What is Microsoft Outlook? and What does it Contains?

Microsoft introduces a personal information manager name as Microsoft Outlook, which is available as a part of Microsoft Office suite. Although often used as email application, it also contains feature like calendar, contact manager, task manager, note taking etc. Outlook can be used as standalone application or with Exchange server for n- number of users. With additional software, MS Outlook is also unified with mobile devices such as phones.

When utilizing Outlook for email, it has common features combine with email applications such as Outbox, Inbox, Deleted Items and Drafts. Outlook calendar element can be use to keep appointments and can be synchronize with other user's calendar. The calendar can be helpful for tracking events especially when used with alarms and sound alerts. Tasks are also helpful for remembering thing you need to do. The contacts elements of Outlook can save address, contact detail and email of family and friends. Message can also directly send from contact list.

All that work we perform on Outlook is stored in a data file called personal storage table (.pst). It is most common file where Outlook information is saved by small organization or home user. As home user commonly use Internet service provider to connect with internet, ISP also brings one or more email accounts name as POP3 and IMAP. Another type of account is a web-based or HHTP that works very much alike to IMAP email accounts. All three type of account use .pst file.

Type of PST file in Microsoft Outlook

UNICODE: It's a default file format new versions of Microsoft Outlook like 2013, 2010, 2007 and 2003. Unicode file format support multiple character sets, has no limitation in number of items per folder. It has an increased file size limit of 20 GB which is to times then the previous ANSI file.

ANSI: It's a default file format of Outlook 2002 and earlier version, the .pst files are in American National Standard Institute (ANSI) format, and overall size has a limit of 2 GB. An ANSI PST file that goes beyond the 2 GB file size limit gets vulnerable to corruption.

So that many users want to convert ANSI PST (personal store) file used by older version of Outlook in the new Unicode format, unfortunately there is no automatic way to convert ANSI format to Unicode format or Unicode format to ANSI. You'll need to drag and drop copy of items from one file to another.

Due to over sizing of Outlook Data file following error messages pop up

xxxx.pst cannot be accessed – 0x80040116

The above mentioned error develops when PST files reached beyond a particular size limit. On getting this error, user is unable to read PST files and in worse situations, there can be unaffordable data loss. To avoid such unacceptable circumstances, it is better to split oversized PST file. The best way to cut PST file is to employ a third party software that break oversized file to save users from unexpected stroke in the future.