Duplicate Outlook 2007 Contacts folder

[Hedgehog]

I recently set up my own login on my wife's PC, which runs Outlook 2007 with
a Vista OS. I exported my contacts from another PC with an earlier version
of Outlook onto pst, then imported into Outlook 2007. I now have two
problems:

1. There are TWO 'Contacts' folders, one empty, the other with my data. I
would like to delete the empty one, but cannot do so.

2. When using Outlook mail, I cannot see any of my contacts. (I end up
having to manually copy and paste e-mail addresses from Contacts into e-mail
'to' and 'cc' etc boxes, which is laborious).

Any ideas?

 

[Gordon]

I recently set up my own login on my wife's PC, which runs Outlook 2007
with
a Vista OS. I exported my contacts from another PC with an earlier
version
of Outlook onto pst, then imported into Outlook 2007. I now have two
problems:

1. There are TWO 'Contacts' folders, one empty, the other with my data. I
would like to delete the empty one, but cannot do so.

2. When using Outlook mail, I cannot see any of my contacts. (I end up
having to manually copy and paste e-mail addresses from Contacts into
e-mail
'to' and 'cc' etc boxes, which is laborious).

Classic results of using the import/export function to move data from one
Outlook to another.....
Why not use the import/export function?
(Courtesy of Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook])

Importing an entire PST may well corrupt your profile and may create a ghost
PST that you can't close. Importing PST's will lose:
1. Custom Forms
2. Custom Views
3. Connections between contacts and activities
4. Received dates on mail
5. Birthdays and anniversaries in calendar
6. Journal connections
7. Distribution Lists

Opening a PST file will preserve all of these. That is why we do not advise
people to import a native file into Outlook.

The easy answer is to create a new mail profile (Control panel-Mail) and
OPEN the pst file from the old machine and copy the data into the new.

 

[Karl Timmermans]

I recently set up my own login on my wife's PC, which runs Outlook 2007
with
a Vista OS. I exported my contacts from another PC with an earlier
version
of Outlook onto pst, then imported into Outlook 2007. I now have two
problems:

1. There are TWO 'Contacts' folders, one empty, the other with my data. I
would like to delete the empty one, but cannot do so.

2. When using Outlook mail, I cannot see any of my contacts. (I end up
having to manually copy and paste e-mail addresses from Contacts into
e-mail
'to' and 'cc' etc boxes, which is laborious).

Any ideas?

 

[Karl Timmermans]

Sorry if there's an empty msg from me - accidently hit the send button by
accident.

Aside from repeating (and agreeing with everyone else) that PST2PST
import/export is something to be avoided, perhaps the following will help:

Re: your duplicate contact folders and wanting to delete the empty one

Suspect that the <empty> contact folder that you're trying to delete is your
<default> which you <cannot delete>. The second contact folder is very
likely the result of the Outlook PST2PST process which creates a new folder.
Not only does that process lead to potential problems either in the
immediate term but issues may not surface until way down the line when
you've completely forgotten that you used it and wonder why "strange stuff
is happening" when people like us inform you that there is something amis if
you try to use one of our programs to access all facets of your Outlook
data.

Suggestion(s):

#1 - Make a copy of the original PST file and just open it in O'2007. Make
it your default PST, close and delete the old (original) one created in
O'2007 and continue life as normal.

#2 - Alternatively, copy the contents of the folder that has the contents
(new one that was created) to your default (which would be empty). The
delete the 2nd contact folder that was created via the import process.

As for not seeing the email addresses - guess is that you haven't included
the new contact folder in the OAB but regardless, what you really want to
end up with is the contacts to be in your default folder.

Karl

___________________________________________________
Karl Timmermans - The Claxton Group
ContactGenie - Importer 1.3 / DataPorter 2.0 / Exporter
"Power contact importers/exporters for MS Outlook '2000/2007"
http://www.contactgenie.com

 

[Hedgehog]

Karl,

You were so helpfful with my last query, perhaps you can quickly help me
with this one?

I just noticed that all of my Outlook data is being stored in pst files on
my desktop. I know this because (a) when I look in the properties of the
files, they are being up-dated every time I save any calendar or address book
item and (b) when I tried dragging these files off the desktop into a more
appropriate folder (eg in my documents) Outlook could not find any of my data.

I don't believe my data should live where it currently does, and I hope
there's a straightforward and safe way of moving these folders somewhere else
on my computer, such as my personal folders (which, incidentally, are backed
up weekly, unlike items on the desktop).

Any suggestions?

Many thanks in advance,

Peter

 

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

You can place your Outlook data file anywhere you want:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;291636