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Outlook.pst Has Detected a Catalog Checkpoint Error and its Solutions

  author
Published By Mohit Jha
Tej Pratap Shukla
Approved By Tej Pratap Shukla
Published On May 31st, 2024
Reading Time 7 Minutes Reading

“I am trying to technically support one of our clients who is using Zimbra email account with Microsoft Outlook 2007 (12.0.6514.5000) SP1 MSO (12.0.6320.5000). He is getting Outlook.pst has detected a catalog checkpoint error and the following error message.

‘Faulting application OUTLOOK.EXE, 
version 12.0.6514.5000, 
time stamp 0x4a89dc70, 
faulting module OUTLOOK.EXE, 
version 12.0.6514.5000, 
time stamp 0x4a89dc70, 
exception code 0xc0000005, 
fault offset 0x002d5360, 
process id 0x58c, 
application start time 0x01caf74fd0f9c6bc.
The store C:\Documents and Settings\\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\outlook.ost has detected a catalog checkpoint.’

Have anyone experienced this error before? Is this something that we would fix the server side or something is corrupted within the Outlook. Can anybody point me to a solution?”

Cause: PST Has Detected a Catalog Checkpoint

The Microsoft data storage file Outlook.pst has detected a catalog checkpoint error means the MS Outlook application has reached a point where it has to save entire information saved in the cache memory (or log) into the existing PST or OST file (for creating a checkpoint). It is so because at that point in time the Outlook data file (PST/ OST) includes updated information.

Basically, the checkpoint is triggered by the Windows Search engine, which means the search engine is requesting Outlook to update the PST/ OST file with anything it has in the cache to make it capable to analyze and index the content of that file. The event is ‘information’ level only because it has no issue, however, sometimes the complete operation failed and displays event errors.

Description for Outlook Error

MS Outlook log allows certain events to save in the Application log. And this will be handy to troubleshoot the search issues in Outlook account. In order to view the errors, runeventvwr.msc to begin the Event Viewer.

Outlook is re-indexing a mailbox and promoting “The store is being re-pushed to the indexer” error due to one of the following reasons. It can also be the cause for the occurrence of Outlook.pst has detected a catalog checkpoint issue:

  • Resetting Index & Re-push Store: If the MS Outlook application has detected the indexer catalog was reset and it often happens with event 31 and below.
  • Deleted MAPI Start Page: If the user has selected to not index Outlook email before or if this is the first time when Outlook is running.
  • First Connection to Index: If the mailbox has never been run on Outlook 2007 or above version with enabled indexing.
  • Recently Created Store: If the mailbox is created recently.

Solution: Outlook.pst Has Detected a Catalog Checkpoint Error

Outlook.pst has detected a catalog checkpoint is a normal error that can occur on a regular basis while using MS Outlook 2007, 2010, 2013 or any above version. Also, there might be several reasons responsible for the occurring of ‘PST file has detected a catalog checkpoint’ error. B

elow are some basic troubleshooting techniques by which one can resolve this Outlook catalog checkpoint error quickly and make Outlook application work normally:

1. Disable Outlook Add-ins

Outlook add-ins can interrupt the working of Outlook application sometimes and disabling them can fix this Outlook.pst has detected a catalog checkpoint errors. Below are the guidelines to turn off Outlook add-in in Windows OS:

For Outlook 2007

  1. Click on Tools >> Trust Center >> Add-ins
  2. Now, in Manage drop-down list from the bottom, choose the add-ins you would like to disable
  3. Click Go and let the changes apply

Note: Some add-ins requires to restart Outlook application for changes to take effect

For Outlook 2010, Outlook 2013, Outlook 2016

  1. Click on File >> Options >> Add-Ins
  2. In Manage drop-down list from the bottom choose the add-ins you would like to disable
  3. Click Go and let it make changes

Note: For some add-ins, you need to restart Outlook application for changes to take effect.

2. Create New Profile

Defected or corrupted old Outlook profile also might result in Outlook.pst has detected a catalog checkpoint error. Following are the guidelines to create a new profile in Outlook:

  1. First of all, close Outlook application
  2. Navigate to Windows Control Panel and open Mail

Note: The location of Mail option depends upon the OS but, usually it is in Accounts or Internet section. If you are not getting the option then, use the search bar.

  1. In Mail window, you will get the name of the current profile in the title bar
  2. Click Show Profiles and you will get all your profiles (including default)
  3. In order to add a profile, click Add
  4. Enter an appropriate name for the new profile and click OK
  5. Setup an email account for the newly created profile and click Finish
  6. Select Prompt for a profile to be used the option or change the profile you are using by default Click OK

3. Perfect One Stop Solution – Fix Corrupted PST File

If the PST has detected a catalog checkpoint issue is still not resolved then, it is very clear that your Outlook PST file is highly corrupted. In such a case, you need to take help from a reliable third-party tool i.e., Outlook Repair Tool. It is a powerful software that can repair and restore corrupted PST in PST/ EML/ MSG/ HTML/ Office 365. It performs PST file recovery quickly in no time even without resulting in any kind of data loss. Below are the steps to repair corrupted PST file and fix Outlook.pst has detected a catalog checkpoint issue:

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  • Download and launch PST File Recovery & Repair Tool
  • Add the affected PST file and select the Advanced Scanning mode
  • After this, the software will preview all recovered emails, contacts, tasks, calendars, notes, and journals
  • Click Save to export the recovered data and select PST as an export option
  • Once the export process gets completed, launch MS Outlook and import repaired PST files

These steps will resolve Outlook PST error surely if it is causing due to corrupted Outlook PST.

4. Run Scanpst.exe – Alternative Manual Way to Repair PST

Corrupted Outlook Personal Folder Table (PST) file is one of the major factors that are responsible for the Outlook.pst has detected a Catalog Checkpoint issue. A PST file can be repaired easily using Inbox Repair Tool provided by Microsoft. Below is how to repair minor damaged Outlook PST file:

  1. Launch MS Outlook and click Tools >> Account Settings
  2. Click on Data Files and copy the location of corrupted PST files that are causing the issue
  3. Now, close Outlook application and run Inbox Repair Tool (Scanpst.exe)
  4. Paste the location of PST files in Enter the name of the file you want to scan box
  5. Hit the Start button
  6. After this, the tool will start scanning the issues within browsed PST and will remove them (if any).

After implementing any of the above-mentioned solutions, open your Outlook and check if PST file has detected a catalog checkpoint problem still persists.

Conclusion

How to resolve Outlook.pst has detected a catalog checkpoint error has become a common Internet search today. Well, this error can occur due to multiple reasons. In this article, we have tried to roll up all the possible causes as well as solutions to fix PST file error in an efficient manner. Apart from this, a professional solution is also discussed here to resolve the storage file PST has detected a catalog checkpoint issues or error in Outlook account.

  author

By Mohit Jha

Mohit is a Microsoft-certified expert who has assisted thousands of clients with Outlook & Microsoft Office 365 issues. He enjoys writing on email clients as well as data migration. He is always excited about giving troubled readers the most up-to-date knowledge, explanation, and refinements.