How to repair corrupt NSF files?

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Corrupted NSF files? Looking for a way to repair corrupt NSF file database? Then in this blog, we are going to discuss some of the methods by which you can recover corrupt NSF files easily. The chances of corruption in Domino Administrators are very rare, but once the corruption occurs then you cannot access the NSF database. Any kind of inaccessibility to the Lotus Notes database can have a severe effect on your productivity and ultimately causes loss in an organization. So, in this blog, we are going to discuss some of the reasons which cause corruption in the NSF database, methods to resolve errors, and some preventive measures. 

Reasons for Lotus Notes NSF files corruption-

Before discussing the methods to repair corrupt NSF files, first, let us discuss some reasons which lead to NSF file corruption. The most common reason which makes the NSF inaccessible is the sudden breakdown of the Domino Server. Also, there are several other reasons which can make your Lotus Notes files corrupted. Some of the reasons are-

Unsecure Add-ins- Any bad third party Add-ins can affect the Domino Database and damages the NSF files. The faulty add-ins may slow down the server response and ultimately corrupt the Lotus Notes files.

Excessive Size- The Lotus Notes can handle the large NSF database very easily, however, if the size of the database gets beyond the limit then it may cause several errors. If you don’t take some preventive measures to resolve the size issue then it may cause corruption in NSF files. 

Sudden Server Breakdown- Frequent crashing of Domino Server may badly affect the Lotus Notes files and causes corruption. So, if your server crashes so often then it’s better to keep a backup of your Lotus Notes files. 

Manipulation with database- Any kind of wrong activity or manipulation while accessing the database can severely affect the NSF files and lead to corruption. 

Malware Attack- Malware attack or virus infection also damages the NSF files. This is very rare but once your database is infected, you have to take the preventive action immediately.

Hardware Problems- Hardware failures also affects the NSF database. You cannot access the NSF database if your hardware device gets failed. 

How to repair corrupt NSF files easily?

If you receive the errors like “The file appears to be corrupted”, “Database corrupt- Cannot Allocate Space”, “Error reading file”, etc. then there is a possibility that your NSF files got damaged. Now if you have tried all several tactics to repair corrupt Lotus Notes files then dont worry in the next section we are going to discuss different methods by which you can recover damaged NSF files easily. Use the below methods and properly implement each step and you will surely recover corrupt Lotus Notes files.

Reconstructing Lotus Notes Mailbox folder-

This is the manual procedure and in this method, we will try to reconstruct the Lotus Notes mailbox folder. We will use the inbuilt Lotus Notes tool to perform this task.  Follow the given steps-

  • Select the Domino Server, and run it as Domino Administrator. 
  • If this does not work, then log in to the local server to run fixup on the database.
  • Go to the “File” tab, choose the desired database that you want to recover.
  • Click on the “Tools” Panel and select the desired database and finally click on “Fixup”, then click “OK”.

Using Command Prompt-

In this method, we will use the command prompt to fix the error-

  • Press “Windows+R”, then in the “Run” box type “cmd” and hit enter. 
  • Now set the directory of the Lotus Notes file and write “nfixup.exe/X:/.nsf” and then press enter. This command will repair corrupt nsf files and minor bugs in the NSF file database. But if you are still unable to access the NSF files then type “ncompact.exe X:/.nsf” and press enter. 
  • If in case none of the commands works then use “nupdall -r X:/.nsf” command and it will rebuild the entire NSF database. 

Making the entire database again-

If you are unfamiliar with the commands and hesitating using the second procedure then you can replace the old NSF database with a new one. Once you have created the database then create a most recent backup of the NSF files. 

Preventive measures to avoid NSF corruption-

No one can predict the exact future, so it’s better to take some preventive measures. Some of the preventive measure you can take to avoid NSF file corruption are-

  • Take backups- Take regular backups of your database.
  • Disable all the servers for transaction logging in Domino Server.
  • Maintains the database size- Analyze the size of your database and check whether it is not exceeding the defined limits. If in case the size of the database is too large then you can Merge NSF files. 
  • Avoid manipulation with the databases.

Published by alvin