When a file becomes an orphan it stops serving the purpose of the user. But, what is an orphaned file anyway? When the parent application of a file is removed or uninstalled from the system it leaves its files orphaned. The extension in which they come is a .dll extension.
If the size of these files is more than 50GB, there are high chances of these files getting corrupt. These orphaned OST files just stay on the system of the user and take up the disk space. Why waste disk space on some files which will never be used again?
Therefore, to convert orphaned OST to PST files on any other email client and also save these files from getting corrupt it is better to convert these orphaned OST.
What is better than converting these .ost files to .pst? The most popular file format to access on Outlook.
How Can You Convert Orphaned OST to PST Free?
Note: Some manual tools can be used to convert the orphaned .ost files to .pst for free. But, since there is no rose without a thorn, these manual methods have certain limitations that can hold back the user from converting their .ost files to .pst. What can be done in that case? To simplify things for the user, an automated tool is also discussed in this article.
Method 1: Using a Professional Tool to Convert Orphaned OST to PST.
If you want to convert orphaned OST to PST then the best tool to use is the OST Converter Tool. This is because it can convert all the .ost files to .pst in bulk. All your emails, contacts, calendar, rules, attachments, etc that were in OST file format can be converted to PST.
Follow the steps outlined below to under the process:
- On your system, download, install and run the utility.
- Click on the “Add File” option to select the OST files or folders.
- After completing the scanning process, you may see the entire data set in one of seven ways (Normal Mail View, Hex, RTF, Attachments, and so on).
- Lastly, choose the PST radio option and go to the location where you want the exported file to be saved.
Now let’s discuss some of the free approaches to do it:
Method 2: Some of The Free Methods to Convert Orphaned OST to PST.
1. Using the Import And Export Feature Of Outlook to Convert Outlook Emails to PST Files
Note- To use this system, you need to connect to an Exchange server and have Outlook installed on your PC or laptop.
Follow these steps to have a better understanding:
- Open Microsoft Outlook and go to the File menu in the upper left corner.
- From the list, select the Open and Export tab, and then click on the Import/Export option from the options.
- In the resulting dialogue box, select the Export as a file option and then press the Next button.
- From the Import File Type drop-down menu, choose Outlook Data File (.pst) and hit the Next option.
- Now, click on the files that you want to export and hit the Next button.
- Select the option “Replace duplicates with exported items” from the list, and then click the Finish button.
Following that, a second pop-up message will display asking for an alternate password.
You can continue without entering it and press the OK button, and your OST file will be saved in PST format at the place you specify.
- Archive Feature of MS Outlook
You may archive data in Outlook by converting all OST mailbox contents to PST format. It does not, however, permit the retention of contacts.
Follow the steps outlined below to know the process to import OST files into MS Outlook:
- Navigate to the OST file from which you want to export data in MS Outlook.
- Select File > Info > Cleanup tools.
- Select Archive from the list of available options.
- Make sure you Archive this folder and all subfolders option is selected in the dialogue box that opens.
- Choose the folder that you want to export to PST (e.g., outbox).
- Give a date in the Archive things older than the box. All things received before the deadline are archived.
The Manual Method’s Disadvantages
- Outlook must be installed on the device for the manual approach to work.
- The operation takes a long time.
- They may have several phases and are better suited to a technical person.
- If any problems occur throughout the operation, data loss or file modification may occur.
- The size of OST files that can be converted to PST is limited.
What Makes to Convert Orphaned OST TO PST?
There can be several reasons which make convert orphaned OST to PST. To explain it in a better manner, they have been divided into two categories: Hardware and software reasons.
Hardware Reasons:
- Failure in Data Storage Elements: If the hard drive comprises some defective sectors then, you will only be able to read a part of the file. Apart from this, you might face an error message that outlook .ost is orphaned or unavailable.
- Abnormal or Sudden Power Failure: Sometimes a situation occurs where suddenly the system power fails in such case OST files get separated from their parent server. This condition causes damage to the database and hence, the OST file becomes orphaned.
- Failure of the Controller Card: Any failure of a card used with the Exchange server results in data loss or corruption. This prevents users from accessing Outlook offline folders, resulting in file inaccessibility.
Software Motives
- Viral or Malware Presence: Various virus assaults infect or destroy OST storage files. This is why it is strongly advised to install a high-quality anti-virus application on the Exchange computer.
- Unconscious Human Actions: Unconscious human activities such as database deletion, unsystematic operating system administration incorrect segmentation of storage components, and so on may result in the database file becoming unavailable.
In A Nutshell
It is difficult for users to deal with orphaned .ost files since they are not accessible. This mandates the user to convert these files to .pst file format to be able to access them in outlook. If you want to convert orphaned OST to PST-free, the solution is provided in this article. However, since they have a lot of limitations, an automated method is also provided here.
If you want to know how to Convert DBX to PST Outlook 2007 then Click on the link.