Unable to Import Password-Protected PST

Microsoft Office Outlook supports password-protection for its local storage file-PST. Each time when the application tries to open the password-protected PST, it prompts a window asking for the correct password. The same goes with the PST import process. When you try to import the password-protected PST to use in MS Outlook, a dialog-box appears (sometimes twice) prompting you to enter the password. But if you have forgotten or lost the PST password, this results into a completely inaccessible file. You can either restore this file from a backup or use a PST Password Recovery solution that can recover the lost password.

To illustrate such problems, suppose you have a password-protected PST. To access its data, you try to import it. You click File Open Outlook Data File and browse to the file to select it. When you click OK to finally import it within Outlook, the PST password dialog box appears. You fail to import the PST because you cannot remember or has lost the password for this file.

Cause
A PST is not specific to the owner, rather it requires the password to be opened if it is password-protected. You cannot finish the import process with a password-protected PST without specifying the correct password.

Solution

To finish the import process and regain access to the data of password-protected PST, you need to implement these suggestions:

1-You can try to recall the lost or forgotten password. If the password is saved in any file or written in any document, you can access it to import the file.
2-Microsoft provides pst19upg.exe utility that is actually meant for upgrading the PST file. But while this process, it also removes the password from PST. You can use this tool to remove the PST password, but it works in limited number of cases.
3-If none of the above measures work, it is suggested to use an Outlook Password Recovery application. These are specific tools that use safe algorithms to recover a PST password. PST Password Recovery software generally provide you a series of PST-usable passwords and an interactive user interface to work with.

Stellar Phoenix Outlook Password Recovery v1.1 is a powerful solution that recovers lost or forgotten PST passwords. The advanced Outlook Password Recovery tool generates multiple PST passwords, each of which is usable to open the password-locked PST. The software supports MS Outlook 2007, 2003, 2002, and 2000.

PST Password Bugs and Recovery

In Microsoft Outlook with IMAP or POP3 account, all emails are downloaded to a locally stored file called PST. To prevent their unauthorized access, Outlook allows you to protect the file using password protection. This may prove an infalible way for data privacy, but actually a PST password is not safe. Though there are several Outlook password Recovery solutions available for PST to help when you lose or forget this password, the PST password protection can be broken.

The way PST password is saved suffers from two major bugs, described underneath:

1-Same CRC Value: The PST password is not saved in the file itself, instead Outlook uses a 32-bit hash value to represent it. To generate this value, Outlook uses CRC32 algorithm (though with some minor changes), which is comparatively weaker than its other counterparts. Now, for each 32-bit number, one can have a lots of matching values that work as a PST password. Thus, you can open the password-protected PST using the same CRC value.
2-Null Password: As described, Outlook uses 32-bit value to represent the PST password. But if this value equals to 0, one can easily open the apparently password-protected PST without actually typing any password. In other words, if the CRC value of your password matches to zero value, there is no need that you specify a password to open it. Some examples of such passwords are tHPuT3, pLMtUP, 5kfzQx etc.

Despite the above facts, there is no alternative to recover a lost or forgotten PST password. There are several instances when you may lose the password for your password-protected file. For example, you save your PST password in a file and store it on your system hard disk. Later, you delete the file accidentally and as a result, you lose the password.

PST Password Recovery tools allow you to recover such lost passwords. These are scanning-based utilities built with safe algorithms to provide password recovery for your PST. Outlook Password Recovery solutions are graphically rich applications that come embedded with advanced options. The software are easy to install and use.

Stellar Phoenix Outlook Password Recovery v1.1 is an advanced utility that recovers lost or forgotten PST passwords with no hassle. The safe Outlook Password Recovery tool supports Outlook 2007, 2003, 2002 and 2000. The comprehensive software gives you self-explanatory interface. The tool doesn't require any prior technical understanding to implement it.

Outlook Prompts for a PST Password Even When You Don’t Access it

Microsoft Outlook allows you to opt between two password options for Personal Folders (.pst) file. You can either save the password in the password list or decide not to save it. To save the password, you can select the ‘ Save this password in your password list’ option in the dialog box to create the Personal Folders. However, in the latter option, you are prompted for the password each time when you try to open and access the Personal Folders file. The PST data becomes inaccessibile if you forget or lose this password. You can open a password-protected .pst file without specifying the correct password. To deal with such problems, you need a password cracker program that could enable PST Password Recovery.As a scenario, you can consider a problem when you configure a .pst file in Microsoft Outlook. At this point, when you try to open Outlook, you might be prompted to enter a password. It may also happen while normal operations in Outlook. This occurs even when you don’t access the .pst file.

Cause

The above issue is observed when you don’t save the Personal Folders file’s password in password list and configure the file as the default mail delivery location. It can also occur if a rule has been defined that is referencing to the password-protected Personal Folders file or the file is consisted of an item that has been triggered in Outlook.

Solution

To solve the above problem, you can go with the following workarounds:

· If the password-protected .pst file is your default mail delivery location, you can either change it or specify the password each time you log on.

· You should try to disable all the Outlook rules.

· You can analyze the calendar and task items to determine the triggered item.

If you don’t save the password for Personal Folders file, you cannot access your password-protected file unless it is correct. At times, you can forget or lose it that renders your data inaccessibile. In such situations, you are suggested to use third-party Password Recovery programs for .pst file. PST Password Recovery solutions are scanning-based products with graphically rich interface and impressive features that allow for safe recovery of lost or forgotten PST password.

Stellar Phoenix Outlook Password Recovery v1.1 is an efficient and safe solution to recover lost PST passwords. The tool supports Password Recovery for files created with Outlook 2007, 2003, 2002 and 2000. It is a complete solution that provides you multiple passwords, using either of which you can gain access to your locked PST.