Can the .PST files be extracted from a backup of a HD?

[gloriousglenn]

Hi,

I have recently formated my HD and I thought I had backed up my
settings/folder/emails etc but evidently I haven't!

I have a backup of the complete HD on an external HD. Is there a way
of getting my settings/folders/emails back from the backup HD and
placing them on my formated HD so that my Outlook goes back to the way
it was? Most important is the saved emails, the settings I can sort
out myself.

Cheers
Glenn

 

[Patrick Schmid [MVP]]

Find the PST files on the other HD and copy them to someplace on your
primary HD. Then recreate your Outlook profile (settings) via Control
Panel, Mail. Add your old PSTs via the Data Files part and make your old
main PST the default (you might have to close & reopen Outlook once
before this works).

Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP]
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[gloriousglenn]

The problem is I don't know where to find the .PST file!

The only time I have backed up the .PST file before is by using the
'Export' option within Outlook, but I am unable to use this option as
the HD that the information is on is an external HD and not linked to
a PC/Outlook.

Can anybody tell me where I can find the file? I have tried searching
for *.PST but I'm not sure what I'm looking for!

Cheers
Glenn

 

[Patrick Schmid [MVP]]

It's probably in \Documents and Settings\your_username\Local
Settings\Application Data\Microsoft Outlook
The folder is hidden by default and I think search ignores it by default
as well. Switch your view in Explorer to display hidden folders.

Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP]
--------------
http://pschmid.net
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[Benjamin Gay [MSFT]]

Can anybody tell me where I can find the file? I have tried searching

for *.PST but I'm not sure what I'm looking for!

Search might fail if the file is in a non-indexed location. A "poor-man's"
search that you could try is do a recursive search from the root of the
drive (for example dir c:\*.pst /s) and see if that turns up anything.

Depending upon the method that was used to backup your hard drive the .pst
file is probably compressed into some sort of archive file. If this is the
case you would be better of using your backup software to locate the file.

 

[Brian Tillman]

The problem is I don't know where to find the .PST file!

Click File>Data File Management and look.

The only time I have backed up the .PST file before is by using the
'Export' option within Outlook, but I am unable to use this option as
the HD that the information is on is an external HD and not linked to
a PC/Outlook.

Never use export as a way to back up. You lose data when you do.

Can anybody tell me where I can find the file? I have tried searching
for *.PST but I'm not sure what I'm looking for!

Ask Outlook.

 

[gloriousglenn]

Okay....2 further questions then:

I now have Outlook setup on my PC how I want it. All I would like now
are the emails that I had stored within Outlook that are on a external
HD. How can I extract them from the external HD and put them onto my
PC so that I can read/store/save them?

If using 'Export' is a bad way of backing up Outlook because of the
cance of losing data (I certainly remember that happening with OE),
what is the best way?

Cheers
Glenn

 

[Philip Herlihy]

Okay....2 further questions then:

I now have Outlook setup on my PC how I want it. All I would like now
are the emails that I had stored within Outlook that are on a external
HD. How can I extract them from the external HD and put them onto my
PC so that I can read/store/save them?

If using 'Export' is a bad way of backing up Outlook because of the
cance of losing data (I certainly remember that happening with OE),
what is the best way?

Cheers
Glenn

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HA011124801033.aspx
http://www.sitedeveloper.ws/tutorials/outlook.htm

HTH

PH, London

 

[Brian Tillman]

Okay....2 further questions then:

I now have Outlook setup on my PC how I want it. All I would like now
are the emails that I had stored within Outlook that are on a external
HD. How can I extract them from the external HD and put them onto my
PC so that I can read/store/save them?

Locate the PST on the external HD and copy it to the internal HD

If using 'Export' is a bad way of backing up Outlook because of the
cance of losing data (I certainly remember that happening with OE),
what is the best way?

Simply copy the existing PST (with Outlook closed, of course).