Microsoft Outlook makes data import easy through Import and Export wizard. You can import any PST for use in Outlook, but the operation requires that the structure of file to be intact. One of the common mistakes that an Outlook user does when backing up a PST to export it later is to keep open Outlook. Such events, if occur, usually result in PST corruption and require a PST Repair solution. However, you should first consider to restore from backup.

The further scenario illustrates such a situation when you cannot import an Outlook PST. Consider you need to wipe or reformat your entire hard drive. So as the preventive measure, you backup your Outlook PST on a CD or DVD. Next, you try to restore the PST and use the Outlook Import and Export wizard to import it in Outlook. But, you cannot do so and receive an error that reads as:

Microsoft Outlook:

File access is denied. You do not have permission required to access the file drive_letter:\path_name

Where, drive_latter and \path respectively denote the root drive letter and full path to the PST.

Cause

Outlook may fail to access the PST in following situations:

· PST has read-only attribute

· You are trying to import an Outlook PST. As described earlier, this is a possibility when you keep the Outlook open when backing up the PST on a CD or DVD.

Solution

To isolate the described issue, you require solutions such as:

· Copy the PST to the hard drive. Right-click the file and select its Properties to make sure that the read-only option is unchecked.

· Run Outlook Inbox Repair Tool (Scanpst.exe) to repair the corrupted PST. For this, you need to first copy the PST to hard drive. Also, make sure that the view of hidden files and folders is enabled as otherwise, the file won’t be located.

An Outlook PST Repair tool becomes handy when you cannot repair the corrupted PST with Scanpst tool. The third-party PST Repair applications are easy to use products that scan and repair corrupted PST using powerful algorithms. The software are usable in each instance of PST corruption.

Stellar Phoenix Outlook PST Repair is an advanced utility that repairs corrupted PST and restores it as a new Outlook-importable PST. The Outlook PST Recovery tool supports MS Outlook 2007, 2003, 2002, and 2000. The software has an interactive display that resembles that of Outlook.