Firstly thanks Microsoft for another of those beautifully crafted error messages.
I got one of these nice 0×80040600 Send and receive failed on all of my Outlook email accounts and after an hour of Googling and fidgeting with my laptop I managed to get to the bottom of it and find the fix. So here it is.
First an explanation: Outlook stores all your email information in a single file of the pst format. The error code 0×80040600 means that this has become corrupt. The fix here was done in Vista but the general principle remains the same across the various incarnations of Windows.
Now the fix: as with anything Microsoft you may need to do a few preperatory steps.
Ensure that you’re system is configured to show hidden files and folders.
Go to the Start Menu and select Control Panel. From the left sidebar ensure that Classic View is selected. Now look for the Folders icon and double click to launch it. In the dialog that opens select the second tab: View. Somewhere in this list there is an option to Show hidden files and folders that you should check. Once your done click Apply and then close the dialog.
Now it’s time to find your Outlook Data File.
Heads up: it’s normally stored in C:/Users/USERNAME/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Outlook/Outlook.pst (Don’t forget to change the drive and USERNAME in that path to suit your setup).
If you can’t find it you can use Outlook to show you where it is. Open Outlook, go to the top menu and select File >> Data File Management. This opens a dialog with a list of your Outlook data files. The main one is normally called Personal Folders. Make a note of the file path shown beside the folder name. It will be something like the one shown above.
Fixing your corrupt Outlook Data File.
EXIT OUTLOOK BEFORE YOU DO THIS.
Microsoft provide you with a tool to fix Corrupt Outlook datafiles, but naturally they hide it well out of the way. The file is called SCANPST.EXE and it resides here:
C:/Program%20Files/Common%20Files/System/MSMAPI/1033/SCANPST.EXE
Once you have found it, ensure Outlook isn’t running and double click SCANPST.EXE to run.
In the dialogue that opens, use the Browse button to locate the Outlook data file (pst) that we found above.
Once you have found that just click Start and watch the magic unfold. When the tool has finished its scan and repair your Outlook should be all back to normal and sending and receiving again without any issues.
This solved my problem and the instructions were thorough and easy to follow. Thank you, Tim!
Ah thanks Tim You Gem!
I was getting worried that I had lost 3 months worth of emails, phew, I am going to start backing up my .pst I think.
With Outlook 2007, the SCANPST.EXE file is located in \Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\
Thanks for the tip!
Well done Tim, this tip saved me a lot of time.
One thing I can add: users connected to Exchange servers but *not* using a PST file (i.e. they always log on to the mailbox on the server) *but* using “offline folders” (I don’t remember the exact naming convention in Outlook – something about synchronised mode or something?) can get this error if the OST file gets corrupted. OST basically serves the same purpose as a PST, it’s a local copy of the user’s mailbox.
In the same folder as SCANPST.EXE you will find SCANOST.EXE which does the same thing, with one proviso: you have to be logged on to the computer as the same user who has the mail problem. You also have to be logged out of Outlook.
If the computer is on the same LAN as the Exchange Server, and the mailbox is quite large, I suggest taking an even easier route though: just delete (or rename) the OST file. When next Outlook is opened, it automatically rebuilds the OST file and downloads all the mail again (which is why I say *if* you are on the same LAN as the server – re-synchronising an entire 2 GB mailbox over a slow WAN link might be tedious).
Good luck!
Chris
I wish I had found this artical earlier I lost my pst.file with all my contacts.
Thanks a lot, your guide saved me a lot of time.
I was experiencing the same with only one of my mail accounts synced with Outlook 2010 Technical Preview. YOur solution worked like a charm.
With Outlook 2010, the SCANPST.EXE file is located in \Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14\
I ran SCANPST but after going throught the 8 phases a window shows up to start the repairs. Under details you can also find what the scan found. However, after running the repairs, the program stops reacting.
I have ran also the chkdsk, MS Office diagnostic and I put the system back to a few days before, when I could open Outlook without problems.
I work on Windows XP and Office 2007. The outlook.pst file is about 3.9 Gb.
Anny suggestions what to do now??
Thanks.
Thanks to Tim and RANDY….Tim gave me the solution but Randy told the path to find the fix exactly….
Thanks to you both. It worked perfectly…EXCELLENT.