OL97: Error Message: PST Is In Use by Another Application

ID: Q250653

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Outlook 97

SYMPTOMS

When you start Outlook, or try to access your personal folders file (.pst) stored on a network drive, you may receive the following error message:

File <drive and path>\xxxx.pst is in use by another application. Close Microsoft Exchange and all other mail-enabled applications and try again.

This problem occurs even if you have full access permissions and there is no password on the .pst file. The problem may appear intermittently.

CAUSE

This problem can occur if the .pst file is being accessed by a backup program. Larger .pst files take longer to back up and are more prone to this issue if the backup is running while someone is trying to access it.

RESOLUTION

Contact the server administrator for the network server that your .pst is stored on to stop the backup job, or wait for the backup to finish and then start Outlook.

Additional query words:

Keywords :
Version : WINDOWS:97
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbprb