From time to time, you may get error messages when synchronizing your offline folder (.ost) file in Outlook 2000 with your mailbox on a Microsoft Exchange server. Or, you may notice that some items are missing from your offline folder file or from your mailbox after you synchronize the two. Previously, the only way to correct some of these problems was to delete the .ost file, recreate it, and then synchronize it with the server to restore the data. This meant that you lost any information that was in only the .ost file. It was also inconvenient if your connection to the server was slow, which it can be with many modems.

Now there's a tool that automatically resolves synchronization issues for you. The OST Integrity Check Tool for Outlook 2000 scans your .ost file and your mailbox on an Exchange server, comparing items and folders in each. If the tool finds any differences between the two sets of information, it will attempt to reconcile them. The tool records these differences in a scan log so you can see what discrepancies it found and resolved. The scan log also identifies any situations the tool couldn't correct that you'll need to fix manually.

To download the tool, see Outlook 2000 OST Integrity Check Tool. For detailed information about running the tool, understanding messages it displays, reading the scan log, and manually resolving the issues the tool couldn't resolve, see the readme file ScanOST.txt. It's installed by default at c:\Program Files\Common Files\System\Mapi\1033\NT, or 95.

 Note   The Inbox Repair Tool (Scanpst.exe) is another tool you can use to diagnose and repair errors in your .ost file. However, the Inbox Repair Tool scans only the .ost file, making sure that the file structure is intact. It doesn't scan your mailbox on the Exchange server. Use the Inbox Repair Tool if you have problems opening your .ost file. Use the OST Integrity Check Tool if you get error messages when you synchronize your .ost file with the Exchange server.