Outlook 2003 Myths

[DGD]

I use Outlook 2003 at work on a Toshiba Laptop with MS Windows XP SP3
(SP3 was just installed today). My Outlook pst file is approaching
1.6 GB and our IT staff indicate that any pst file larger than 2 GB
will slow down Outlook and all processes on the computer in general.
My pst file tends to get large because of attachments to the e-mails
themselves. I would like to archive my outlook messages with the
attachments, but I am deathly afraid that I will lose some critical
messages that I have accumulated in a number of folders over time
(over the past 5 years). Our IT department has also indicated that
the autoarchive function is very suspect and once created, it is
almost impossible to retrieve old messages from the archive folders.
That leaves me in a dilemma. If I can't archive, and my pst file
grows beyond 2 GB causing performance problems, what's the solution?
I searched this group to see if I could find anything that describes
the archiving function issues our IT guys have stated but I have seen
nothing along those lines.

How stable is the archive function in Outlook 2003 and just how large
can a pst file be before is causes problems?

Thanks

Doug

 

[Ben M. Schorr - MVP (OneNote)]

Your IT staff don't know what they're talking about.

1. A native Outlook 2003 PST file, i.e. a Unicode file created with
Outlook 2003, can grow beyond 2GB. Now it's true that the larger the
PST file the slower Outlook is likely to get, but there's nothing
magical about 2GB anymore. A 3GB PST will be slower than a 2GB which
will be slower than a 1GB.

HOWEVER: Make sure it's a Unicode PST file. A PST file created in an
earlier version (Outlook 2000 for example) or created in the format of
the earlier version will get VERY unstable as it approaches 2GB. Not
just slow, but actually serious potential for crashes and data loss. So
make sure it's a Unicode file. If the file was created with Outlook
2003, not upgraded from a previous version, then it's probably Unicode.
Your IT guys should be able to check pretty easily.

2. Outlook is a lousy file system. Create one or more folders,
preferably on a drive that gets backed up, save your attached documents
there and get rid of them in Outlook. That will simultaneously
significantly reduce the size of your .PST file, give you a better and
more reliable filing system, and improve the speed of Outlook.

3. Autoarchive is just fine. All it does is move messages that meet
certain criteria (generally age and location) to a different .PST file.
Perfectly easy to access those items later - I do it all the time. No
more susceptible to problems than any other PST file.

--
-Ben-
Ben M. Schorr, MVP
Roland Schorr & Tower
http://www.rolandschorr.com
http://www.officeforlawyers.com
Author - The Lawyer's Guide to Microsoft Outlook 2007:
http://tinyurl.com/5m3f5q

 

[Diane Poremsky [MVP]]

Go to File, Data file management. Select the account and click Settings.
Does it say 'outlook 97-2002' or just personal folders?

if just personal folders, no outlook version, you have the new unicode pst -
it can get huge. Default is 20 GB.


--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]





EMO - a weekly newsletter about Outlook and Exchange:
(e-mail address removed)

You can access this newsgroup by visiting
http://www.microsoft.com/office/community/en-us/default.mspx or point your
newsreader to msnews.microsoft.com.

 

[DL]

Your IT staff need retraining / replaceing
Apart from the obvious bad info on files size & archiveing, you can have
your Archive files open in Outlook & leave them there, currently I have 6
archives connected

 

[DGD]

Go to File, Data file management. Select the account and click Settings.
Does it say 'outlook 97-2002' or just personal folders?

if just personal folders, no outlook version, you have the new unicode pst -
it can get huge. Default is 20 GB.

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
Outlook Tips:http://www.outlook-tips.net/
Outlook & Exchange Solutions Center:http://www.slipstick.com

Outlook Tips by email:
(e-mail address removed)

EMO - a weekly newsletter about Outlook and Exchange:
(e-mail address removed)

You can access this newsgroup by visitinghttp://www.microsoft.com/office/community/en-us/default.mspxor point your
newsreader to msnews.microsoft.com.

I use Outlook 2003 at work on a Toshiba Laptop with MS Windows XP SP3
(SP3 was just installed today).  My Outlook pst file is approaching
1.6 GB and our IT staff indicate that any pst file larger than 2 GB
will slow down Outlook and all processes on the computer in general.
My pst file tends to get large because of attachments to the e-mails
themselves.  I would like to archive my outlook messages with the
attachments, but I am deathly afraid that I will lose some critical
messages that I have accumulated in a number of folders over time
(over the past 5 years).  Our IT department has also indicated that
the autoarchive function is very suspect and once created, it is
almost impossible to retrieve old messages from the archive folders.
That leaves me in a dilemma.  If I can't archive, and my pst file
grows beyond 2 GB causing performance problems, what's the solution?
I searched this group to see if I could find anything that describes
the archiving function issues our IT guys have stated but I have seen
nothing along those lines.

How stable is the archive function in Outlook 2003 and just how large
can a pst file be before is causes problems?

Doug

I have checked the file settings. What comes up under Format is
"Personal Folders File (97-2002), so I assume it is not the unicode
format. Can the file be converted to this format in any way?

 

[Diane Poremsky [MVP]]

That is the ANSI version and IT was correct, it's limited under 2GB. It
can't be upgraded to Unicode, you need a new pst. See
http://www.slipstick.com/outlook/ansi-to-unicode.asp for methods to use to
move to a new pst.

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]





EMO - a weekly newsletter about Outlook and Exchange:
(e-mail address removed)

You can access this newsgroup by visiting
http://www.microsoft.com/office/community/en-us/default.mspx or point your
newsreader to msnews.microsoft.com.

Go to File, Data file management. Select the account and click Settings.
Does it say 'outlook 97-2002' or just personal folders?

if just personal folders, no outlook version, you have the new unicode
pst -
it can get huge. Default is 20 GB.

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
Outlook Tips:http://www.outlook-tips.net/
Outlook & Exchange Solutions Center:http://www.slipstick.com

Outlook Tips by email:
(e-mail address removed)

EMO - a weekly newsletter about Outlook and Exchange:
(e-mail address removed)

You can access this newsgroup by
visitinghttp://www.microsoft.com/office/community/en-us/default.mspxor
point your
newsreader to msnews.microsoft.com.

I use Outlook 2003 at work on a Toshiba Laptop with MS Windows XP SP3
(SP3 was just installed today). My Outlook pst file is approaching
1.6 GB and our IT staff indicate that any pst file larger than 2 GB
will slow down Outlook and all processes on the computer in general.
My pst file tends to get large because of attachments to the e-mails
themselves. I would like to archive my outlook messages with the
attachments, but I am deathly afraid that I will lose some critical
messages that I have accumulated in a number of folders over time
(over the past 5 years). Our IT department has also indicated that
the autoarchive function is very suspect and once created, it is
almost impossible to retrieve old messages from the archive folders.
That leaves me in a dilemma. If I can't archive, and my pst file
grows beyond 2 GB causing performance problems, what's the solution?
I searched this group to see if I could find anything that describes
the archiving function issues our IT guys have stated but I have seen
nothing along those lines.

How stable is the archive function in Outlook 2003 and just how large
can a pst file be before is causes problems?

Doug

I have checked the file settings. What comes up under Format is
"Personal Folders File (97-2002), so I assume it is not the unicode
format. Can the file be converted to this format in any way?

 

[DGD]

That is the ANSI version and IT was correct, it's limited under 2GB.  It
can't be upgraded to Unicode, you need a new pst.  Seehttp://www.slipstick.com/outlook/ansi-to-unicode.aspfor methods to use to
move to a new pst.

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
Outlook Tips:http://www.outlook-tips.net/
Outlook & Exchange Solutions Center:http://www.slipstick.com

Outlook Tips by email:
(e-mail address removed)

EMO - a weekly newsletter about Outlook and Exchange:
(e-mail address removed)

You can access this newsgroup by visitinghttp://www.microsoft.com/office/community/en-us/default.mspxor point your
newsreader to msnews.microsoft.com.

Go to File, Data file management. Select the account and click Settings.
Does it say 'outlook 97-2002' or just personal folders?
if just personal folders, no outlook version, you have the new unicode
pst -
it can get huge. Default is 20 GB.
--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
Outlook Tips:http://www.outlook-tips.net/
Outlook & Exchange Solutions Center:http://www.slipstick.com
Outlook Tips by email:
(e-mail address removed)
EMO - a weekly newsletter about Outlook and Exchange:
(e-mail address removed)
You can access this newsgroup by
visitinghttp://www.microsoft.com/office/community/en-us/default.mspxor
point your
newsreader to msnews.microsoft.com.

I use Outlook 2003 at work on a Toshiba Laptop with MS Windows XP SP3
(SP3 was just installed today). My Outlook pst file is approaching
1.6 GB and our IT staff indicate that any pst file larger than 2 GB
will slow down Outlook and all processes on the computer in general.
My pst file tends to get large because of attachments to the e-mails
themselves. I would like to archive my outlook messages with the
attachments, but I am deathly afraid that I will lose some critical
messages that I have accumulated in a number of folders over time
(over the past 5 years). Our IT department has also indicated that
the autoarchive function is very suspect and once created, it is
almost impossible to retrieve old messages from the archive folders.
That leaves me in a dilemma. If I can't archive, and my pst file
grows beyond 2 GB causing performance problems, what's the solution?
I searched this group to see if I could find anything that describes
the archiving function issues our IT guys have stated but I have seen
nothing along those lines.
How stable is the archive function in Outlook 2003 and just how large
can a pst file be before is causes problems?
Thanks
Doug

I have checked the file settings.  What comes up under Format is
"Personal Folders File (97-2002), so I assume it is not the unicode
format.  Can the file be converted to this format in any way?

Thanks, Diane

Will look into the site you recommended. I have come across some SW
by Pete Maclean called "Upstart" that, if I read it correctly, is
supposed to convert ANSI pst to Unicode pst. Do you come across these
types of programs before?

 

[Diane Poremsky [MVP]]

Upstart doesn't 'convert' - it creates a new unicode pst and imports. There
is another tool - same deal on it - create and import, not truly convert.
The advantages for the tools are in corp settings where there are a lot of
pst's to upgrade - they automate the process.

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]





EMO - a weekly newsletter about Outlook and Exchange:
(e-mail address removed)

You can access this newsgroup by visiting
http://www.microsoft.com/office/community/en-us/default.mspx or point your
newsreader to msnews.microsoft.com.

That is the ANSI version and IT was correct, it's limited under 2GB. It
can't be upgraded to Unicode, you need a new pst.
Seehttp://www.slipstick.com/outlook/ansi-to-unicode.aspfor methods to use
to
move to a new pst.

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
Outlook Tips:http://www.outlook-tips.net/
Outlook & Exchange Solutions Center:http://www.slipstick.com

Outlook Tips by email:
(e-mail address removed)

EMO - a weekly newsletter about Outlook and Exchange:
(e-mail address removed)

You can access this newsgroup by
visitinghttp://www.microsoft.com/office/community/en-us/default.mspxor
point your
newsreader to msnews.microsoft.com.

Go to File, Data file management. Select the account and click
Settings.
Does it say 'outlook 97-2002' or just personal folders?

if just personal folders, no outlook version, you have the new unicode
pst -
it can get huge. Default is 20 GB.

Outlook Tips by email:
(e-mail address removed)

EMO - a weekly newsletter about Outlook and Exchange:
(e-mail address removed)

You can access this newsgroup by
visitinghttp://www.microsoft.com/office/community/en-us/default.mspxor
point your
newsreader to msnews.microsoft.com.

I use Outlook 2003 at work on a Toshiba Laptop with MS Windows XP
SP3
(SP3 was just installed today). My Outlook pst file is approaching
1.6 GB and our IT staff indicate that any pst file larger than 2 GB
will slow down Outlook and all processes on the computer in general.
My pst file tends to get large because of attachments to the e-mails
themselves. I would like to archive my outlook messages with the
attachments, but I am deathly afraid that I will lose some critical
messages that I have accumulated in a number of folders over time
(over the past 5 years). Our IT department has also indicated that
the autoarchive function is very suspect and once created, it is
almost impossible to retrieve old messages from the archive folders.
That leaves me in a dilemma. If I can't archive, and my pst file
grows beyond 2 GB causing performance problems, what's the solution?
I searched this group to see if I could find anything that describes
the archiving function issues our IT guys have stated but I have
seen
nothing along those lines.

How stable is the archive function in Outlook 2003 and just how
large
can a pst file be before is causes problems?


I have checked the file settings. What comes up under Format is
"Personal Folders File (97-2002), so I assume it is not the unicode
format. Can the file be converted to this format in any way?

Thanks, Diane

Will look into the site you recommended. I have come across some SW
by Pete Maclean called "Upstart" that, if I read it correctly, is
supposed to convert ANSI pst to Unicode pst. Do you come across these
types of programs before?