Some days before, I discussed about some ways to restore permanently deleted emails from Outlook PST file.
We all consider that losing data by deletion is a worse scenario but ever
wondered the situation when the file itself is deleted and you have nothing to
get back your data!
Yes, some unfortunate people like me come across such
scenarios and what I have always learned from these tragic cases is to Be
Optimistic! Not only a positive mind relaxes you but it gives some positive
idea to work around the problem.
“Today, I opened
Outlook 2010 on my Windows7 machine. Like always, I entered the password to
open my PST but unlike all days, I was welcomed with an error that said that
the PST file is missing. I navigated to the drive where my PST file was saved and
I noticed that the PST file wasn’t there. The only question in my mind was what
has happened to my file and how can I get it back?”
Definitely, BACKUP was what clicked my mind first but
it was created few months ago. But yes, I had Windows File Versions for all
disk enabled which was a positive sign to get back my lost PST file. To use
File Versions, you need to have Windows Vista, Windows7, or Windows XP
(addition requirements for XP discussed in later section).
The methods shared below to recover deleted PST files
can be used if a PST file is overwritten or it is corrupt but cannot be
repaired with applications like scanpst.exe (popular as Inbox Repair tool).
Introduction
to “Previous Versions” Feature
Previous Versions is a feature in Windows Operating
System where multiple versions of a file gets created after a defined
timestamp. It is included in Windows 7 and Windows Vista (Business, Home, and
Ultimate edition). This feature is renamed as File History in Windows 8.
If you want to recover permanently deleted PST files
through Previous Versions, then follow these simple steps mentioned below:
#1: Navigate
to the folder where PST file is saved. Right-click on the folder, and choose ‘Properties’.
#2:
Click on Previous Versions tab. All available versions of the Outlook folders will be
listed within the dialog box. You can Open
a version to Outlook folder, Copy it, or Restore it. You can find all PST files under this folder. Copy the latest one so that PST file along with recent data can be restored.
Note: It is recommended to
copy the file to an alternate location and then open it in Outlook. Do not
restore it. If the PST file that is opened does not contain appropriate data,
check out the most recent version of file.
How
to Activate Previous Versions Windows 7
By default, Previous Versions feature is enabled for
all logical drives of HDD but if an additional drive is added, thus attribute can
be enabled by following means:
- In Control Panel, move to “System and Security” and select “System”
- In the left pane, click on “System Protection” link. A new dialog box named “System Properties” will pop up on screen.
- Click on “System Protection” tab and move to “Protection Settings” segment to select the drive for which previous versions are to be created.
- Click on “Configure…” button. Restore settings should be set to “Only restore previous versions of files”
- You can use the slider to define how much disk space should be used to create previous versions of files. When new shadow copies are generated and no more space is available, the old versions of the file get automatically deleted.
Reason
for Automated Deletion of PST
Virus Scanner: If
anti-virus program is integrated with Outlook, then it scans every email for
virus. If message downloaded to inbox contains virus and he scanner detects
virus pattern in raw data of PST file, it will delete the file.
Disk Issues: If
the PST file is saved on disk that has bad sectors, then possibility is PST
file gets deleted due to this. This often results in CRC errors that should not
be reflected and fixed on time.
Incorrect Cleanup Session: Possibility
is someone has accidently deleted PST file and sometimes the PST file is so
large that the Recycle Bin cannot accommodate it. In this case, the PST file
gets permanently deleted.
If
nothing works to get back lost PST file, the solution to get some disk data
recovery software.