PST file too big for its boot
Tuesday, July 8th, 2008
big boot
Well, that is somewhat tongue in cheek. I have never heard of a .pst file which prevented a systems from booting but I have over the years come accross many .pst files which were too big to be usable in a beneficial manner. Some years ago this was attributed to the user having an old version of Outlook. Some things dont change because it is the most commonly suggested solution to this day if the user does not have the absolute latest version of Outlook.
The real issue is that Outlook works well up to specifc file sizes. In earlier years there was a circ 2 gig limit on the usable Outlook pst file but later versions can work (not should or definitely will) with considerably larger files.
You can approach this issue from a number of different perspectives.
If outlook actually works but is just slow on occasion or specific tasks.
You could get a later version of outlook. You can upgrade your RAM or get a system with a more capable processor.
If outlook wont open at all you may need to use a ulitity (Microsoft or third party) to fix the .pst file and another to crop it down to a usable level.
Again, after the immediate file issue is resolved you can upgrade outlook and your hardware.
Another option is to use another mail client. Mozilla is a common choice as it is reported as being more capable with large mail quantities. Common issue here however are the added functionality of outlook such as callender and office features.
Other possibilities are to consider using exchange as this reduces the local system resource required on a per mail access basis.
