Problem with relocating pst file

[Guest]

I followed the online Office/Outlook help instructions for relocation my pst
file to My Documents. I renamed the file in Outlook as instructed closed
Outlook and copied the file in explorer to My documents. What happened is
that the file name was only changed in Outlook so the copied file is still
called Outook pst which now also appears in My Documents. A search does not
reveal a copy of a fileas per the renamed file on display in Outlook.
Everything with computers seems to get more difficult instead of easier. I
have always changed this location in every version of Outlook without any
trouble untill Outlook 2003. Any ideas how i get out of this mess now?

 

[Diane Poremsky [MVP]]

what is the mess? That the file name is outlook.pst or that outlook isn't
using the relocated pst? Did you add it to the profile and set it as the
default in tools, accounts, view or change accounts?

 

[Brian Tillman]

I followed the online Office/Outlook help instructions for relocation
my pst file to My Documents. I renamed the file in Outlook as
instructed

This changes only the display name of the Personal Folders root in Outlook.
It has no effect on the file system name.

closed Outlook and copied the file in explorer to My
documents. What happened is that the file name was only changed in
Outlook so the copied file is still called Outook pst which now also
appears in My Documents.

This is normal. What did you expect to happen?

A search does not reveal a copy of a fileas
per the renamed file on display in Outlook. Everything with computers
seems to get more difficult instead of easier. I have always changed
this location in every version of Outlook without any trouble untill
Outlook 2003. Any ideas how i get out of this mess now?

All versions of Outlook have worked this way. The display name you see in
Outlook is data stored, I believe, in the PST you're using. The name of the
PST in the Windows file system is completely unrelated.

 

[Guest]

The problem is very simple. I want to store my pst file in My Documents where
it should be in the first place. In Outlook 2000 this is a simple matter. In
this case i renamed the file as advised and the new name appears on Outlook.
However when you search for a file of that name there is nothing there!!!!
The file that i tried to rename and copy still has the original name so now i
have two copies on My Documents called Outlook - one is an old one from my
previous computer. None of this is rocket science and all this should be and
was simple. What should be the problem of renaming a file? Anyway what with
this and Microsoft's other brilliant mods i'm seriously regretting the cash i
wasted on Office 2003. Another example of Microsoft 's changes is that i can
no longer find a way of making shortcuts to the file system - only to Outlook
folders. I've got very used to using Outlook as my main work interface so tot
being able to go directly to My Docs and the sub-folders is negative progress
as far as i'm concerned. Do i sound unhappy?

what is the mess? That the file name is outlook.pst or that outlook isn't
using the relocated pst? Did you add it to the profile and set it as the
default in tools, accounts, view or change accounts?

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
Author, Teach Yourself Outlook 2003 in 24 Hours
Coauthor, OneNote 2003 for Windows (Visual QuickStart Guide)
Need Help with Common Tasks? http://www.outlook-tips.net/beginner/

I followed the online Office/Outlook help instructions for relocation my
pst
file to My Documents. I renamed the file in Outlook as instructed closed
Outlook and copied the file in explorer to My documents. What happened is
that the file name was only changed in Outlook so the copied file is still
called Outook pst which now also appears in My Documents. A search does
not
reveal a copy of a fileas per the renamed file on display in Outlook.
Everything with computers seems to get more difficult instead of easier. I
have always changed this location in every version of Outlook without any
trouble untill Outlook 2003. Any ideas how i get out of this mess now?

 

[Guest]

Brian,
Thanks for your reply.
Please see below:

This changes only the display name of the Personal Folders root in Outlook.
It has no effect on the file system name. ***This is the first time that i've come across this problem. I have always been able to change the name of ANY folder and have often had severl pst files with different names tored in My Documents.***


This is normal. What did you expect to happen? *** Obviously i expected to find a copy of the RENAMED file in My Documents which i would have then led Outlook to.***


All versions of Outlook have worked this way. The display name you see in
Outlook is data stored, I believe, in the PST you're using. The name of the
PST in the Windows file system is completely unrelated.*** I have always has pst files located in My Documents with different names to the normal file. I never use the defalt location since it makes more sense to be able to backup every important file from the same location and everything else goe to My Documents by default.***

 

[Brian Tillman]

I have always been able to
change the name of ANY folder and have often had severl pst files
with different names tored in My Documents.***

Folder names inside a PST and the name of the PST in the Windows file system
are completely unrelated. Having several differently-named PSTs in the My
Documents folder is as easy with any version of Outlook as it is withwhat
you used before.

Obviously i
expected to find a copy of the RENAMED file in My Documents which i
would have then led Outlook to.***

And if you rename it in the WIndows file system (i.e., with Windows
Explorer), it will have a different name. The PST root's display name in
Outlook, however, won't change because, as I said, the two are unrelated.

I have
always has pst files located in My Documents with different names to
the normal file. I never use the defalt location since it makes more
sense to be able to backup every important file from the same
location and everything else goe to My Documents by default.*** --

And nothing stops you from putting PSTs there when you create them.

 

[Guest]

Hi Brian,
So are you saying that my only way out of this now is to create a new pst
file which i can have located in My documents?
Then can i transfer everything from the old file to the new one or do i have
to make do without it?
I seem to have a folder in My Docs called outlook dated 15/3/06 and another
called Paul's Notepad Backup dated 26/3/06 which are the same size. That
seems to imply that the backup i did ysterday was not of the in use folder
even though it has the in use name. There is nothing with today's date on it
so OUTLOOK must be still using the file it keeps in the system.
Strange but i've never had all this hasle before and it's getting more
complicated as time goes on especially since i have a number of my previous
version Oulook files also in My Docs..

 

[Brian Tillman]

So are you saying that my only way out of this now is to create a new
pst file which i can have located in My documents?

That's one way. Click File>Data File Management and look what PST Outlook
is using. Close Outlook, then move that PST to My Documents. Start Outlook
and it will complaing that it can't find the folders. Browse to the PST you
moved, select it, and click OK. Outlook should come back just as it was,
but with the PST in a new location. When you create new PSTs, browse to the
My Documents folder in the creation dialogue browse window before specifying
a PST file name.