Outlook 2000 .PST file location

  • Thread starter Thread starter Paul Brownjohn
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Paul Brownjohn

Hello

Is there a way of changing the location that Outlook goes to to find its
..PST file.

I boot to two separate partitions but I want both instances of Outlook to
use the same pst file...preferably on a network drive. Try as I may I can't
figure out how to make it do that.

Thanks

Paul BJ
 
Paul Brownjohn said:
Hello

Is there a way of changing the location that Outlook goes to to find its
.PST file.

I boot to two separate partitions but I want both instances of Outlook to
use the same pst file...preferably on a network drive. Try as I may I can't
figure out how to make it do that.
Click to expand...

If you are using Outlook 2002 (XP) you can do this ...

Copy the PST file where you want it.

Go to Tool > E-mail accounts

Make sure "view of change existing email accounts" is selected and click
Next.

At the bottom click on "New Outlook Data File ..." and assuming you want a
PST file make sure it is selected and click OK.

Browse to your new file location and select the file.

In the drop down menu to the left of 'New outlook data file' you will have
two versions of Personal Folders, choose the second one and then click on
Finish.

Once finished in the folder list you will have two sets of identical PST
folders right click on the one that doesn't have [Personal Folders] and
close it. You can now go back and delete the original PST file in the
default Outlook location.

You have now moved your message store to your own location.

To use the same file on a network on more than one machine just navigate the
network in the above list to find the file.

I do this on my home network (2 computers in an ad-hoc wireless network) and
it works fine. Just don't try and open the PST file on two computers
simultaneously.


If you are using other versions of Outlook I'm sure it is possible to do the
same but I can't remember the menu structures to get there.

Hope this helps.

Carol
 
Thanks Carol

Hmmm this is outlook 2000 and I haven't got the things you describe...I have
searched every menu item, the help files, the MDSN, the registry and the WWW
and I cannot find any reference to the location of this file. I can't
believe that the programmers at MS would be brain-dead enough to have hard
coded a path relative to the OS.

Cheers

Paul BJ


Carol Haynes said:
Paul Brownjohn said:
Hello

Is there a way of changing the location that Outlook goes to to find its
.PST file.

I boot to two separate partitions but I want both instances of Outlook to
use the same pst file...preferably on a network drive. Try as I may I can't
figure out how to make it do that.
Click to expand...

If you are using Outlook 2002 (XP) you can do this ...

Copy the PST file where you want it.

Go to Tool > E-mail accounts

Make sure "view of change existing email accounts" is selected and click
Next.

At the bottom click on "New Outlook Data File ..." and assuming you want a
PST file make sure it is selected and click OK.

Browse to your new file location and select the file.

In the drop down menu to the left of 'New outlook data file' you will have
two versions of Personal Folders, choose the second one and then click on
Finish.

Once finished in the folder list you will have two sets of identical PST
folders right click on the one that doesn't have [Personal Folders] and
close it. You can now go back and delete the original PST file in the
default Outlook location.

You have now moved your message store to your own location.

To use the same file on a network on more than one machine just navigate the
network in the above list to find the file.

I do this on my home network (2 computers in an ad-hoc wireless network) and
it works fine. Just don't try and open the PST file on two computers
simultaneously.


If you are using other versions of Outlook I'm sure it is possible to do the
same but I can't remember the menu structures to get there.

Hope this helps.

Carol
Click to expand...
 
Paul Brownjohn said:
Thanks Carol

Hmmm this is outlook 2000 and I haven't got the things you describe...I have
searched every menu item, the help files, the MDSN, the registry and the WWW
and I cannot find any reference to the location of this file. I can't
believe that the programmers at MS would be brain-dead enough to have hard
coded a path relative to the OS.

Cheers

Paul BJ
Click to expand...

Just move the pst file to your desired location. (With Outlook closed). When
you next open Outlook it will complain that it can't find the pst file. Just
navigate to where you put it.
 
Thanks!

That has sorted it!

Cheers

Paul BJ

Rifleman said:
Just move the pst file to your desired location. (With Outlook closed). When
you next open Outlook it will complain that it can't find the pst file. Just
navigate to where you put it.
Click to expand...
 
Paul Brownjohn said:
Hmmm this is outlook 2000 and I haven't got the things you
describe...I have searched every menu item, the help files, the MDSN,
the registry and the WWW and I cannot find any reference to the
location of this file.
Click to expand...

In Windows XP, and Outlook 2000/2002, the default location for the file is
C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook or
C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\Local Settings\Application
Data\Microsoft\Outlook

Those are hidden folders, so in order to open them, you have to enable
hidden files and folders in Windows Explorer's Tools>Folder Options.

That said, nothing _demands_ that the PST file be there. You can place in
it any folder for which you have read/write permission.
--
Brian Tillman
Smiths Aerospace
3290 Patterson Ave. SE, MS 1B3
Grand Rapids, MI 49512-1991
Brian.Tillman is the name, smiths-aerospace.com is the domain.

I don't speak for Smiths, and Smiths doesn't speak for me.
 
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