How to overwrite existing Contacts in Outlook 2007

[David London]

A couple of questions about importing contacts files:

(A) I am working with Apple support engineers to overcome an issue with
Outlook/iPhone/MobileMe syncing. (MobileMe is an Apple cloud service that
syncs wirelessly between Outlook and the iPhone.) Apple have asked me to
import a new "clean" copy of my Outlook Contacts which they have created for
me in vcf file format. They have asked me to do this in case my current,
original Contacts files has become corrupt in some way and is therefore
causing MobileMe syncing of Outlook contacts to fail (syncing of Outlook
calendar is OK).

[I have backed up all my original Outlook files in any case, so I will not
lose my original data whatever happens.]

So now, in order to follow the Apple engineer's instruction I need to
replace my current Contacts in Outlook (possibly corrupt) with their "clean"
copy of the same data. I know how to import new data files which then show up
as SEPARATE files in my Outlook Contacts menu. However in this case I think I
need to delete the current Contacts folder or file and and then replace it
with the new one. Am I correct that the newly imported file will need to have
the same file name as the deleted one (i.e "Contacts",) so that Outlook will
correctly consider the newly imported file as my default contacts list
associated with my current master pst file as my current one - which also
contains my email and calendar. How can I achieve this? The procedure seems
different to simply importing a file and opening it ALONGSIDE the master
Contact file. Also, I don't recall vcf as an importable format in the Outlook
Import/Export menu? Is it not?

(B) In readiness for (A) above, I just created a backup contacts file,
opened it in Outlook OK, then deleted it from the Outlook file list on the
left of the Outlook window. The file appeared to disappear out of the recycle
basket OK, but now, every time I open Outlook, a box comes up saying that it
can't find this file - which I deliberately deleted. All my original contacts
are OK in their original file. What else do I have to do to stop Outlook from
searching needlessly for the deleted contacts file?

Thanks in anticipation for any advice you can give.

David
London

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]]

[I have backed up all my original Outlook files in any case, so I will not
lose my original data whatever happens.]

I hope you didn't use Export for this purpose.

So now, in order to follow the Apple engineer's instruction I need to
replace my current Contacts in Outlook (possibly corrupt) with their "clean"
copy of the same data. I know how to import new data files which then show
up
as SEPARATE files in my Outlook Contacts menu.

You should never import Outlook data files (PSTs). Open them instead.

However in this case I think I
need to delete the current Contacts folder or file and and then replace it
with the new one.

You cannot delete Outlook's default folders (they're not separate files).
Instead, create another folder holding contact items, open Contacts, select
all the items in it with Ctrl+A, and drag the selection to the other contacts
folder you created. You'll now have an empty default Contacts folder.

Am I correct that the newly imported file will need to have
the same file name as the deleted one (i.e "Contacts",) so that Outlook will
correctly consider the newly imported file as my default contacts list
associated with my current master pst file as my current one - which also
contains my email and calendar.

No. PSTs don't work that way at all. Your calendar is not a file and the
name of the vcf file you wish to import doesn't matter.

How can I achieve this? The procedure seems
different to simply importing a file and opening it ALONGSIDE the master
Contact file. Also, I don't recall vcf as an importable format in the
Outlook
Import/Export menu? Is it not?

File>Import and Export>Import from a VCARD file (.vcf)

(B) In readiness for (A) above, I just created a backup contacts file,
opened it in Outlook OK, then deleted it from the Outlook file list on the
left of the Outlook window. The file appeared to disappear out of the
recycle
basket OK, but now, every time I open Outlook, a box comes up saying that it
can't find this file - which I deliberately deleted. All my original
contacts
are OK in their original file. What else do I have to do to stop Outlook
from
searching needlessly for the deleted contacts file?

Sounds like you've now corrupted your mail profile. Your description of what
you did isn't clear enough for me to reconstruct it in my mind. Click
File>Data File Management and see how many data files are listed. If more
than one, close the one(s) you don't want.

 

[David London]

Thanks Brian.

(A) All your advice made sense. Fortunately I hadn't made any gross errors.
However I didn't find a way of opening vcf contact file within Outlook
without the WinSync app to translate them into something Outlook could read.
It works fine, even if it did cost $$.

(B) Once I removed the previously deleted file reference from the Data File
Management list, as you recommended, the dialogue box stopped coming up.

Regards,

David
London

[I have backed up all my original Outlook files in any case, so I will not
lose my original data whatever happens.]

I hope you didn't use Export for this purpose.

So now, in order to follow the Apple engineer's instruction I need to
replace my current Contacts in Outlook (possibly corrupt) with their "clean"
copy of the same data. I know how to import new data files which then show
up
as SEPARATE files in my Outlook Contacts menu.

You should never import Outlook data files (PSTs). Open them instead.

However in this case I think I
need to delete the current Contacts folder or file and and then replace it
with the new one.

You cannot delete Outlook's default folders (they're not separate files).
Instead, create another folder holding contact items, open Contacts, select
all the items in it with Ctrl+A, and drag the selection to the other contacts
folder you created. You'll now have an empty default Contacts folder.

Am I correct that the newly imported file will need to have
the same file name as the deleted one (i.e "Contacts",) so that Outlook will
correctly consider the newly imported file as my default contacts list
associated with my current master pst file as my current one - which also
contains my email and calendar.

No. PSTs don't work that way at all. Your calendar is not a file and the
name of the vcf file you wish to import doesn't matter.

How can I achieve this? The procedure seems
different to simply importing a file and opening it ALONGSIDE the master
Contact file. Also, I don't recall vcf as an importable format in the
Outlook
Import/Export menu? Is it not?

File>Import and Export>Import from a VCARD file (.vcf)

(B) In readiness for (A) above, I just created a backup contacts file,
opened it in Outlook OK, then deleted it from the Outlook file list on the
left of the Outlook window. The file appeared to disappear out of the
recycle
basket OK, but now, every time I open Outlook, a box comes up saying that it
can't find this file - which I deliberately deleted. All my original
contacts
are OK in their original file. What else do I have to do to stop Outlook
from
searching needlessly for the deleted contacts file?

Sounds like you've now corrupted your mail profile. Your description of what
you did isn't clear enough for me to reconstruct it in my mind. Click
File>Data File Management and see how many data files are listed. If more
than one, close the one(s) you don't want.