Archive/backup confusion

[Guest]

I run Office 2003 (with SP2 installed) under Windows 2000 Professional (with
SP4 installed). In Outlook, I'm either having a problem with archive and
backup ... or I don't understand them.

Here's the scenario:

• My Outlook data file was about 750 megabytes. I did a backup, and that
file is the same size, which is what I expected.

• Then I did a *manual* archive of everything before X date, and that file
is about 350 megabytes. I have copied this old data to a CD.

• After the archive, I expected that the Outlook data file to shrink to
about 400 megabytes, but it's still about 750 megabytes.

• How do I do a backup or archive of only the *active* (not archived) data?
Without this ability, I've exceed the capacity of a CD and I can't figure out
how to create offline backups of both active and archived data. (If I do
another backup, I get everything. If I archive everything earlier than
today, I no longer have a viable amount of current mail, etc., available.)

I must be missing something. Thanks for any clarification/help you can
provide.

If I need to get a third-party program, what would you recommend?

 

[Guest]

Backing up your data makes a copy of it. Archiving moves data from one file
to another.

Try compacting your main .PST file. Empty the contents of the Deleted Items
folder first. Then right-click the root folder of the .PST file, click
Properties, then Advanced, then Compact Now. See if that helps reduce the
file size.

--
Jocelyn Fiorello
MVP - Outlook

*** Messages sent to my e-mail address will NOT be answered -- please reply
only to the newsgroup to preserve the message thread. ***

 

[Guest]

Thanks. I did a compress ("this folder only" -- not "all subfolders and
files"). It made a negligible difference in the size (now nearer to 700
megabytes). Should I have done "all subfolders and files"? I was wary of
doing that wthout advice.

Is there no way to backup or archive only the active (non-archived) data?
That would seem to solve my problem. I can't imagine that others who care
about backup haven't encountered this problem.

Thanks again.

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

Make a copy of your .pst file when Outlook is completely closed. Rename it
to something like 111105fullbackup.pst. You can always make a copy of any
..pst file while Outlook is closed.

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. All
unsolicited mail sent to my personal account will be deleted without
reading.

After furious head scratching, Blue Pencil asked:

| Thanks. I did a compress ("this folder only" -- not "all subfolders
| and files"). It made a negligible difference in the size (now nearer
| to 700 megabytes). Should I have done "all subfolders and files"? I
| was wary of doing that wthout advice.
|
| Is there no way to backup or archive only the active (non-archived)
| data? That would seem to solve my problem. I can't imagine that
| others who care about backup haven't encountered this problem.
|
| Thanks again.
|
| "Jocelyn Fiorello [MVP - Outlook]" wrote:
|
|| Backing up your data makes a copy of it. Archiving moves data from
|| one file to another.
||
|| Try compacting your main .PST file. Empty the contents of the
|| Deleted Items folder first. Then right-click the root folder of the
|| .PST file, click Properties, then Advanced, then Compact Now. See
|| if that helps reduce the file size.
||
|| --
|| Jocelyn Fiorello
|| MVP - Outlook
||
|| *** Messages sent to my e-mail address will NOT be answered --
|| please reply only to the newsgroup to preserve the message thread.
|| ***
||
||
|| "Blue Pencil" wrote:
||
||| I run Office 2003 (with SP2 installed) under Windows 2000
||| Professional (with SP4 installed). In Outlook, I'm either having a
||| problem with archive and backup ... or I don't understand them.
|||
||| Here's the scenario:
|||
||| • My Outlook data file was about 750 megabytes. I did a backup,
||| and that file is the same size, which is what I expected.
|||
||| • Then I did a *manual* archive of everything before X date, and
||| that file is about 350 megabytes. I have copied this old data to a
||| CD.
|||
||| • After the archive, I expected that the Outlook data file to
||| shrink to about 400 megabytes, but it's still about 750 megabytes.
|||
||| • How do I do a backup or archive of only the *active* (not
||| archived) data? Without this ability, I've exceed the capacity of a
||| CD and I can't figure out how to create offline backups of both
||| active and archived data. (If I do another backup, I get
||| everything. If I archive everything earlier than today, I no
||| longer have a viable amount of current mail, etc., available.)
|||
||| I must be missing something. Thanks for any clarification/help you
||| can provide.
|||
||| If I need to get a third-party program, what would you recommend?