PST Crash

We were called out today by a client who has 2 machines where no emails were working..#

you might think - "what's the point!".

We all know there is a 2GB limit in outlook for PST datebase.

We use Exchange where no PST is stored but a Mailbox is used my mailbox is 5gb and stretches for 8 years. (yes I have records of all my mail).

anyway back to the 2GB problem:

Machine 1 had outlook working in safe mode and nothing happening, so we stopped outlook and I tried to check the machine, no errors, Luckily when you install office a tool called scanpst.exe and scanost.exe

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/287497

both these help repair the relevant database and recover emails.

after 2 hours of scanpst running 71 bad messages were fix and about 200 lost messages recovered. - the store was only at 1GB, so no need to trim the database.

after a reboot, success it works.

machine 2:

this was a challenge !! ran the scanpst tool, and and repaired - nearly took 3 hours, the database turned out to be 1.98GB, I got a tool called pst2gb.exe

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=296088

by running this tool, it allows you to choose how much to cut off, here I chose 250Mb (it only cuts of the oldest mail)

Once this was done i had to run the ScanPST.exe tool again, this took about 3 hours again, outlook started to work.


SUCCESS..


DID you know Outlook 2003/2007 have different PST file sizes.. (not announced publicly by MS)

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/830336

OMG.. and look

here is how to get up to 20GB per PST..

For Outlook 2003 add this regkey

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook\PST

The user preference location for the registry entries is located in the following path in Registry Editor:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook\PST

change these keys:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
3. In the left pane, expand My Computer, and then expand HKEY_CURRENT_USER.
4. Expand Software, and then expand Policies.
5. Expand Microsoft, and then expand Office.
6. Expand 11.0 for Outlook 2003 and 12.0 for Outlook 2007, and then expand Outlook.
7. Click PST, and then right-click MaxFileSize in the right pane.
8. Click Modify, and then type the value in the Value data box.
9. Click OK.
10. Right-click WarnFileSize, and repeat steps 8 through 9.
11. Right-click MaxLargeFileSize, and repeat steps 8 through 9.
12. Right-click WarnLargeFileSize, and repeat steps 8 through 9.

Add the values you need to 7,10,11 and 12.

if these keys don't exist then make them using the Reg_Dword

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/832925/

Hope that helps.

I think if you use PST, create a reg fragment with the keys and deploy it by double clicking it, so its the same on all the machines.

Which Browser

Before anyone give me any rubbish about which is better, well don't as they all do similar things diff rent ones have different features. - deal with it!


IE7

• Tabbed browsing
• Quick Tabs
• Tab Groups
• Streamlined interface
• Advanced printing
• Instant Search box
• Favorites Center
• RSS feeds
• Page zoom
  

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/ie/features.mspx


IE8

• New to Beta 2! InPrivate
• New to Beta 2! Delete Browsing History Search
• New to Beta 2! Search Suggestions
• New to Beta 2! User Preference Protection
• New to Beta 2! Caret BrowsingAccelerators (previously known as Activities)
• New to Beta 2! Suggested SitesFavorites Bar
• New to Beta 2! Tab GroupingAutomatic Crash Recovery
• SmartScreen Filter (previously known as the Phishing Filter)
• Web Slices
  

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/internet-explorer/beta/welcome/tour.html

Firefox3

• One Click Bookmarking
• Instant Website ID
• Full Zoom
• Password Manager
• Smart Location Bar
• Platform-Native look and feel
  

http://www.mozilla-europe.org/en/firefox/features/

Google Chrome

• New Tab page
• Application shortcuts
• Dynamic tabs
• Crash control
• Incognito modeSafe browsing
• Instant bookmarks
• Importing settings
• Simpler downloads

http://www.google.com/chrome/intl/en-GB/features.html?hl=en-GB

Slow PC and just poor

Well this could be several reasons:

1. Check you don't have more then ONE Virus scanner, (more then one they will fight each other for files)
2. Check for Viruses, sometime we get machines in and Norton/McAfee or AVG is on them and they still have viruses, We use Sophos for Business and for Home use I use AVG.
3. Your hard disk could be fragmented. Try and de-fragment the hard disk
4. Do you have enough RAM or Hard disk Space - people buy machines install software more and more then it get slower and slower.
5. Some updates might not have installed correctly! make sure your up to date.
6. Is the computer slow at certain times? (When you turn it on, slow for 2 hours then, OK?) This could be some software scanning your machine - just change the time for it to scan.

The best tool to tidy up a PC is !cleanup (written by Steven Gould) its free and WILL remove lots of rubbish and all temp files. One one customer we used it and cleared 15Gb.

The other tool I would recommend is Spybot-Search and Destroy (again its free from safer-networking) see my spyware.

My RAM Recommendations are:

1GB Ram XP
2GB Ram Vista

your Hard disk depends on how much your going to store on it, I would start now with 160GB minimum, I Know we used to supply 80GB (but not for the last 9 months).

Both Tools run fine one Home machines, and work machines, (XP no problem) Vista run as Admin.

That that for now.

Slow Logon/Logoff

This can be a Pain in the XXX... anyway,

you spend hours cleaning up the desktop, programs and cache, and still slow.

Here is a tool which cleans the machine for you " Its all down to the hive"

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=1B286E6D-8912-4E18-B570-42470E2F3582&displaylang=en

The Program is a service that cleans the user hive every time someone logs off.. - That's it

to find out more read this: http://blogs.technet.com/uphclean/

Well at least I don't have to backup the user and recreate it