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Microsoft Outlook OST Integrity Check Tool Readme File

(c) Microsoft Corporation, 2000. All rights reserved.

This document provides information about Microsoft

Outlook OST Integrity Check Tool, as well as answers
to questions you might have.

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How to Use This Document
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To view the Readme file on screen in Microsoft Windows Notepad,
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CONTENTS
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-- OVERVIEW
-- RELATIONSHIP TO THE INBOX REPAIR TOOL (SCANPST.EXE)
-- RUNNING THE TOOL
-- UNDERSTANDING THE SCAN LOG
-- ERROR MESSAGES THAT CAN BE DISPLAYED DURING THE SCAN

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OVERVIEW
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You create an offline folder (.ost) file on your computer
to store a copy of folders that are in your mailbox on an
Exchange Server. That way you can work with the items in
the folders even when you're not connected to the server.
To update folders on the server with changes you made in
the .ost file (or vice versa), you synchronize the folders.

The offline folders feature has proven to be very reliable

since it�s introduction. Periodically, however, there have
been reports of problems synchronizing the .ost file.
Diagnosing these problems requires comparing the contents
of the folders on the server and the folders in the .ost
file and resolving discrepancies between them. The OST
Integrity Check Tool for Outlook not only performs
this kind of analysis for you, it can also resolve
discrepancies that cause synchronization problems.

The OST Integrity Check Tool scans both the mailbox on the
server and the .ost file on your computer, comparing items
and folders in both locations. If the tool finds any
differences between the two sets of information, it attempts
to reconcile them. The tool records these differences in a
scan log so you can monitor the discrepancies it found and
resolved. The scan log also identifies any differences the
tool isn't able to reconcile that you'll need to resolve
yourself.
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RELATIONSHIP TO THE INBOX REPAIR TOOL (SCANPST.EXE)
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The Inbox Repair Tool (Scanpst.exe) is another tool you
can use to diagnose and repair problems in your .ost
file. However, the Inbox Repair Tool scans the offline
folder file only, making sure that the file structure is
intact. It does not scan your mailbox on the Exchange
server. Use the Inbox Repair Tool if you have problems
opening the offline folder file. Use the OST Integrity
Check Tool if you have problems synchronizing your .ost
file with the Exchange server.

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RUNNING THE TOOL
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Once you've installed OST Integrity Check Tool, you can
run it whenever you experience synchronization problems.

>>>To run the OST Integrity Check Tool:

1 Make sure you are logged on to your network so the
tool can connect to your Exchange server to scan its
folders and items.

Note: If you previously set up Outlook to automatically

start offline, the OST Integrity Check Tool won't be
able to access your Exchange server. Therefore, before
you run the tool, you need to temporarily change the
startup settings in Outlook. You can set up Outlook to
either automatically connect with your network or prompt
you to choose the type of connection.
2 Quit Outlook if it's running.
3 Launch the OST Integrity Check Tool.
4 In the reminder to quit Outlook, click the Don't show this
dialog again check box to prevent this reminder from
displaying each time you run the tool.
5 If you set up Outlook to prompt for a profile, the tool
will also prompt you for one. In the Profile Name list,
click a profile that includes an information service
for Microsoft Exchange Server.
6 If you set up Outlook to prompt whether you want to work
offline or online, the tool will also prompt you to either
connect or work offline. Click Connect.
7 In the OST Integrity Check window, click one of the
following options:

Scan all folders. This is the default, and it checks every

folder in the offline folder file.

or

Choose folders to scan. This option enables you to specify the

folders so you can minimize the number that are scanned. It's
the quickest method if you are experiencing synchronization
problems in only a few folders or are attempting the scan over
a slow connection to the Exchange server. After clicking the
option, locate in the folder list the folders you want to
scan, then select the check box next to each one. (Only folders
 you made available for offline use have check boxes and can
be scanned. For information about making folders available
offline, see Outlook Help.)

Note: Regardless of the option you choose, the tool

will not scan the Deleted Items folder.

5 To have the tool automatically resolve discrepancies it

finds during the scan, make sure the Repair Errors check
box at the bottom of the OST Integrity Check window is
selected. To have the tool log the issues but not make
the necessary corrections, clear this check box.
6 Click Begin Scan. Depending on the number of folders
and items, the scan may take several minutes to complete.
You can cancel it at any time.

>>>To view the scan log:

1 Start Outlook, and then open the .ost file on your
computer, or open your mailbox on the Exchange server.
2 Open the Deleted Items folder, and then open the message
with the subject "OST Integrity Check."
3 For an explanation of the scan log, see the next section
"Understanding the Scan Log."

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UNDERSTANDING THE SCAN LOG
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The log lists each phase of the scan operation, the
synchronizations it performed, actions it took during
synchronization (such as adding or deleting an item),
and discrepancies it identified between the .ost file and
mailbox on the Exchange server during each scan phase.

In some cases, the log lists the same discrepancy for more
than one phase. This indicates that the tool couldn't
resolve the discrepancy the first time, so it continued
its attempts in subsequent phases. If the tool wasn't able to
reconcile the differences, your log contains an entry titled
"If problems are found in this scan, they must be fixed
manually." You'll need to manually resolve discrepancies
listed after this entry using the recommendations in the
"Scan Log Messages" section later in this file. There is
one exception, however.

You can ignore a discrepancy if it's for an e-mail message

that arrived at the Exchange Server while the OST Integrity
Check Tool was scanning. In this case, the tool logs the new
e-mail message as a problem because it hasn't been synchronized
with the offline folder file. However, this does not mean
that there is a data integrity problem with the file. To
determine whether you received the e-mail after the scan
started, check the time on the e-mail message against the
scan start time noted in the log.

Note: If the tool finds messages that it cannot synchronize,

it creates a folder called Synchronization Failures in
your offline folder file. It then moves the unsynchronized
messages to this folder. (The tool will not scan or synchronize
the Synchronization Failures folder.) For messages related to
the Synchronization Failures folder and recommendations for
working with items in the folder, see the following section.

SCAN LOG MESSAGES

The following recommendations apply only if the message is

listed in your scan log after an entry titled "If problems
are found in this scan, they must be fixed manually."

MESSAGE: "An error occurred while attempting to move a

message to the Synchronization Failures folder. The move
was not successful.
DESCRIPTION: Indicates that the tool could not synchronize a
message between the .ost file and the mailbox on the server,
and that the tool was unsuccessful in moving the message to
the Synchronization Failures folder. The message cannot be
repaired.
RECOMMENDATION: If you can, open the message, copy its content,
create a new message, and then paste the content into it. Save
the new message. In the Inbox, try deleting the original
message by selecting it and then pressing SHIFT+DELETE.

MESSAGE: "Moved message that failed synchronization to

'Synchronization Failures.'"
DESCRIPTION: The tool successfully moved a message to the
Synchronization Failures folder.
RECOMMENDATION: To preserve the message's content, open the
message, copy the information to another message or file,
then save any attachments.

MESSAGE: "The folder 'Folder Name' exists in your mailbox

on the Microsoft Exchange server but not in your offline
folder file."
DESCRIPTION: The tool attempted to create the folder
'Folder Name' in the offline folder file but was
not successful.
RECOMMENDATION: Create a new folder in your mailbox on the
Exchange server, and then move the contents of the original
folder to the new folder. In the Folder List, delete the
original folder by selecting it and then pressing SHIFT+DELETE.

MESSAGE: "The folder 'Folder Name' exists in your offline

folder file but not in your mailbox on the Microsoft
Exchange Server."
DESCRIPTION: The tool attempted to create the folder
'Folder Name' on the Exchange server but was not successful.
RECOMMENDATION: Create the folder in your offline
folder file, and then move the contents of the original
folder to the new folder. In the Folder List, delete the
original folder by selecting it and then pressing SHIFT+DELETE.

MESSAGE: "The folder 'Folder Name' in your mailbox on the

Microsoft Exchange server does not match the folder in
your offline folder file."
DESCRIPTION: Properties on the folder in your mailbox
did not match properties on the equivalent folder in your
.ost file. The tool attempted to change the values to
match but was not successful.
RECOMMENDATION: Create a new folder in either your offline
folder file or your mailbox on the Exchange Server, and then move
the contents of the original folder to the new folder. In the
Folder List, delete the original folder by selecting it
and then pressing SHIFT+DELETE.

MESSAGE: "The message with the subject 'Message Subject'

exists in your mailbox on the Microsoft Exchange server
but not in your offline folder file."
DESCRIPTION: The tool attempted to create the message in the
offline folder file but was not successful.
RECOMMENDATION: Create a new message in your mailbox on the
Exchange Server, and then copy the contents of the original
message to the new message. In the Inbox, delete the original
message by selecting it and then pressing SHIFT+DELETE.

MESSAGE: "The message with the subject 'Message Subject'

exists in the offline folder file but not in your mailbox
on the Microsoft Exchange server."
DESCRIPTION: The tool attempted to create the message on the
Exchange Server but was not successful.
RECOMMENDATION: Create a new message in your offline folder
file, and then copy the contents of the original message to the
new message. In the Inbox, delete the original message by
selecting it and then pressing SHIFT+DELETE.

MESSAGE: "The message with the subject 'Message Subject'

in your mailbox on the Microsoft Exchange server does not
match the message in the offline folder file."
DESCRIPTION: The tool attempted to correct the discrepancy
but was not successful.
RECOMMENDATION: Create a new message in either your offline
folder file or in your mailbox on the Exchange Server, and then
copy the contents of the original message to the new message.
In the Inbox, delete the original message by selecting it
and then pressing SHIFT+DELETE.

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ERROR MESSAGES THAT CAN BE DISPLAYED DURING THE SCAN
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During the scan process, you may receive any of the
following error messages:

ERROR: "Out of memory or system resources. Close some

windows or programs and try again."
CAUSE: The system does not have enough memory or system
resources to complete the operation.

ERROR: "Your mailbox is not configured for offline

synchronization. You do not need to use this tool."
CAUSE: The information service you set up for Microsoft
Exchange Server does not specify an offline folder file.
For information on creating an offline folder file, see
Outlook Help.
ERROR: "Offline synchronization is not supported for your
mailbox."
CAUSE: Your default profile does not have an information
service set up for Microsoft Exchange Server. Select a
profile that includes Microsoft Exchange Server.

ERROR: "Cannot open your mailbox."

CAUSE: The tool could not open the offline folder file or
connect to the Exchange server. You might be missing some
Outlook files or using outdated ones. To correct the problem,
reinstall the tool.

ERROR: "You must be working online to use this tool."

CAUSE: You are not logged on to your network, you set
up Outlook to automatically start offline, or when prompted
whether to connect or work offline, you chose Offline. The tool
could not access your Exchange server. Make sure you are connected
to the network, and if necessary, change your settings so Outlook
automatically connects with your network or prompts you to
choose the type of connection. When you run the OST Integrity
Check Tool, if you're prompted to Connect or Work Offline,
choose Connect.

ERROR: "An error occurred while scanning your folders.

See the OST Integrity Check message in your Deleted Items
folder for more details."
CAUSE: The OST Integrity Check Tool was unable to resolve
all of the problems with the offline folder file. Review the
log for an entry titled "If problems are found in this scan,
they must be fixed manually." You'll need to correct these
problems using the recommendations in the Scan Log Messages
section earlier in this file.

ERROR: "Some Outlook files on your system are not

compatible with the OST Integrity Check Tool. Possible
causes:
--- One or more Outlook files are out of date. To update
the files, reinstall the OST Integrity Check Tool.
--- You have the Microsoft Office Language Pack installed
and are using a language setting other than English. The
OST Integrity Check Tool requires the English version of
Outlook. To solve the problem, temporarily switch your
language setting to English before running the OST
Integrity Check Tool."
CAUSE: Some files are incompatible.

ERROR: "An unknown error occurred."

CAUSE: The cause is undetermined.