How to Troubleshoot Microsoft Outlook When Something Goes Wrong

Microsoft Outlook is one of the most popular Email programs in the world. However, like any computer program, there are plenty of things that can go wrong with it. Today, we’re going to show you how to easily troubleshoot Microsoft Outlook when any sort of error occurs.

Cannot send or receive emails in Microsoft Outlook

This is one of the most frequently occurring errors within Outlook, and it’s also one of the most frustrating. Since most people use Outlook solely to send or receive email, it’s important that you fix this issue as soon as possible.

This error frequently occurs due to problems with the PST or OST files. Together, these files contain most of your personal data on Outlook, including emails, contact information, calendar events, and more. If something goes wrong with either one of these files, then Outlook may prevent you from accessing or altering your data.

Fortunately, a number of tech support companies have developed solutions to this problem. One solution is to use a PST or OST splitter, which breaks down the data files into smaller chunks. Not only does this allow you to access your data again, but it may also make Outlook load faster.

Recover lost emails in Microsoft Outlook

Another common problem that Outlook users experience is lost emails. Sometimes, emails are lost because the user accidentally deleted them. Other times, emails can simply go missing, or fall through a crack within the system. Whether you use your email to handle your business or personal life, it’s important to recover these emails as quickly as possible.

How do you do that? Well, many of the same companies that designed PST and OST splitter programs also include an email recovery tool as part of their package. Fortunately, Outlook doesn’t always permanently delete emails, even if you have already deleted them completely from the Outlook interface. Recovering this data is a simple matter of accessing the OST or PST file and then restoring any emails that lay hidden inside.

It’s difficult for the average PC user to recover emails without relying on a third-party program, which is why so many companies have risen to meet this demand. While you will usually have to shell out some cash for the email recovery program, the usefulness of such tools cannot be underestimated.

2GB file size limit errors, 0x80040116, and similar problems

Sometimes, the error messages that Outlook sends out are vague and uninformative. If Outlook is displaying an error code (for example 0x80040116 )that has a long string of numbers in it, or mentions something about a file size limit, then you likely have a problem with your PST file.

As mentioned above, the PST file is a very important part of Outlook. However, the amount of data it can hold is limited to 2GB. This is designed to prevent slowdowns and crashes while Outlook starts up. If you have used Outlook on your PC for a while and have noticed that it is slowing down, then you could be approaching this 2GB limit.

So how do you troubleshoot this problem? Well, as mentioned above, you can use one of many PST splitters available on the internet. This circumvents the file size limit by breaking your PST file down into smaller parts. Or, if you would rather not spend a lot of money on fixing Outlook, then Microsoft offers a free tool called scanpst.exe that may be able to fix your problem. Unfortunately, the success rate of scanpst.exe is infamously low.

Even if you’re able to split your PST file down into smaller parts, it isn’t a very permanent solution. Instead, the best way to resolve this issue is to increase the size of your PST file. This can be done by changing entries in the Windows Registry. Here’s a step by step guide on how to do that:

For Outlook 2010 users:

1. Go to Start->Run and type in regedit. This will take you to the Windows Registry.
2. Navigate to the folder HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftOffice14.0OutlookPST
3. You should see several entries pop up in this folder. Find the one named “MaxFileSize” and right-click on it.
4. The string of numbers in the ‘Value data’ box represents the file size limit (in bytes). Click ‘modify’ and type in the new file size limit. To make this step easier, you may want to simply double the first digit.
5. Repeat this for the entries labelled WarnFileSize, MaxLargeFileSize, and WarnLargeFileSize.

For Outlook 2007 users:

• For Step 2, navigate to this entry instead:  HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftOffice12.0OutlookPST

For Outlook 2003 users:

• For Step 2, navigate to this entry instead: HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftOffice11.0OutlookPST

Summary

Of course, if none of these suggestions solved your problem, then all hope is not lost. Search Google to find other people who have experienced your issue. Outlook has a vast user base, and there is a very good chance that somebody, somewhere in the world has experienced the same error as you.

If you still can’t find a way to solve your problem, ask your question on tech support forums, or email Microsoft for assistance. The internet is filled with such valuable resources, and thanks to modern technology, getting the solution you need has never been easier.