Get copied .pst-file Contacts folder into an Outlook 2003 Address

[Guest]

I have Outlook 2003 on both a desktop and a new laptop, and I'm trying to get
the desktop's Address Book Contact list into the laptop's Address Book. I've
successfully copied the desktop's Outlook.pst file to the laptop, and its
emails and folders all appear, as well as the populated "Contacts" FOLDER.
But nothing appears when I click Tools/Address Book. The Address Book's "Show
Names..." dropdown box shows TWO "Contacts" items, subordinate to "Outlook
Address Book": the first is empty (the default Contacts folder); the second
is apparently my populated Contacts folder, but an error message appears when
I click on it, saying it can't be opened because "it's been moved or I don't
have permissions". This is a home computer with no admin hierarchy that I'm
aware of.

How can I get the contents of this Contacts folder to be accessable to my
new Address Book?

 

[Brian Tillman]

I have Outlook 2003 on both a desktop and a new laptop, and I'm
trying to get the desktop's Address Book Contact list into the
laptop's Address Book. I've successfully copied the desktop's
Outlook.pst file to the laptop, and its emails and folders all
appear, as well as the populated "Contacts" FOLDER. But nothing
appears when I click Tools/Address Book.

You must enavle the Contacts folder as an address book.
"Contact information does not appear in the address book in Outlook "
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/287563/en-us

 

[Guest]

Thanks very much - you solved my main problem.

A follow-up question : How can I make the Contacts folder that I just added
to the Address Book, the AB's DEFAULT Contacts folder? The default is now the
empty folder that existed after I installed Outlook. After the AB comes up, I
must scroll down in the Show Names dropdown list to the new folder, past the
empty default and a second folder that got inserted into this list by some
error on my part (if I click on that one, I get an error message that says it
was moved, deleted, or I do not have permissions).

Alternatively, is there a way to simply remove these first two folders from
this dropdown list?

 

[Brian Tillman]

Thanks very much - you solved my main problem.
Great.

A follow-up question : How can I make the Contacts folder that I just
added to the Address Book, the AB's DEFAULT Contacts folder? The
default is now the empty folder that existed after I installed
Outlook.

Tools>E-mail Accounts>View or change existing directories or address
books>Next. Select Outlook Address Book and click Change. Remove the bogus
contacts folder there. Stop and restart Outlook.

 

[Guest]

Thanks again!

I use the laptop only occasionally. If, in the future, I want to replace
this Contacts folder and transfer all my current emails from the desktop,
would I just rename (or delete) the old Outlook.pst file on the laptop and
then simply transfer (by CD) my then-current Outlook.pst file from the
desktop to the laptop? And would this automatically replace the Contacts
folder in the address book, or would I have to repeat the processes you've
given me?

 

[Brian Tillman]

I use the laptop only occasionally. If, in the future, I want to
replace this Contacts folder and transfer all my current emails from
the desktop, would I just rename (or delete) the old Outlook.pst file
on the laptop and then simply transfer (by CD) my then-current
Outlook.pst file from the desktop to the laptop?

No! Never manipulate a PST that is currently defined in a mail profile.
You will corrupt the profile. If you wish to replace an existing PST with
another as the default location for data, you will need to add the new PST
to the mail profile, make it the delivery location, then remove the existing
PST. If you wish to replace just a portion of the data in one PST with that
in another (for example, just the contacts), add the second PST to the
profile, then delete the data in the appropriate folder of the original PST,
then copy the contents of the corresponding folder in the new PST to the
folder in the original PST. You might also want to see if any sync tools
seem appropriate to you. See http://www.slipstick.com/outlook/sync.asp

And would this
automatically replace the Contacts folder in the address book, or
would I have to repeat the processes you've given me?

It wouldn't be automatic. First, it's always a bad idea to overwrite one
PST with another. If the overwritten PST was part of a mail profile, you'll
have just corrupted the profile. On top of that, nothing's magical about a
PST's location. Simply placing a PST in a particular file system folder
doesn't tell Outlook anything. It doesn't care what folder a PST's in.
You'd still have to tell Outlook where to find the PST and whether or not to
use the Contacts folders it contains in the resolutionj of addresses by
enabling them as address books, which makes them available through the
Outlook Address Book service.

 

[Guest]

Thanks again. I would always want to replace the entire PST. I am not
familiar with the terms "mail profile" and "delivery location", so could you
please give me the steps necessary to "add the new PST to the mail profile,
make it the delivery location, then remove the existing PST".

 

[Brian Tillman]

Thanks again. I would always want to replace the entire PST. I am not
familiar with the terms "mail profile" and "delivery location", so
could you please give me the steps necessary to "add the new PST to
the mail profile, make it the delivery location, then remove the
existing PST".

Use the Mail applet in Control Panel to modify an existing mail profile.