Have you ever thought about what happens to your mailbox in Microsoft Outlook if the Exchange server is damaged? That’s easy—if the admins did not consider a backup, you could lose your inbox. Sure, that admins get their full share of grief from the boss, but that will not help you. There is no need to enjoy their sufferings in the supervisor’s office. Now is the time to think about what you should do.
Moreover, you always have an alternative. First, let me explain. There is no need to hit the computer or laptop. It will not help. Instead, it will only force you into new expenses, depending on the intensity of the hit. Also, a significant part of the mailbox may not be needed. However, you may want to look inside anyhow to see the login or password of your personal space to find an email sent from a bank or some other relevant information that is difficult to recover using any other method.
In some cases, you can open Outlook and see the mailbox contents, even in the absence of the server connection. It is possible because the email software keeps a replica of Exchange email locally on your HDD. But what if you cannot open it?
Usually, email is stored either on Microsoft Exchange Server or locally in the files of *.ost format. At the same time, these files can be difficult to open by Outlook. Unfortunately, Microsoft does not provide any help with this matter. It is expected that Exchange server data is synchronized to its local copy, in case something is wrong with it—users may get a fresh pack from the server and recreate the local copy of Personal Folder. In my case, I failed to do it, and I encountered Exchange Server damage and could not open Outlook itself. However, I had a minimal task—open the mailbox and take a look to see if I forgot something important. I would not like to pay to find this out. Therefore I was not interested in data recovery services.
This tool helped me: Recovery Toolbox for Outlook. It is a compromise between the need for third-party application use and the wish to find a free possibility of doing what I needed. This application offers a free option to open files of *.ost extension to preview. But it is also allowed saving email to another file, of *.pst format, the program makes it available for use without connecting to the Exchange Server. However, it is possible if only Recovery Toolbox for Outlook is registered, it would require a payment of license fee ($50).
Free OST Viewer
But, first things first. When I failed to open my email box in Microsoft Outlook, I refrained from crashing my computer—it was easy, I imagined the cost of repairs, and most likely, you can do the same in a similar situation. Once I calmed down and counted up to a ten, I started to search google. I quickly found Recovery Toolbox for Outlook, and, on the first try, I managed to open my mailbox and write down the login details that I had got from my bank six months earlier. I had not remembered them. Unfortunately, I am not a hacker—but I am working on it.
Furthermore, I still cannot hack emails. That is why I needed the easiest free solution that would work on any computer. I wanted it to be easy to install and capable of working with any Outlook version. There is no need to dig through hacker forums and look for scripts to hack and preview OST files. Their use could be dangerous. Yes, maybe you can hack an OST file and see the login\password to access your personal space, but anyone else could see this information as well. Do you need it?
Moreover, Recovery Toolbox for Outlook is commercial software. It does not steal personal user data for sure. The possibility to preview OST files is provided for free. There is no need to buy this utility to do it. The majority of users do not encounter issues when working with it; they need to do the following:
- Open the developer’s website (https://outlook.recoverytoolbox.com/ost-viewer.html), download and install the application
- Start the application, using its shortcut on the desktop
- Choose an input file of *.ost format and start its processing. Even if you do not know where it is located, the program can find it locally.
- Then, after the analysis completion, the utility goes to the mode of mailbox preview—preserving its original structure.
- If you want to save the mailbox as you see it, you will need to register the application to remove free version restrictions.
The application registration is not required; everything depends on which tasks you need to do. In case you only need to see the OST, file contents, and find some lost data that can be written down on a sheet of paper, use the free software. But, if you want to save all data to a new file, having the *.pst, extension, you need to purchase the registration key. It allows connecting the regular mailbox to Microsoft Outlook and proceeding with it. After the end of the mailbox conversion with Recovery Toolbox for Outlook, email becomes openable offline. It does not require the Exchange Server connection.
Recovery Toolbox for Outlook may work even with encrypted *.ostfiles—also, if a password protects it, there is not any problem. The state of the input mailbox is not essential; it can open a file for preview, even if it is damaged. This utility automatically recovers the mailbox structure and those emails and contacts, that can be repaired. Maybe, some objects are not recoverable. Everything depends on how seriously your mailbox is damaged. Therefore, do not forget about backup. There is no better data recovery option available for now, and I think one will not be available in the future.
Nonetheless, Recovery Toolbox for Outlook doesn’t send data to external sites. It is straightforward to check if you are familiar with the firewall, look through outgoing packets, and find, which one relates to the application. I could not find such packets. You may also want to take it a step further and find an ancient computer that does not connect to the Internet. Move the software and the required mailbox of *.ostsupported extension there. Then try to recover it. Maybe, it will work a bit slower, but it should not affect the application efficiency. The computer should work under any version of OS Windows. Active Outlook installation is not needed, because, Recovery Toolbox for Outlook has its own means of data preview.
By the way, the application developer does not limit itself with programs for preview and recovery of electronic mail, if needed. Go to the site https://recoverytoolbox.com/and check for yourself. They provide the service of document restoration for the majority of popular formats. Of course, all these documents can be previewed for free, but without the option to save data. Maybe it is precisely what is needed in the majority of cases? I have never seen a more efficient way to recover corrupted data.