Microsoft Outlook definitely left a mark on the world of desktop email clients. Its advancements have made market rivals like IBM, Mozilla, and Apple, which were once its main opponents, difficult to compete against. Initially only an emailing program, it is now the preferred option for business professionals. By far, users are introduced to various versions of this messaging platform, and its advantages have attracted a sizable portion of the market.
Configuration:1) IMAP/POP3: Any POP3 or IMAP email account may be configured with Microsoft Outlook, and the mailbox database can be accessed using a PST file that is stored on a hard drive. The location of this data file varies depending on the Windows and Outlook versions being used.
2) Exchange Server: This application’s configuration with Exchange Server, which provides an internal messaging platform, is its greatest benefit for enterprises. While the database on the server is saved as an EDB file, a user account on the server can be opened, accessed, and managed using an OST file in Outlook.
Data FilesPST and OST are the two types of data files that are created in Outlook based on how they are configured, as was explained in the section above. These two files are additionally classified as ANSI and Unicode PST/OST files.
• The Unicode file has the benefit of holding up to data in terabytes, while the ANSI kind of file allows for the storage of databases of about 2GB (according to size limits).
• Versions of Outlook 2002 and earlier produced ANSI files, while versions of Outlook 2003 and beyond produced Unicode files.
Problems and Causes:
Nothing on this space is perfect and so does this emailing application. It undergoes different types of troubles which could be due to human mistakes, application fault, or mishandling of data files. For example:
Free Tools to Troubleshoot:Scapst.exe/Inbox Repair Tool: Different approaches can be made for troubleshooting Outlook issues and errors. There is a built in free solution called Inbox Repair tool by Microsoft that helps to fix problems related to PST file structure and rebuilds it.Scanost.exe/OST Integrity Checker: This tool helps to check OST file synchronization issues with Exchange Server. To run the tool, connection with client and Server should be healthy.
