Outlook Account Files

[Rick Massey]

I got hit by a nasty virus back about a year ago and had to rebuild the
system. When I set everything back up again I copied the outlook folder
across to get my pst file, but it didn't transfer my account settings with
it. Where is that particular file stored so I can copy it across? And since
a former roommate swiped my Office 2003 disk I'm now suffering with 2007, so
will that file work as a drop in?

The reason I'm asking is because I have one account my ex created for me on
Google mail I was pulling down via POP3, and I'd like to get it back on the
system so I can better prove to them that it's my account by picking up mail
sent to me from it. This way I can recover my password on that account, as
Google is rather strict about such things. Recovering it means I can change
it so my ex can't access the account.

Any information would be greatly appreciated, as would be some way to decode
the password so I don't have to go through Google's hoops to get it. Thanks.

 

[Rick Massey]

Outlook's account data is stored in the registry. Each Windows account
gets its own randomly generated crypto key (except for the
"Administrator" account which is the same for every Windows
installation). The Outlook account info in the registry is hashed
(encrypted). That means you cannot merely export the registry key with
that data to migrate to another instance of Windows.

The .pst file doesn't contain the account definitions. Those are in the
registry which is encrypted and a simple export & import from/to
registries won't work to migrate those settings. You have to recreate
all your e-mail accounts in the new installation of Windows and Outlook.


Define a new account in Outlook that uses POP to connect to Gmail's
e-mail server. Be sure to enable POP access in the server-side
configuration of your Gmail account.

But without the password, that's sort of a waste, isn't it?

 

[Char Jackson]

But without the password, that's sort of a waste, isn't it?

Two possibilities come to mind, actually three:
1. Get the password from your ex or find it in your own notes
somewhere.
1a. Use Google's password recovery function, if it exists. If you can
prove that it's your account, it seems that they should reset the
password for you.
2. If you can see the password but it's masked by asterisks, there are
utilities that will usually reveal it in plain text.
3. Abandon the account and create your own. Since your ex created this
one, it's not entirely clear that it's actually your email account.

 

[VanguardLH]

VanguardLH wrote ...


But without the password, that's sort of a waste, isn't it?

Why would that be a waste? Is it your account or not? If it's not your
account, go create your own. If it's your account then being a waste to
define your Gmail account in Outlook means it's a waste to have that
Gmail account.

Regardless of whether or not the login credentials are saved for reuse
by an e-mail program, *YOU* should know our own login credentials. That
you don't often have to manually enter your login credentials doesn't
obviate you from your responsibility to know what they are. You never
stated that you didn't know the login to your own Gmail account. Look
at your post again. What did you ask? You thought this community was
going to help you hack into [possibly someone else's] Gmail account?

It's up to you to remember the login credentials for your own accounts.
If you can't remember them then find someway to record them. You could
use a post-it note, spiral notebook, a .txt file, you could save the
file inside a password-protected .zip file (but you'll have to remember
that password), or use password software, like KeePass or LastPass (but,
again, you'll have to remember its password to access your stored
passwords).

 

[Rick Massey]

VanguardLH wrote ...


But without the password, that's sort of a waste, isn't it?

Why would that be a waste? Is it your account or not? If it's not your
account, go create your own. If it's your account then being a waste to
define your Gmail account in Outlook means it's a waste to have that
Gmail account.

Regardless of whether or not the login credentials are saved for reuse
by an e-mail program, *YOU* should know our own login credentials. That
you don't often have to manually enter your login credentials doesn't
obviate you from your responsibility to know what they are. You never
stated that you didn't know the login to your own Gmail account. Look
at your post again. What did you ask? You thought this community was
going to help you hack into [possibly someone else's] Gmail account?

It's up to you to remember the login credentials for your own accounts.
If you can't remember them then find someway to record them. You could
use a post-it note, spiral notebook, a .txt file, you could save the
file inside a password-protected .zip file (but you'll have to remember
that password), or use password software, like KeePass or LastPass (but,
again, you'll have to remember its password to access your stored
passwords).

I dropped the ball in this. In myy settings file I have an entry for the
password for that account, but I was doing something else when the ex gave
me the info, and failed to properly document it. (I didn't create the
account because gmail's stupid capcha function doesn't actually work for the
blind, at least not on my system, as the link that is supposed to read the
capcha reading never starts any audio) And since my ex and I are not
talking at this point under penalty of legal action, I don't have the option
to just ring her up and ask her, as I have been advised to have no further
contact with her and to notify the authorities if she contacts me for
anything other than getting the last vestiges of her stuff out of my house.
But that's all drama no one here cares about, so I'll move on.
I was hoping to retrieve the password from the files off the computer that i
saved before wiping the drive, but it's clear that that isn't an option, so
it looks like I'll just have to abandon that account and hope she doesn't
use it to do something nasty in my name. (People really change when they
stop taking their medication) Okay, thanks for what help y'all did render.
I'll ask my next question in a new thread.