Corrupt PST file cannot be imported - How to repair PST file to access my mails?

Image via Wikipedia

Many times, process of importing a PST file becomes quite complex. Specially, when you are trying to import PST file of later version to a prior version of MS-Outlook. This inconvenience is caused because different versions of Outlook use different formats. Like, MS-Outlook 2003 uses UNICODE format whereas prior versions of Outlook uses ANSI format. Version incompatibility does not allows you to perform import process without any difficulty. To overcome such failures, make use of methods that help to overcome such problem. Otherwise, repair PST file with the help of a commercial Outlook PST repair tool.

Let's discuss an error message that appears when you make an attempt to import an Outlook PST file. And if the version of the MS-Outlook is earlier than MS-Outlook 2003, an Outlook PST file can't get imported and receives an error message that utters something like this:

“Properties for this information service must be defined prior to use.”

On clicking OK button, another error message gets received.

“The file path\filename.pst is not compatible with this version of Personal Folders information service. Contact your administrator.”

Root of the issue:
Above problem is caused because the Outlook PST file that you are importing is a file of MS-Outlook 2003. MS-Outlook 2003 PST files support Unicode format whereas prior versions of Outlook donot support Unicode format. In other words, version incompatibility is the main reason for the above error message. Because of version incompatibility, Outlook PST file gets corrupt.

Solution:
Follow the below mentioned steps to isolate above error message:

First of all, save your MS-Outlook 2003 PST file as Outlook 97-2002 PST file, and then try to export Outlook 2003 PST file to a new Outlook PST file by considering the following steps:

1. Select New from the File menu, and then select Outlook Data File. Perform this step in Outlook 2003.
2. Select Outlook 97-2002 Personal Folders File in the New Outlook Data File dialog box.
3. Type a name for your new Outlook PST file in the Create or Open Outlook Data File. After doing this, save the new PST file to a location like Windows Desktop.
4. Select OK to close the Create Microsoft Personal Folders dialog box.
5. Choose a new Personal Folders from the Navigation Pane. Then select Import and Export from the File menu.
6. Select Import from another program or file, and then select Next.
7. Select Personal Folder File (.pst), and then select Next.
8. Select Browse to select the Outlook PST file that is trying to export to an earlier version. Select Open.
9. Select Next.
10. From Select the folder to import from, select Personal Folders.
11. Select Include subfolders check box.
12. From the Import items into the same folder in box, select the PST file that is saved in step 3.
13. Select Finish.
14. Select OK after receiving the following error message:

You are importing data to a location that does not fully support Unicode. To avoid loss of multilingual data, it is recommended that you choose a location that supports Unicode, such as a Microsoft Office Outlook Personal Folders File.

Select OK to continue with the location that you have chosen.
For importing the new PST file to an earlier version of MS-Outlook, follow the below steps:

1. From the prior version of MS-Outlook, select Import and Export from the file menu.
2. Select Import from another program or file, and then select Next.
3. Select PST file, and then select Next.
4. Select Browse to locate and open the PST file that is saved from Outlook 2003. Then select Next.
5. From Select the folder to import from, select Personal Folders.
6. Select Include subfolders check box by clicking.
7. From the Import items into the same folder in box, select the PST file that you want to import.
8. Select Finish.

If by performing above steps you do not find any results, then go for a third party Outlook PST repair tools. Repair PST file with the help of these software.