Importing contacts and not being recognized as a pst file

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Guest

I've been working on this for days and it's really getting to be irritating.
My mom has a new laptop and doesn't know how to do anything on the computer
so she wanted me to import her contacts, a very very long list, from her pc
to her new laptop.
I knew there was a way to do this so i tried to.
I finally, after two days, discovered the reason it wasn't letting me have
access to my files was because it was read only.
I finally imported it and it have everything BUT the contacts.
So i went back, made sure the contacts were the only thing in the .pst file
and now, when im trying to import, it tells me it isn't a .pst file.
I am really about to throw this laptop out the window so any help would be
sincerely appreciated.
Thank you.
 
Contrary to what seem to be blanket statements that "one should never use
import/export" - there are many valid occasions when using the
import/export facilty is the correct approach. Unfortunately, importing
contacts in this circumstance is simply not required, necessary, and
certainly not the correct approach.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
On 8/11/05 - Jocelyn provided these instructions to your original post:

"Here is the right way to do it: Copy the .PST file from your CD or
removable
media to your hard drive. Right-click the filename and select Properties,
and make sure the Read Only box is not checked. Then open Outlook, click
File | Open | Outlook Data File, and browse to the .PST file. It will open
in your Folder List and you can then copy contacts from it to your other set
of personal folders."
--------------------------------------------------------------------
On 8/11/05 - after discovering/resoving the "Read Only" issue you wrote:

"Now it is telling me that i have everything BUT the contacts on the file.
So i imported it but the contacts aren't even there"
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Fact is, if you copied the correct PST file from the original computer and
contacts were in that PST file - there is virtually NO WAY that you would
not have the contacts since these are simply located in one of several
folders within the PST file and you obviously resolved the "Read Only"
issue.

Therefore - questions become:

#1 - To cover the obvious - the PST file copied was in fact the one shown
when you right click on the Root folder for this PST file --> Properties -->
Advanced? (sorry, but this has to be asked to cover all bases)

#2 - Assuming the above is correct - when you say it doesn't have the
contacts - what exactly are you referring to:
a) there is no "contacts" folder? or.....
b) there is a "contacts" folder but has no contact records inside
of it? or....
c) you just can't see any contacts in the address book and assume
contacts don't exist?
-1) the Outlook Address Book has been installed on the new
system correct? If not, should be.
-2) if you right click on the "contacts" folder -->
properties --> on the Outlook Address Book tab is
the checkbox item "Show this folder as an e-mail
address book" checked? If not - should be.

Unless something truly bizarre has occured (highly unlikely) and as long as
the correct PST file was copied over/opened - suspect the solution to your
problem likes somewhere in item #2c above.

Karl

__________________________________________
Karl Timmermans - The Claxton Group
ContactGenie - Importer 1.3 / DataPorter 2.0
"Power contact importers for MS Outlook '2000/2003"
http://www.contactgenie.com
 
No.
What the problem is...i opened the original pst file that was originally
read only and there were files but nothing to do with contacts.
So i reburned it and made sure that the contacts were in this file.
And now it is telling me it isnt a pst file when, in fact, it is.
The contacts are in this file, but now i cant open it when i know it's
correct.
 
Please humor me since it's important that we're both on the same wave length
and want to be sure that I completely understand what you're running up
against but need to ask a very important question first (even at the risk
that this has been stated before - just don't have time to check back on
everything) - with this latest problem - this is not a scenario of taking a
PST file that was created for Outlook '2003 and trying to be opened in a
prior version is it?

Going to assume it's now - so suggestions are as follows:

#1 - Copy your PST file from the original system to another location on the
hard drive of that system (Outlook needs to be closed in order to do this
properly)

#2 - Open the copied file as a secondary PST file on the same system and
verify that it is in fact a complete duplicate - if it's not, your issue is
with the original system which needs to be addressed before all else and
would be indicative of an OS problem and/or a corrupted "original" PST file.

#3 - Assuming that you can open this file and everything checks out - close
Outlook again - copy the "copied file" that you just opened and verified to
your CD

#4 - Place the file from the CD onto the new system - changing the read-only
attribute

#5 - Open that file in Outlook - if it doesn't open because of "not a PST
file) then there are external issues at play with the copying of files
making it highly unlikely that the issue is related to Outlook but just to
be on the safe side......do a "detect and repair" on your target system to
clean up any possible MS Office/Outlook corruption. Going to assume that
Outlook is complaining only when you are specifically trying to open this
new PST file and not when it's starting which would indicate that thru
everything that you've tried - the primary PST file may have become
corrupted.

Personally - suspect that so many things have been tried that it's anyone's
guess as to what the Outlook status is on your new system. If this was
happening to one of our clients - first course of action would be to
completely reformat the new system if at all possible and completely start
over since more often then not - things may have happened that have not been
mentioned for all kinds of reasons ("was just too trivial to mention", "what
did ?????? have to do with anything?", "well you didn't specifically ask me
about <xyz>", or something that the person is legitmately not cognizant of
etc etc etc). Just much easier to deal with a clean slate. The last sentence
is not intended as a personal criticism - just a reality.

Karl
__________________________________________
Karl Timmermans - The Claxton Group
ContactGenie - Importer 1.3 / DataPorter 2.0
"Power contact importers for MS Outlook '2000/2003"
http://www.contactgenie.com
 
As an adjunct to my last post related to this problem - it struck me after I
re-read the 8/10/05 item you wrote below - that there is such a simple
solution to this.............

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On 8/10/05 - you wrote as part of the initial request for help..........

"Now, as i try to import it on my new laptop, it says i don't have
permission."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On 8/12/05 - Jocelyn wrote the following prior to giving the instructions
and noticed the there has never been answers to Jocelyn's request for info
especially Outlook version.....(for some reason you chose to start a new
thread for the same problem)

"Importing will not help anything -- trust me. What exactly is "telling
you"
that you have no contacts in your file after you've opened it? Also, you
never mentioned your Outlook version."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If this is simply a question of "changing systems" where you want the "new
one" to act "just like the old one" - there is a much simpler solution to
all of this (assuming that you are copying the right file to start out with
notwithstanding the Outlook version issue)

#1 - On the new system - launch Outlook - create your initial profile
#2 - Add whatever "email accounts" you need etc
#3 - Copy the original PST file to the new system as per everything advised
to date (see Jocelyn's instructions) and making
sure that this is not an Outlook '2003 PST file trying to be used in
any earlier version of Outlook
#4 - Simply select the "original" PST file on the new system you just copied
over in the location where it asks
"Deliver e-mail to the following new location" (you can do this from
within the Profile maintenance function or via the
Add/Modify email accounts process. That makes the copied PST file
your new DEFAULT - no need
to copy or import anything. After you have chosen the new location -
restart Outlook then simply close the
original PST file created when Outlook was first run and forget
about it - nothing in there you need (as long as
you're starting from scratch - there is absolutely nothing you need
in the PST file that Outlook initially creates for you)

Fact is - if the objective is simply to move info from an "OLD" computer to
a "NEW" one - there is absolutely NO NEED to copy/move ANYTHING in terms of
<folder contents> within a PST file - it's a pointless exercise (issues
related to multiple profiles, categories, filters etc from "old to new" are
a whole different topic). Just make your original PST file your NEW DEFAULT
on the NEW system - end of story in terms of the actual folder contents.

If I'm incorrect or missed anything in the above - am sure others will
correct me but I change systems regularly and never copy/move any folder
contents (let alone Import/Export which I'd never do) from my primary PST
file going from old to new.

Karl

__________________________________________
Karl Timmermans - The Claxton Group
ContactGenie - Importer 1.3 / DataPorter 2.0
"Power contact importers for MS Outlook '2000/2003"
http://www.contactgenie.com
 
Shanti said:
I've been working on this for days and it's really getting to be
irritating. My mom has a new laptop and doesn't know how to do
anything on the computer so she wanted me to import her contacts, a
very very long list, from her pc to her new laptop.
I knew there was a way to do this so i tried to.
I finally, after two days, discovered the reason it wasn't letting me
have access to my files was because it was read only.
I finally imported it
Click to expand...

Never import a PST. Just open in Outlook with FIle>Open>Outlook Data File.
and it have everything BUT the contacts.
So i went back, made sure the contacts were the only thing in the
.pst file and now, when im trying to import, it tells me it isn't a
.pst file.
Click to expand...

Then you damaged it in the process of copying it to the other PC and you
can't repair it. Was Outlook closed when you copied it?
I am really about to throw this laptop out the window so any help
would be sincerely appreciated.
Click to expand...

http://www.howto-outlook.com/howto/backupandrestore.htm
 
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