How big can the PST files be? (The old ones and the new ones)

[Juan I. Cahis]

Dear friends:

How big can the PST files be? (The old ones, that is from Outlook
97-XP, and the new ones, that is from Outlook 2003)

Any hint?

Thanks
Juan I. Cahis
Santiago de Chile (South America)
Note: Please forgive me for my bad English, I am trying to improve it!

 

[Brian Tillman]

How big can the PST files be? (The old ones, that is from Outlook
97-XP,

2GB max, but don't allow them to exceed 1.5GB

and the new ones, that is from Outlook 2003)

A theoretical limit of 33TB, but Outlook starts you off at a 20GB limit,
which can be adjusted in the registry. See
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=832925

 

[Juan I. Cahis]

And is there a utility to convert the Type 1 PST files to Type 2 PST
Files?

2GB max, but don't allow them to exceed 1.5GB


A theoretical limit of 33TB, but Outlook starts you off at a 20GB limit,
which can be adjusted in the registry. See
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=832925

Thanks
Juan I. Cahis
Santiago de Chile (South America)
Note: Please forgive me for my bad English, I am trying to improve it!

 

[Brian Tillman]

And is there a utility to convert the Type 1 PST files to Type 2 PST
Files?

No, and none is needed. Outlook 2003 can handle both PST formats with no
trouble and if you wish to convert, you can just drag-and-drop from a PST
using the old format to one using the new.

 

[Guest]

I have let my pst file get too large, just under 2 GB, and now I cannot
delete anything nor receive or send mail. When I try, I get a message that
the messaging interface has an unknown error, close Outlook if problem
persists. I've closed, no help, rebooted, idem. What can I do to prune my pst
and get Outlook to work again. It's dead in the water now!

Thanks,

Peter

 

[Mark R Penn]

How would I go about checking to see which type OL2003 is using?

And if it's the old type, how do I get everything into a new type pst,
and have the new one be the default for synching with my PPC etc?

Cheers,

Mark

-----Original Message-----
From: Brian Tillman [mailto:[email protected]]
Posted At: 05 October 2005 20:48
Posted To: microsoft.public.outlook
Conversation: How big can the PST files be? (The old ones and the new
ones)
Subject: Re: How big can the PST files be? (The old ones and the new
ones)

And is there a utility to convert the Type 1 PST files to Type 2 PST
Files?

No, and none is needed. Outlook 2003 can handle both PST formats with
no trouble and if you wish to convert, you can just drag-and-drop from a
PST using the old format to one using the new.

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

http://www.slipstick.com/problems/repair2gbpst.htm

--
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, Peter Knight asked:

| I have let my pst file get too large, just under 2 GB, and now I
| cannot delete anything nor receive or send mail. When I try, I get a
| message that the messaging interface has an unknown error, close
| Outlook if problem persists. I've closed, no help, rebooted, idem.
| What can I do to prune my pst and get Outlook to work again. It's
| dead in the water now!
|
| Thanks,
|
| Peter
|
||
||| How big can the PST files be? (The old ones, that is from Outlook
||| 97-XP,
||
|| 2GB max, but don't allow them to exceed 1.5GB
||
||| and the new ones, that is from Outlook 2003)
||
|| A theoretical limit of 33TB, but Outlook starts you off at a 20GB
|| limit, which can be adjusted in the registry. See
|| http://support.microsoft.com/?id=832925
|| --
|| Brian Tillman

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

File->Data Management.

--
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, Mark R Penn asked:

| How would I go about checking to see which type OL2003 is using?
|
| And if it's the old type, how do I get everything into a new type pst,
| and have the new one be the default for synching with my PPC etc?
|
| Cheers,
|
| Mark
|
| -----Original Message-----
| From: Brian Tillman [mailto:[email protected]]
| Posted At: 05 October 2005 20:48
| Posted To: microsoft.public.outlook
| Conversation: How big can the PST files be? (The old ones and the new
| ones)
| Subject: Re: How big can the PST files be? (The old ones and the new
| ones)
|
|
|
|| And is there a utility to convert the Type 1 PST files to Type 2 PST
|| Files?
|
| No, and none is needed. Outlook 2003 can handle both PST formats with
| no trouble and if you wish to convert, you can just drag-and-drop
| from a PST using the old format to one using the new.
| --
| Brian Tillman

 

[Brian Tillman]

How would I go about checking to see which type OL2003 is using?

Right-click on the PST's root in the Folder List, choose Properties, then
click Advanced. If the Format field says "Personal Folders File", then the
PST in Unicode (new). If it says "Personal Folders File (97-2002)", then
it's ANSI (old).

And if it's the old type, how do I get everything into a new type pst,
and have the new one be the default for synching with my PPC etc?

In Outlook, click File>New>Outlook Data File. Select "Office Outlook
Personal Folders File (.pst)" and click OK. Browse to the folder where you
want the PST (or accept the default), give it a name (or accept the
default), and click OK. Give the file a display name (the "Name" field) for
the Folder List (I recommend one that differs from the old PST) and click
OK. The PST will appear in the Folder List. Make it your delivery location
with the "Delivery new e-mail to the following location" drop-down at the
bottom of Tools>E-mail Accounts>Next. Stop and restart Outlook.

Now your new PST will be the default (Outlook Today). For any folder in the
old PST that is not one of the default folders, there are multiple ways of
copying or moving the entire folder to the new PST, like right-clicking the
folder name in the Folder List, choosing "Copy" or "Move" and specifying the
_root_ of the PST (i.e., the display name you gave it above) as the
destination. For the default folders, you must open each, select all the
items in it (CTRL-A will do that and in Calendar and Tasks, a list view like
By Category may be necessary) and then either right-click and drag the
selection or choose Edit>Copy to Folder and specify the name of the
corresponding folder in the new PST as the destination.

 

[Juan I. Cahis]

Well, that is not so easy and not 100% true!!!

If you drag-and-drop from a PST using the old format to one using the
new, MDN Desktop Search (and any other desktop searcher or indexer)
will re-index your email files from scratch again, and that can make
your computer practically un-usable for a whole workday, depending on
the size of your email files.

I assume that they are around the limit of 2 GB if you want to convert
them to the new format.

No, and none is needed. Outlook 2003 can handle both PST formats with no
trouble and if you wish to convert, you can just drag-and-drop from a PST
using the old format to one using the new.

Thanks
Juan I. Cahis
Santiago de Chile (South America)
Note: Please forgive me for my bad English, I am trying to improve it!

 

[Brian Tillman]

Well, that is not so easy and not 100% true!!!

"Easy" is an opinion, I'll grant, but I find it easy. It is, however 100%
true.

If you drag-and-drop from a PST using the old format to one using the
new, MDN Desktop Search (and any other desktop searcher or indexer)
will re-index your email files from scratch again, and that can make
your computer practically un-usable for a whole workday, depending on
the size of your email files.

Well now, that has nothing to do with Outlook, does it. The behavior of
third-party tools has no bearing on whether or not what I described will
work. Turn the indexer off if you don't like its behavior.

I assume that they are around the limit of 2 GB if you want to convert
them to the new format.

Not at all. There are advantages to the Unicode format beyond its ability
to hold more.

 

[Juan I. Cahis]

Well now, that has nothing to do with Outlook, does it. The behavior of
third-party tools has no bearing on whether or not what I described will
work. Turn the indexer off if you don't like its behavior.

MSN Desktop Search is not "Third Party", it is from Microsoft!!!

Thanks
Juan I. Cahis
Santiago de Chile (South America)
Note: Please forgive me for my bad English, I am trying to improve it!

 

[Brian Tillman]

MSN Desktop Search is not "Third Party", it is from Microsoft!!!

It is as far as Outlook is concerned.