Outlook 2019 Recovery

Do you like emails like me? A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since the first email was sent. Today it is not the same service at all. I do not like the small texts that spring up like mushrooms after the summer rains. They are only suitable for short messages. And the fact that these messages are most often written with a smartphone makes their composition unpleasant, showing a certain laziness of the sender, and it contains an excessive use of emoticons, which have no place in professional correspondence.

I trust, however, in Outlook, nothing more. It is not really possible to replace the Outlook program in the professional world. Unfortunately, it sometimes annoys me, but one thing at a time.

I have been using Outlook 2016 for years, but everything is subject to change. And I hesitate to upgrade to Outlook 2019, because everything already works perfectly. Of course, there is no limit to perfection, and in addition the security issue is very important to me. But, updates can be different. They can be like moving to another house or after a fire. After an update, it is often difficult to find all the usual features.

Also, these features may look different, if you know what I mean. On the other hand, the update tempts me. I open Microsoft's website to take a look at what they have to offer and here's what I find:

• Fixed accessibility issues.

What does this mean? Before sending a message, Outlook 2019 allows the accessibility check of the email to make the content of the email more easily readable. To access this option, open the tab "Revision" and select “Check accessibility”.Just click the mouse once to make corrections.

• Priority Inbox.

This option allows you to focus on the most important messages. The inbox is separated into two tabs: “Priority” et "Others". The file “Priority” contains, of course, the most important messages. It is possible to switch between tabs at any time.

• The Visual Impact is apparently better than ever.

What can I say? Microsoft always takes great care when it comes to its visual impact and beautiful icons. I have no complaints.

• Show three time zones.

A fascinating option, by the way. For work, I often have to communicate with engineers who are in a different time zone. Each time I have to check on Google the exact time of our meeting. Otherwise I risk waiting for another time for an appointment that will not take place. Software engineers who work in teams distributed around the world will understand me. It's easy, I love it!

• Listen to your mail.

Wow! He speaks with a real voice and reads emails out loud!

Finally, I installed the update, but something went wrong. As soon as I opened it, there were problems with the emails. Outlook 2019 displayed errors and refused to access my mailbox. I had no idea what the problem was, but I think my inbox was too full to handle the update. It is also possible that one of the messages contained a virus. Outlook 2019 could not accept my mailbox. That is when I wondered if I really needed the update. But, it was too late to turn back. I needed a solution to my problem. What solutions were available to me for this specific case?

I first tried to find the mailbox that was impossible to open. In my case, it is a PST format file. So it was not enough to delete it and get a new one from the server, because there is no copy. All mails are immediately deleted from the server after processing. So it would be better if you search for it as follows:

How to find PST format file on local computer:

1. Open Windows Explorer.
2. Choose Local Disk C:\ on the left (or another disk if there are multiple disks in the system).
3. Come back “*.pst” in the field Search at the top of the page on the right.

If there are a lot of files and you don't know which one is managing your mailbox, there is another option. Open Outlook to see which file is saved in the mailbox settings. Do the following:

1. Click on : File > Practical.
2. Click on Account settings.

3. Choose Account settings… in the context menu.
4. Choose the tab: Data files.
5. Choose a data file from the list displayed below.
6. Click on the button : Open file location….

7. Remember the path.

Great, the file is found! Then I remembered an old recovery method called Inbox Repair Tool, which is free and part of the Outlook package. Microsoft has probably reworked and improved it to make it work better. The whole recovery process now seems easier.

But alas, this is not the case. In the next file C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16 it's still the old version of ScanPST.exe that appears. I haven't seen any changes. Also, do you notice anything weird? They didn't even bother to rename the old folder. For Outlook 2019, it's called …\Office16 and not \Office19. I am a diplomat but I can't find anything positive to say about the new program. Why didn't they rename the file? They made it seem like Inbox Repair Tool, for example, was updated somewhere deep in the program, but it wasn't.

I tried to launch the application anyway. Does it work better now? Of course not! Everything is as before. The tool crashed while processing my mailbox, it stalled at 41% and refused to restore it. What's the problem? Old problems in a new wrapper. Maybe the problem is due to the confusion with the names/versions?

I think Microsoft should pay more attention to security and stability issues. The new icons are very nice and the ability to listen to mails is handy, but I would prefer more reliability. I have no use for these nice images, because my mailbox became inaccessible after the update. Considering that I don't have a mail backup, I now have to find other ways to recover my mailbox. I decided to try Recovery Toolbox for Outlook.

You have to buy this application. There are online and offline versions. It's up to you to see which one suits you best. The advantage of the online version is that there is nothing to install on your computer. Just follow the link: https://outlook.recoverytoolbox.com/online/fr/ and proceed as follows:

1. On the web page you need to choose a format file PST (I already explained how to find it).
2. Enter your email address.
3. Enter the CAPTCHA.
4. Purchase File Recovery Service.
5. Download the PST format file.
6. Open it in Microsoft Outlook

It is worth noting that some users do not want to send their email address to other sites. At the same time, this is the simplest solution, you do not install anything on the computer. Just send a damaged file and download a restored file. Nothing could be simpler. If for some reason this option is not feasible, you can download the software. It is a little more expensive, but does not require you to send information to sites. 

Follow the link https://outlook.recoverytoolbox.com/repair-outlook/fr/ and download Recovery Toolbox for Outlook. The application is compatible with all versions of Outlook, including Outlook 2019. Then, install it and follow the instructions:

1. Launch Recovery Toolbox for Outlook.
2. Choose the data file PST.

3. Choose Recovery mode.

4. Start scanning the corrupted file and wait for it to complete.
5. View the contents of the recovered file.
6. Choose a folder to save the recovered file.
7. Choose Save as PST file.

8. Click on Save.

In my case, I was able to recover the damaged file. My mailbox is about 8 GB. The recovery process was therefore not very fast despite relatively powerful hardware. Unlike the built-in Microsoft utility, Recovery Toolbox for Outlook does not stall and works until the file is completely recovered. When recovering data, the application does not try to connect to remote services, and all operations without exception are displayed on the local computer. You can be sure that your confidential data will not be transmitted elsewhere.

Finally, we have to follow the easiest step, connecting the recovered file to Microsoft Outlook to be able to use it in the future. It's easy. I have already explained how to check the correct path of the source file. Just replace the damaged file with the recovered file and try to open your mailbox.

Think twice before updating Outlook 2019. I didn't find any particular benefit. Besides, some things haven't changed at all. It looks like the same sh#$t and I wouldn't want to fall into it. Please take into account the problems I encountered and make the right choice. May the force be with you. I came to the following conclusion: don't bother updating if you still need Outlook 2019. It would be better to copy a format file PST before updating, then remove the old Outlook 2016 and install the new version from scratch. Then save the backup of the file PST inside.

To connect a format file PST to Outlook 2019:

1. Click on : File > Practical.
2. Click on Account settings.
3. Choose Account settings… in the context menu.

4. Choose the tab: Data files.
5. Choose a data file from the list displayed below.
6. Click on Remove if the file is present.
7. Then click To add… and find the path to the file PST.
8. Open Microsoft Outlook, try to send and receive emails.

Conclusion

If you want to upgrade Microsoft Outlook 2019 and you already have an older version of Outlook, for example, 2016/2013/2010/2007, and so on, I advise you to do the following:

1. Make a backup copy of Outlook data files (.pst and/or .ost format files).
2. Remove Microsoft Office.
3. Do a new clean install of Microsoft Outlook on another folder. To do this, use the advanced installation option and enter the installation path.
4. Open the list of Outlook Data Files and add a PST file already backed up from the previous version of the application.