The Issues & Challenges Arises When Working With OST File
Offline Storage Table or OST file is data file Microsoft Outlook used to maintain replicas of Exchange Server mailbox on the local machine. It is mainly used to let users access mailbox data in offline mode. It stored all data items like emails, contacts, calendars, tasks, etc., in it. One can easily make changes like add, delete, and modify the content of the offline folder in offline mode via OST file. All the changes made in the offline mode get updated automatically as the connection is established again.
However, there are some situations where OST file starts behaving strangely like synchronization cannot be performed. And, if there is no proper synchronization the data of OST file becomes completely inaccessible. There can be the various possible reason behind improper synchronization such as corrupt OST file, unreliable internet connection. All such situations, leave OST file data in an inaccessible state. Now to overcome all such situations, we have discussed an all-in-one solution on the blog. In addition, we have covered all major difficulties faced when working with Outlook OST file.
All Major Problems Faced While Working on OST File
In this section of the post, all major challenges mainly encountered by users while using OST file are covered
Challenge #1: Backup is Gone
The very first problem faced by the users is that backups run only once a day. However, if the backup processes are not fool-proof, then it might create an issue.
- While running backup process if there is a power drop-down or upsurge and if the backup fails at some percent, then it needs to be resumed manually.
- Another possible problem is a backup-space issue. If the tape gets full or if a user is taking disk backups, then he or she runs out of the disk space and again there will be a backup failure.
Thus, if the backup fails due to any reason, then there will complete data loss including Outlook OST file and a user will not be able to work in an offline mode.
Challenge #2: Missing Outlook OST File
Another major problem faced by the end users is that when a user tries to open an OST file, it displays an error message stating “OST file is missing or not accessible”. There can be any possible reason behind it such as the issue in the running the version of Outlook, hardware failure, synchronization error, etc. However, it can become quite clumsy for a user to find and recover the data. In addition, the user is not able to access the OST file data also.
Challenge #3: Large size OST File
If the size of OST file keeps on increasing unnecessarily large, then it starts generating errors like cannot add data to existing Exchange OST file. Thus, it becomes important for the users to reduce the size of OST file. Additionally, it will slow down the performance of Outlook and results in corruption also.
Challenge #4: Old or Orphan OST file
If a user leaves the organization and Exchange Admin deleted the account, then he or she is left with an orphan OST file. However, it becomes really difficult for the user to access the orphan OST file. Apart from all this, other possible reasons of orphan OST file is the hardware failure, Outlook crash, sudden power shutdown, etc.
Challenge #5: Corrupted or Damaged OST File
Corruption in the OST file can create lots of issues in Outlook. It can also result in complete Outlook application crash also. It slows down the application and starts creating hanging problem. All data stored in Outlook OST file becomes inaccessible. Virus or malware infection, abnormal termination of Outlook, sudden power shutdown are some of the common reason behind damaged OST file.
Solution to Resolve All Issues & Problems in Outlook OST File
As discussed above there are various challenges faced by the users when working on Outlook OST file. Now, to overcome all such difficulties, a user needs to repair corrupt OST file because it is one of the major reasons behind all challenges. In order to have a foolproof solution, a user is advised to use a third-party tool named as OST recovery. This tool is capable to repair and restore corrupt or even badly damaged OST file in just a few simple clicks. It also allows users to save the recovered data in PST/ EML/ MSG format. Moreover, it is a reliable application that a user can run on any version of Microsoft Windows OS.
Conclusion
Any small issue in OST file can create a big trouble in Outlook. Thus, this blog will let users know about difficulties faced when working with Outlook OST file. It is important for them to have a complete knowledge about it so that corrective measure can be used. In addition, a third-party tool named as OST Recovery tool is also suggested to overcome all type of issues faced by the users while working on OST file.
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