructions on creating a new one.

Please post the results of what worked and what didn't.

[GrumpyDragon]

1. Open Outlook, right click the top folder level of the PST file you need to compact, Properties, Advanced, File Name. Take note of the file name and location.

It's when I click on Advanced that I get the message! Anyway, I'm pretty sure I'm looking at the right file in Explorer, as the date/time last updated fits with what I'm doing, and it's the only Outlook.pst on the machine.

2. Go to Control Panel, Mail, Data Files. Is that file listed here? If it is, remove it. You can add it back after #3.

No.

3. Run Scanpst.exe to repair the file. See Microsoft article 287497 for instructions.

I think I have a really gubbed outlook.pst file. Not gubbed enough to stop it working, but enough to stop it supporting everything. For example, after running scanpst.exe, this is the log file:

Microsoft ® Inbox Repair Tool
Copyright © Microsoft Corp 1995-1996. All rights reserved.

**Beginning NDB recovery

**Attempting to open database

**Attempting to validate header

**Attempting to validate AMap

**Attempting to validate BBT

**Attempting to validate NBT

**Attempting to validate BBT refcounts

??Couldn't find BBT entry in the RBT (1EA3EA8)

**Attempting to validate header NID high-water marks

**Beginning PST/OST recovery

**Attempting to recover all top-level objects

!!Search folder invalid high-water-mark (nidi=92AB, nidiHigh=947C)

**Attempting to walk all folders

**Attempting to locate any orphaned folders/messages

**Attempting to check top-level objects for consistency

??Deleting SDO

**Updating folder hierarchy

**Attempting to fix original file

**Attempting to copy back BBT

**Attempting to copy back NBT

I've created a new profile, exported my mail out to another pst and imported back into the new base pst created with the new profile. Now I just need to transfer my mail accounts and it should work.

Thanks for the suggestions.

GumpyDragon