Free way to open Outlook 2003 pst file???

Please help! Is there another free way to open an Outlook backup datafile besides the Microsoft recovery tool and Kernel?

I have Windows XP and Outlook 2003 with a Hotmail connector. Problem happened because Outlook was malfunctioning. So I created a new profile, deleting the old. Now I'm unable to link the new profile with backup pst datafiles.

I tried 4 things that don't work:

1. Microsoft Recovery Tool: It says "No errors were found in this file."
2. Import datafile in Outlook: It says "The operation failed. An object could not be found."
3. Open datafile in Outlook: It forces Outlook to shut down.
4. Free recovery through Kernel: I can see the old files but can't restore to Outlook without paying for the tool.

Money is an issue. Any advice or tips on other free ways to open the pst file on Outlook?

Thank you!

 

Not sure if this will work for you. Download and install free Mailstore Home. Then archive the email by selecting the PST file. After it has finished archiving in can be imported into Live Mail by exporting the archive in eml format. Good Luck.

Edit: Please download from Majorgeeks.

http://majorgeeks.com/MailStore_Home_d5881.html

http://www.mailstore.com/en/mailstore-home.aspx

http://en.help.mailstore.com/MailStore_Home_Help:Archiving_Email

http://en.help.mailstore.com/MailStore_Home_Help:Accessing_the_Archive

 

This is the correct way to connect an existing PST file to Outlook. However, if the PST file is an old (97-2000) file, and it has exeeded the 2MB size limit, then it won't be able to connect.

 

tgell and pwillener,

Thank you for your ideas.

I tried to use Mailstore to open a pst file to no avail, and connecting through Outlook continues to fail.

It turns out the root of the problem is a Outlook Connector sync issue. I discovered that the Sent Email ends up in a Local Failure file. Why this issue would suddenly occur, I don't understand, but apparently it's not uncommon. On Microsoft's site, the only instruction given has been to delete and reinstall Outlook Connector, but that hasn't worked, and the others also have complained that they continue to have the problem.

At this point, I'm ready to live without Outlook but would really like to recover all the emails filed in my Personal Folder.

Any additional suggestions?

 

Will this work for you?

http://www.nucleustechnologies.com/pst-viewer.html

 

Kernel PST viewer is rubbish. I have email from 2013-2003, it only views from 2013-2008.

I found an old office version I had and used my pst file(exported in outlook 2010), and imported it into outlook from office 2003. so pst files are at least pretty backwards compatible.

 

(I couldn't edit my post to add this, so i'm making another)

Systools outlook pst viewer is(as with the not aptly named, kernel pst viewer) also junk.. it can't even make the dates ascending or descending without a bug, it's not showing the latest at the top and oldest at the bottom or vice versa, and it's all like *2011 and 2010 that I can see, not 2013-2003 *though it counts them ok. like approx 23,000.

i'm just using outlook to open it, from a version of office that I have.

 

@dagir - this thread has been dormant since June last year.

 

Yes but surely you're aware that people google and find threads, and therefore it's beneficial when the thread is more informative. I found this thread via google, tried two suggestions from here, and reported back, for the sake of the next person and future people that find this thread.