saving email

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
G

Guest

Stupid question!!:
I want to reload Windows, but since I retain many of my emails in the Inbox
for documentation purposes, I would like to save them and reload them for use
on my clean system. I use Outlook 2002 SP3 on Windows XP Home SP2.

Thanks for the help!
 
Find your Outlook mail file (ends with a .PST extension - usually
"Outlook.pst") and copy it to a safe alternate location/disk.

By default it is at: X:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local
Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\Outlook.pst".

Reinstall Windows and Outlook. Open Outlook, configure it with your account
settings and let it create a new Outlook.pst in that same location. Close
Outlook.

Copy your old Outlook.pst over the newly created Outlook.pst.

Reopen Outlook and you should have your old mail.

That's how I've done it in the past and it worked for me. However, if you
don't use exactly the same version of Outlook there could be trouble, I
suppose.

-Frank
 
Frankster wrote:

Copy your old Outlook.pst over the newly created Outlook.pst.
Click to expand...

No NO NO! Do NOT overwrite the existing pst file. In Outlook go to
File-Open-Outlook Data file and open the old pst file. Then you can either
drag and drop data to the new pst file, or, in control panel-mail specify
the old file as the delivery location for mail. I repeat, do NOT overwrite
the new pst file.
 
Thanks much for the help!

I did a search for *.eml files (which I guess are for Outlook Express).
 
burnie71 said:
Thanks much for the help!

I did a search for *.eml files (which I guess are for Outlook Express).
Click to expand...

yes they are, but that is NOT where you email is stored. If you are using
OE, open it and go to Tools-Options-Maintenance and click on the "Store
Folder" button. That will tell you where your main email store is. Then go
here:
http://insideoe.tomsterdam.com/backup/ for the ultimate guide to backing up
and restoring OE.

HTH
 
Thanks again, Gordon.
--
Burnie71


Gordon said:
yes they are, but that is NOT where you email is stored. If you are using
OE, open it and go to Tools-Options-Maintenance and click on the "Store
Folder" button. That will tell you where your main email store is. Then go
here:
http://insideoe.tomsterdam.com/backup/ for the ultimate guide to backing up
and restoring OE.

HTH
Click to expand...
 
Gordon said:
yes they are, but that is NOT where you email is stored. If you are using
OE, open it and go to Tools-Options-Maintenance and click on the "Store
Folder" button. That will tell you where your main email store is. Then go
here:
http://insideoe.tomsterdam.com/backup/ for the ultimate guide to backing
up
and restoring OE.

HTH
Click to expand...

He's not using OE, his original post clearly states Outlook 2002 SP3.
 
No NO NO! Do NOT overwrite the existing pst file.

Why not? It has worked for me countless times. Remember, the "existing" pst
file that is created immediately after OL is loaded is BLANK. No emails are
in there.

I routinely copy my network stored PST file onto any one of a few laptops,
to the local drive, to use when I travel. A simple copy back to the network
stored location "syncs" my mail again when I return.

Why all the concern? It works.

-Frank
 
Because while you may know/understand the ramifications of doing
it that way someone else may do it the wrong way around and end
up losing all their accumulated mail. 1st rule of answering postings
is "Do no Harm" or at the minimum explain what might go wrong so
users can make an informed choice.
 
Well, I felt I described it good enough to avoid mishap.

Anyway, there is almost always more than one way to do anything. I described
my preferred way. No problem.

-Frank
 
No big deal, Just that some folks have problems with "Overwriting"
files <-+ or +-> & unfortunately too many users don't backup data.
 
Richard John wrote:

I don't use Outlook but it possibly has an Export and Import option.
Click to expand...

It does but that is designed for exporting Outlook data to a third-party app
such as Access or Excel, not as a backup method for data. Similarly, if the
import function is used, then the modified date (on which many Outlook
functions depend) will be changed to the date of import.
 
FWIW: I am not an expert but I seem to remember reading on the MS NG that
deals with Email that it is not a good idea to use your Inbox or the
provided Sent folders to store email. The experts there said to create new
folders, name them something, then as you receive and send email to manually
move them there. This was in response to a post about file corruption or
something similar.

If I were you I would go to whatever MS newsgroup that covers Outlook and
ask.

Hope it's useful. Pflu
 
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