HDD Crash Fixed... but Stumped on .pst File Migration!

[Brad]

Hello good folks!

Thanks in advance for your guidance.

I recently suffered a HDD failure (according to D3ll "Support" and their HDD diagnostic read test results), so I bought 2 new 500 GB drives, installed as RAID 1, and reloaded everything... including a clean MS Outlook 2003. Just for grins, I loaded my "DEAD per D3ll" HDD into an external enclosure, and what da ya know... the old HDD is accessible... for now.

My Challenge: Before the HDD crash, I backed up my Outlook files to the "dead" HDD's Windows XP Pro desktop. I have access to the full Outlook program and .pst files... along with the back up files on the old drive. I've also transfered the back up files onto the new HDD desktop. Now I need to import all the .pst files into the new/empty Outlook program on the new drive(s). But, uh oh... the import request requires a password for import. I tried all 4 passwords I ever used in life... to no avail. I definitely don't remember entering a password to back up the files... nor do I remember one being requested or required. I don't even recall entering a password at the time I set up the previous Outlook.

My Question: Is there a way to import the .pst, or at least the personal folder files, from any of the 3 sources I described... without the "lost" password?

Again, any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks again!

 

[DL]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308421/en-us may apply to the data files on
your old hd.
Copy these data files to eg My Documents on your new hd. - do NOT overwrite
any existing data file.
Within OL, File>Open>Data File........browse to this location.
If neccessary copy data from old to new Personal Folders data file, do NOT
import or Export.

 

[Brad]

Thanks DL! Success... and then some...

Problem Solved: Your guidance did the trick. What a relief! The MS Support page was a good tip... and necessary to gain control over protected data. But through your MS link and information, I discovered I already had admin. permissions/control.

I took a couple of runs at it... maybe faster than the data file transfer rate... because I now have 3 Personal Folders under All Mail Folders. The first one at the top (with the "house" icon) now shows 2 additional Personal Folders ("multi-folder" icons) beneath it... both WITH the old Outlook data... including Inbox, Junk E-mail, Drafts, Deleted Items, etc.

Final Question: This may seem elementary to many... but I'm still learning the basics. May I ask your opinion on the best and safest method for clean-up? Do I simply drag and drop the subfolders I want from one transfered Personal Folder into the "top" one? And then how would you recommend I clean up the extra folders and duplicated data? Delete? Rename? Or let it remain as is?

Thank you DL, SO much for your help. This experience has been a real lesson for me.


-
With All of Your Conciousness and Awareness...
Simply Listen to the Sound of My Voice...
And Relaaax... Just... Relaaaaaaax

 

[DL]

Ensure the set of personal folders you will retain is the default one, it
will likely be the topmost one.
Copy any data from other folders to this, once you are happy with the result
simply close the other personal folders

 

[Brad]

Thanks DL!

 

[DL]

your welcome