Common Reasons behind Outlook PST File Corruption

The Microsoft Outlook application is one of the most important parts of email communication. When MS Outlook was first introduced in the corporate world, web-based email platform like Gmail was not available and server charges were extremely prohibited. Over the last couple of decades, the MS Outlook client has gone through various changes as a productivity tool and a multipurpose emailing client. The MS Outlook platform still dominates the desktop client market with millions of monthly users. Most organizations prefer MS Outlook more than other email client platforms. 

It doesn’t matter how popular the MS Outlook application becomes, it suffers from a massive system flaw. The PST data files of the MS Outlook application are extremely vulnerable to corruption. The PST file corruption is undoubtedly a problematic situation for the users. If you don’t know the cause as well as the solution to the PST file corruption, you might end up losing your important data files permanently. Here are some common causes of PST file corruption you need to know. 

Corruption of Header Due to Download or File Transfer 

Even though the PST files are reliable, when you try to transfer the PST files from one computer to another through the network, you might encounter header corruption. This is why many professionals ask MS Outlook users not to transfer or download PST files over the internet. Even the developers of MS Outlook also suggest the same to their users. If the header of your PST files corrupts or crashes, you won’t be able to read the files anymore unless you implement a recovery process. Sometimes the header corruption is the primary cause of a permanently corrupted outlook. 

Bad Sectors or Crash of Hard Disk 

Sometimes users store the PST files on their hard disk. Even though this is the safest option to prevent the PST files from getting corrupted, the hard drive that contains the PST files can also suffer from occasional crashes. This will make the PST files contained in the hard drive inaccessible. Apart from that, sometimes you will also notice signs of bad sectors that can be developed on the hard drive system which can also corrupt or crash the PST files contained on the drive. 

Virus Attacks 

This is one of the most common causes of PST file corruption. The virus or malware attacks are responsible for more than 60% of PST file corruption. Some specific viruses and malware attack only the MS Outlook PST files and make them inaccessible. Sometimes, the effects of viruses and malware are so severe that they end up damaging the PST files permanently. Additionally, even after you take care of the malware and virus from your computer, you will still face problems accessing the PST files as the virus might have already messed up the metadata. To prevent this from happening, you should purchase legit anti-virus and online security from trusted companies, instead of using the free versions. As per Geek Flare, antivirus is important. 

Ransomware Attacks 

Just like the virus attacks, the ransomware attacks can also cause damage to your PST files. Ransomware is one type of virus or malware that is capable of targeting computers through servers or the internet by encrypting the contents of the hard drive present on the computer. Unlike a virus, ransomware is extremely hard to track as well as remove. You need professional help to remove the ransomware from your computers. If you and your computer have been a victim of ransomware attacks, the PST data files of your MS Outlook application will be corrupted and inaccessible. 

Power Outages and Outlook Crashes 

Power outages are another common cause of PST file corruption. If your computer gets shut down automatically while you’re working with your PST files or MS Outlook application, the system will fail to save the PST files. However, during the time of sudden power failure, your computer will turn off abruptly which will cause your PST files to corrupt. This is why you need to turn off your computer properly as well as the application. On the other hand, if the MS Outlook software crashes, it will also cause PST file corruption. 

Data Limits in the Older Versions of MS Outlook

MS Outlook comes in a different version. If you’re using an older version of the MS Outlook application, the size of the PST files cannot exceed more than 2GB. Whereas, the size of the PST files is 50GB in the newer MS Outlook versions. 

If you store more data on the PST files whose accumulated size is more than 2GB, it will cause the PST files to corrupt. Oversizing is one of the most common causes of PST file corruption. Even though you won’t face this problem in the newer versions of MS Outlook, many organizations and professionals still use the older version of MS Outlook which makes the PST files vulnerable to abnormalities and crashes. 

Conclusion 

These are the common reasons behind Outlook PST file corruption. Make sure you contact us and we will help you solve the PST file corruption.