Save email and contacts prior to reformatting

[Fred Parkinson]

Is there a way to save emails and contacts for later use
after a reformat? I've made the decision to reformat, so
please don't dwell on that. I'm running Win 98 SE and
Outlook 2000.

I've exported something (email msgs I think) into a
personal folder........ a pst file I think. I had to give
it a name. To test this, I then tried to import it, I
couldn't find an option on it. I read somewhere that you
can create a personal folder without using the export
feature. I can't find anything in help that tells me how
to do this.

I also need to do the same thing to my contacts. The last
time this happened, I thought I was getting my contacts
back, but all I got was some names with no other contact
info. I want to be able to get the contacts back with all
information intact.

Obviously, I need to be able to burn these files onto a
cd, so I need to know what they would be called and where
they are located on the hard drive.

My system is fully functional, so I have access to all
features (as opposed to a crash where I have nothing!).
My system is running very slow and even with a cable
modem, the online speed is slow. I've done a lot of
research and have performed numerous procedures (anti
virus, spyware scans etc.) and finally decided to reformat.

I'll post a message about contacts in that forum also, but
I thought I'd try here as well.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

Stop exporting and importing. You'll lose data.
Simply save and reuse your Outlook Data File.
The file you need to back up is your Personal Folders file (*.pst) It's
where all the mail, calendar, contacts etc are stored.

Take a look at these pages for info on Outlook data backup:
http://www.slipstick.com/config/backup.htm