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10.4. Outlook reconciliation process causes delay
If the .pst file or the .ost file shuts down incorrectly, you may receive one of the following error messages the next time that you start Outlook:
- Error message 1
Outlook cannot open the data file filename until it has been checked for problems.
- Error message 2
Microsoft Office Outlook' exited without properly closing your Outlook data file 'drive:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\outlook.ost'. 'Microsoft Office Outlook' must be restarted. If this error message recurs, contact support for 'Microsoft Office Outlook' for assistance.
- Error message 3
The data file filename was not closed properly'. This file is being checked for problems.
If you receive one or more of these error messages, you may experience performance issues until Outlook finishes the reconciliation process for the .ost file or for the .pst file. The following gear icon appears in the status bar while Outlook checks the data file in the background:
When this icon disappears, the .pst file or the .ost file is reconciled. If you are running Outlook 2010, the reconciliation process will pause at shutdown and resume (from where it was paused) the next time that you start Outlook.
An incorrectly shut down .ost file or .pst file may occur for one of the following reasons:
- Antivirus scanning of the file
- Forced Microsoft Windows shutdown before the Outlook.exe process shuts down completely
- Outlook add-ins
If you see this issue frequently, and you have to exit Outlook shortly before you shut down your computer, it may be better to shut down Windows while Outlook is still running. We recommend that you do this instead of exiting Outlook and then shutting down Windows shortly after that.