Backups and archives: Confused....

[Tom]

Windows XP Pro SP3 all MS updates
Outlook 2003 SP3 all MS updates

I've got about 1.8GB of emails that are in my *.ost file. About a week ago
I set up some Auto-Archive tab Properties for a folder "ABC" to export all
emails (text and HTML) out to a file under C:\...\ABC\backup.pst. I selected
"Move old items to:" C:\...\ABC\backup.pst. I am under the impression that
WHEN, not IF, the items get moved that they are AUTOMATICALLY deleted from
Outlook's "ABC" folder. BTW, this "ABC" folder is under "Mailbox - John
Doe", FWIW. 1) When does Outlook perform the move/archiving and 2) I thought
the archiving would occur at the next time Outlook was launched and 3) In
order to get the emails back into Outlook into the SAME folder as "ABC"
(appending, preferrably) to existing emails, how do I do this? I reviewed
the File>Export and Import and it wasn't too clear on what would happen as a
result of the Import (destroy all emails, destroy only emails in "ABC",
create new folder as a duplicate "ABC" etc....). What I really need to do is
to have a 3rd party utility (maybe?) that allows me to search, retrieve and
review my emails that take up about 1GB of space - primarily from 1999 in a
ListServe/research mode.
TIA

 

[DL]

Archiving occurs at a time you set in the archive options, eg every 7 days,
it also works on the modified date that you set in the options, eg older
than xx days.
The modified date is not the sames as the received date
You can simply open an Archive within outlook, and leave it open
(File>Open>Data File)

A backup is simply a copy of your data file, it is *not* the same as an
Archive
By default the archive option creates a file called Archive.pst.
The outlook search will search all mail folders/data files that are open
within outlook
You dont import/export native outlook data
There is no need to move data from an archive back to the main data file
You dont require any third party utility