OL2000: Error Message Starting Outlook While .pst Backup In Progress (237549)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Outlook 2000
This article was previously published under Q237549

SYMPTOMS

If you start a session to back up a personal folder (.pst) file using Microsoft Outlook Personal Folders Backup, and then restart Outlook before the backup is complete, you may see the following warning message:
Cannot copy <.pst name>: There has been a sharing violation. The source or destination file may be in use.

CAUSE

The personal folder is currently open by the Personal Folders Backup process.

RESOLUTION

Wait for the backup process to complete before restarting Outlook. Continued attempts to start Outlook before the backup of the Personal Folder is complete may result in damage to the backup copy.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

This behavior may be noticed most often when backing up a large .pst file. To check if the backup process is complete or not, follow these steps:
  1. Press CTRL+ALT+DEL to display the Task List.
  2. Examine the processes running on the Task List. If you see an item named, "Backappl," the Personal Folder Backup process is still running.
  3. Click Cancel to close the Task List.
  4. Perform step 1 again after a short time. When the Personal Folders Backup process is complete, "Backappl" will no longer appear on the Task List.
If you suspect that a personal folder file has been damaged as a result of restarting Outlook while the backup was in process, you may be able to recover information by using the Inbox Repair Tool.

For additional information about using the Inbox Repair Tool with either the Corporate or Workgroup (CW) or Internet Mail Only IMO versions of Outlook, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

197315 OL2000: (IMO) Using the Inbox Repair Tool to Recover Messages

197316 OL2000: (CW) Using the Inbox Repair Tool to Recover Messages

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:10/8/2003
Keywords:kbbug kbnofix KB237549
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