Want to sort out my PST files

[Guest]

Hi

In preparation for sorting out my PST files I have spent hours and hours
reading LOTS and LOTS of info , forums, tutorials, blogs, help guides etc on
sorting out my PST files ...

To save me flicking back and forth through many files /printouts I have
extracted the releavant data and compiled the info below..

To save yourselves lots of frustration of MANY qs in many postings and also
to save other users lots of time in searching for things I have put
everything in this one posting ..... apologies for the length

1. Please can someone read my "SORTING YOUR OUTLOOK PST FILES " info below
and make sure its correct and ok for me to follow .. if its OK maybe others
can benefit from this info too ???

2. Please can someone then come back to me on my Qs ( marked with 3
asterisks regarding my own PST file situation as I am trying to sort out my
own PST files and as you will see really need some help..

A bit of history re my situation:

I would like to say I had nothing to do with my mess with my PSTs and
"someone " fiddled on my PC , but that's simply NOT true.. When I 1st started
using Outlook a LONG time ago I was oblivious to PST files and ESPECIALLY
their file size limit.. In order to organise my outlook I had MANY folders
and subfolders.. after a while I discoverd email profiles and that I could
view pop3 mail in outlook and set up those ... save me gogin back and forth
to my internet email accounts llike hotmail etc

I discovered about PSTs by accident from an article written by a PC expert
about a poor user distraught at having lost ALL their outlook data and
warning other users of the "unknown by many" PST file size limit and giving
advice to get ours sorted .. I was somewhat "freaked" to realise I could lose
EVERYTHING by having a file that was too big and not having archived info
...So I set about researching archiving and archived data

Then I "discoverd" auto archiving and set that up which runs ev 7 days ....

Now I would like to Tidy things up - Sort PST files and ultimately end up
with a TIDY outlook with sev PST files that are backed up frequently and
PROPERLY..

Ultimately I am wanting to upgrade outlook and want everything to be ship
shape before doing that..

Thanks in advacne for your time and assistance

I look forward to yoru replies
tamba1

.................................................................................................

SORTING YOUR OUTLOOK PST FILES
______________________________________________


1. Size of PST File/s

PST file should be under 2GB to avoid performance issues , 2GB = 2097152 KB

My PST file ( outlook today folder) is 23035 KB which I make to be 0.02197GB
so although under limit want to sort out my PST files NOW ..

*** Have I got this right? am I UNDER the limit?

2. How many PST files do I have?
Haivng had outlook for ages I could not remember having created new PST
files in theory I would have 1 PST file for all outlook and 1 for archive ?
BUT Searched my PST location: and found I have LOTS of pst files ?? I have
taken a screen dump so I hopefully we can discuss and I can get advice on
this ...

***I had taken a backup using personal backup tool and DO backup my outlook
files when asked ( my setting ev 7 days) .... woudl this imact how many pst
files I have?


3. Where are they filed ( default location)
“To locate your main .pst file, right-click the Outlook Today folder and
choose Properties. (If the .pst file you want to move isn't your main data
store, right-click the top level of the hierarchy instead of Outlook Today.)

In the Properties dialog box, click the Advanced button to see the filename
and path for your .pst file.

Note: You may need to unhide files to see them - Open Windows Explorer, and
choose Tools, Folder Options. On the View tab, select "Show hidden files and
folders." After you close the dialog box, you should be able to see the .pst
file in the folder.

5. How to open a PST file to see what's in it?

Goto Outlook today folder Click File/Open/Outlook Data File find the file
you want to open, click it and click OK. When the new file is opened, you'll
see it now listed in your Folder List. In outlook

Click View/Folder List to display the Folder List, if it's not already
displayed.

4. Can I have multiple PST files ?

Yes you can

***What is the max you can have ?

***Can these all be open at same time ( ie see them all in folder structure
in outlook

3. Backing up PST files -

Options

Use Personal folders backup tool
or
Manually copy PST files/s to another location like External Hard drive


4. To Back Up or Copy ALL Your Outlook Mail, Contacts Calendar and other
outlook Data manually

Go to your Outlook folder in Windows Explorer.
Highlight all files ending in ".pst". Make sure in particular your selection
includes "outlook.pst" and "archive.pst".
Select Edit | Copy from the menu to copy them.
Open the folder where you want to put your backup copies in Windows Explorer.
Ideally, this will be on another computer, on a removable disk stored far
away from your home, somewhere on the Internet, or at least on a different
hard disk.
Select Edit | Paste from the menu to paste your .pst files to the backup
location

5. How to control PST file size and not let it get too big
“To maintain reasonably sized .pst files, delete messages you don't need to
keep, empty the Deleted Items folder regularly or automatically, and
occasionally compact the .pst file to remove the empty space that remains
after you delete items.

To compact the .pst file, right-click your folder's top level (Outlook Today
if it's your main data store), click Advanced, and click Compact Now.
Unfortunately, you can't schedule the compact function or launch it from a
command line.

6. Saving emails or email folders to a DVD

I want to save emails to DVD still be able to read them without doing a pst
backup, and have the option to reinstall the pst files back in if needed

“You can use an add-in for this;
“http://www.mapilab.com/outlook/email_archiver/

***If I understood this correctly this addin enables you to view you outlook
pst file contents on the web as though you were using outlook … and navigate
accordingly - is this correct?

Info taken from HTML for email Archiver backup sware web site

“Unique Outlook add-in working with all types of Microsoft Outlook folders
and used for a wide range of tasks: archiving into a platform-independent
HTML format or platform-dependent CHM format, publishing Microsoft Outlook
folders on the Internet, moving data from Microsoft Outlook onto other
software and hardware platforms, including mobile devices.

Archives created in the program reproduce the structure of Microsoft Outlook
folders, where it can contain messages or other elements in any language and
with any type of attachment, support the sorting of several criteria and can
be searched with advanced options.

Link to forum posting re this
http://www.microsoft.com/communitie...27a6e3c352e5&lang=en&cr=US&sloc=en-us&m=1&p=1


7. Creating a new PST file and copying emails across from existing folders

a. Create a new PST: Click File/Data File Management. bring up the Outlook
Data Files dialog box.
b . Click Add to add a new PST file. box will appear seeking conf re adding
new personal.pst file. Click OK.
c. Box will appear saying new PST file will be put in default location . If
this want to save elsewhere choose another location.

d. Name your new file ( this is the same name you will see in folder listing
in outlook) click OK to save this new, folder ( which will be empty)

e.Once named and clicked OK, box appears. Giving you options to set
compression preferences and
password protect the folder.

f. Click OK – same box will appear showing the new file is now listed among
open PST files.

g. Here you can select your new PST file and click Settings.to edit PST file
settings : such as Compressions if you wish to compress the folder, and also
add personal notes re the file contents

h. The Folder List will now also shows new PST file ready for use and it
also has a Deleted Items folder.

NOTE:-

I can now choose any folder with emails I want to “move†select the emails
and to click and drag into new PST file.

i.How to select emails to move

j. If selecting many emails click on 1st email and hold shift key to goto
final email you want and click this will select all of them in one go…

k Use Cntrl key to choose emails few at a time

l. Easiest way Drag whole folder across


Phew finally reached the end of this post

Thanks for your time
tamba1

 

[Guest]

Hi

In preparation for sorting out my PST files I have spent hours and hours
reading LOTS and LOTS of info , forums, tutorials, blogs, help guides etc on
sorting out my PST files ...

To save me flicking back and forth through many files /printouts I have
extracted the releavant data and compiled the info below..

To save yourselves lots of frustration of MANY qs in many postings and also
to save other users lots of time in searching for things I have put
everything in this one posting ..... apologies for the length

1. Please can someone read my "SORTING YOUR OUTLOOK PST FILES " info below
and make sure its correct and ok for me to follow .. if its OK maybe others
can benefit from this info too ???

2. Please can someone then come back to me on my Qs ( marked with 3
asterisks regarding my own PST file situation as I am trying to sort out my
own PST files and as you will see really need some help..

A bit of history re my situation:

I would like to say I had nothing to do with my mess with my PSTs and
"someone " fiddled on my PC , but that's simply NOT true.. When I 1st started
using Outlook a LONG time ago I was oblivious to PST files and ESPECIALLY
their file size limit.. In order to organise my outlook I had MANY folders
and subfolders.. after a while I discoverd email profiles and that I could
view pop3 mail in outlook and set up those ... save me gogin back and forth
to my internet email accounts llike hotmail etc

I discovered about PSTs by accident from an article written by a PC expert
about a poor user distraught at having lost ALL their outlook data and
warning other users of the "unknown by many" PST file size limit and giving
advice to get ours sorted .. I was somewhat "freaked" to realise I could lose
EVERYTHING by having a file that was too big and not having archived info
..So I set about researching archiving and archived data

Then I "discoverd" auto archiving and set that up which runs ev 7 days ....

Now I would like to Tidy things up - Sort PST files and ultimately end up
with a TIDY outlook with sev PST files that are backed up frequently and
PROPERLY..

Ultimately I am wanting to upgrade outlook and want everything to be ship
shape before doing that..

Thanks in advacne for your time and assistance

I look forward to yoru replies
tamba1

...............................................................................................

SORTING YOUR OUTLOOK PST FILES
______________________________________________


1. Size of PST File/s

PST file should be under 2GB to avoid performance issues , 2GB = 2097152 KB

My PST file ( outlook today folder) is 23035 KB which I make to be 0.02197GB
so although under limit want to sort out my PST files NOW ..

*** Have I got this right? am I UNDER the limit?

2. How many PST files do I have?
Haivng had outlook for ages I could not remember having created new PST
files in theory I would have 1 PST file for all outlook and 1 for archive ?
BUT Searched my PST location: and found I have LOTS of pst files ?? I have
taken a screen dump so I hopefully we can discuss and I can get advice on
this ...

***I had taken a backup using personal backup tool and DO backup my outlook
files when asked ( my setting ev 7 days) .... woudl this imact how many pst
files I have?


3. Where are they filed ( default location)
“To locate your main .pst file, right-click the Outlook Today folder and
choose Properties. (If the .pst file you want to move isn't your main data
store, right-click the top level of the hierarchy instead of Outlook Today.)

In the Properties dialog box, click the Advanced button to see the filename
and path for your .pst file.

Note: You may need to unhide files to see them - Open Windows Explorer, and
choose Tools, Folder Options. On the View tab, select "Show hidden files and
folders." After you close the dialog box, you should be able to see the .pst
file in the folder.

5. How to open a PST file to see what's in it?

Goto Outlook today folder Click File/Open/Outlook Data File find the file
you want to open, click it and click OK. When the new file is opened, you'll
see it now listed in your Folder List. In outlook

Click View/Folder List to display the Folder List, if it's not already
displayed.

4. Can I have multiple PST files ?

Yes you can

***What is the max you can have ?

***Can these all be open at same time ( ie see them all in folder structure
in outlook

3. Backing up PST files -

Options

Use Personal folders backup tool
or
Manually copy PST files/s to another location like External Hard drive


4. To Back Up or Copy ALL Your Outlook Mail, Contacts Calendar and other
outlook Data manually

Go to your Outlook folder in Windows Explorer.
Highlight all files ending in ".pst". Make sure in particular your selection
includes "outlook.pst" and "archive.pst".
Select Edit | Copy from the menu to copy them.
Open the folder where you want to put your backup copies in Windows Explorer.
Ideally, this will be on another computer, on a removable disk stored far
away from your home, somewhere on the Internet, or at least on a different
hard disk.
Select Edit | Paste from the menu to paste your .pst files to the backup
location

5. How to control PST file size and not let it get too big
“To maintain reasonably sized .pst files, delete messages you don't need to
keep, empty the Deleted Items folder regularly or automatically, and
occasionally compact the .pst file to remove the empty space that remains
after you delete items.

To compact the .pst file, right-click your folder's top level (Outlook Today
if it's your main data store), click Advanced, and click Compact Now.
Unfortunately, you can't schedule the compact function or launch it from a
command line.

6. Saving emails or email folders to a DVD

I want to save emails to DVD still be able to read them without doing a pst
backup, and have the option to reinstall the pst files back in if needed

“You can use an add-in for this;
“http://www.mapilab.com/outlook/email_archiver/

***If I understood this correctly this addin enables you to view you outlook
pst file contents on the web as though you were using outlook … and navigate
accordingly - is this correct?

Info taken from HTML for email Archiver backup sware web site

“Unique Outlook add-in working with all types of Microsoft Outlook folders
and used for a wide range of tasks: archiving into a platform-independent
HTML format or platform-dependent CHM format, publishing Microsoft Outlook
folders on the Internet, moving data from Microsoft Outlook onto other
software and hardware platforms, including mobile devices.

Archives created in the program reproduce the structure of Microsoft Outlook
folders, where it can contain messages or other elements in any language and
with any type of attachment, support the sorting of several criteria and can
be searched with advanced options.

Link to forum posting re this
http://www.microsoft.com/communitie...27a6e3c352e5&lang=en&cr=US&sloc=en-us&m=1&p=1


7. Creating a new PST file and copying emails across from existing folders

a. Create a new PST: Click File/Data File Management. bring up the Outlook
Data Files dialog box.
b . Click Add to add a new PST file. box will appear seeking conf re adding
new personal.pst file. Click OK.
c. Box will appear saying new PST file will be put in default location . If
this want to save elsewhere choose another location.

d. Name your new file ( this is the same name you will see in folder listing
in outlook) click OK to save this new, folder ( which will be empty)

e.Once named and clicked OK, box appears. Giving you options to set
compression preferences and
password protect the folder.

f. Click OK – same box will appear showing the new file is now listed among
open PST files.

g. Here you can select your new PST file and click Settings.to edit PST file
settings : such as Compressions if you wish to compress the folder, and also
add personal notes re the file contents

h. The Folder List will now also shows new PST file ready for use and it
also has a Deleted Items folder.

NOTE:-

I can now choose any folder with emails I want to “move†select the emails
and to click and drag into new PST file.

i.How to select emails to move

j. If selecting many emails click on 1st email and hold shift key to goto
final email you want and click this will select all of them in one go…

k Use Cntrl key to choose emails few at a time

l. Easiest way Drag whole folder across


Phew finally reached the end of this post

Thanks for your time
tamba1

 

[Brian Tillman]

1. Size of PST File/s

PST file should be under 2GB to avoid performance issues , 2GB =
2097152 KB

My PST file ( outlook today folder) is 23035 KB which I make to be
0.02197GB so although under limit want to sort out my PST files NOW ..

*** Have I got this right? am I UNDER the limit?

You're well under the limit. However, I don't see where you state your
Outlook version. Depending on version, you're either nearly 100 times under
the limit or 1,000 times under the limit.

2. How many PST files do I have?
Haivng had outlook for ages I could not remember having created new
PST files in theory I would have 1 PST file for all outlook and 1 for
archive ? BUT Searched my PST location: and found I have LOTS of pst
files ?? I have taken a screen dump so I hopefully we can discuss and
I can get advice on this ...

***I had taken a backup using personal backup tool and DO backup my
outlook files when asked ( my setting ev 7 days) .... woudl this
imact how many pst files I have?

Of course this will affect how many PSTs you find. That's exactly what a
backup is: a copy of the PST. Making a copy is making a backup. The
PFBACKUP tool (File>Backup in Outlook) does nothing more than make a copy of
the PST. Only you know how many times you copied your PST, so only you know
how many PSTs is appropriate.

4. Can I have multiple PST files ?

Yes you can

***What is the max you can have ?

I don't think there's a published maximum. If they're not actively opened
in Outlook (i.e., they're just on your hard drive and don't appear in your
Folder List in Outlook), then, while there's a theoretical limit to how many
files your hard drive can hold, in practice you can have as many as you
want. I've seen people with ten PSTs at one time open in Outlook. I
suspect you can have more

***Can these all be open at same time ( ie see them all in folder
structure in outlook

In one folder structure? No. In multiple folder structures, yes. Each one
will have a root at the same level as your Outlook Today root, with any
contained folders showing under that root.

“You can use an add-in for this;
“http://www.mapilab.com/outlook/email_archiver/

***If I understood this correctly this addin enables you to view you
outlook pst file contents on the web as though you were using outlook
… and navigate accordingly - is this correct?

My understanding is that this add-in reads the data Outlook contains and
makes an external copy of it in the format you specify (either HTML or CHM).
It does not make your PST contents available "on the web". Once the
"Archive" is made, the two data sets are completely disconnected. Changing
your Outlook data (i.e., adding a contact, moving messages from folder to
folder, receiving new mail, etc.) will have no effect on the data shown in
the Email Archive data. The data that Email Archiver creates is a shapshot
of the Outlook data as it exists at the time you run the add-in. If, after
making the copy, you wish to publish it on the web, you can, with whatever
publishing tools you wish to use. Email Archive does not do that publishing
itself.

 

[Guest]

Hi Brian THANKS so much for your reply

In answer to your question about the versions I am using its Outlook 2002 ..

Re PSt file size ..Yes a while back I did a LOT of deleting as my outlook
file was pretty Big though still under the 2GB thankfully ...

Sorry I have a few more qs for you re the PSTs

1. As I have so many ( for me) PST files - Can I start Afresh ?

ie can I make a Fresh PSt File say today for Backingup my current Outlook (
or something) can I give them a diff /more sensible name to make them stand
apart from any current PST files ..?

Then say create another PST File for my Archived Outlook mail

The several PST files for organising my emails by "category" as discussed
earlier eg Family, Crafts, PC Support etc etc

2. Was my "how to " doc ok , can I safely use it to sort out my PST files ?

3. How do I backup my Address book contacts ( I have everything in there
not in outlook address book)

Once again thanks for your help

Regards
tamba1

 

[Brian Tillman]

In answer to your question about the versions I am using its Outlook
2002 ..

Re PSt file size ..Yes a while back I did a LOT of deleting as my
outlook file was pretty Big though still under the 2GB thankfully ...

After deleting a lot of data from a PST, you should compact it. Right-click
its root, choose Properties, then Advanced. Click Compact Now.

1. As I have so many ( for me) PST files - Can I start Afresh ?

ie can I make a Fresh PSt File say today for Backingup my current
Outlook ( or something) can I give them a diff /more sensible name to
make them stand apart from any current PST files ..?

Certainly you can start afresh. You can have a new PST dislpay whatever you
want in the Folder List. In fact you can change the display name of your
existing PSTs as well (except for your delivery location PST). When you
create a new PST, one of the steps you take is to give the PST a display
name. This doesn't have to match the file name you give it, although I tend
to make the display name match the file name. RIght-click the root of a PST
in your Folder List and choose Properties. Click Advanced. The field
labeled "Name" is what Outlook will display for the PST in the Folder List
and what I call the "display name". The default value of that field is
"Personal Folders", but you can make it whatever you want. You'll also
notice that below the "Name" field is the "Filename" field. This second
value is how Windows identifies the PST as it is stored on disk. The PST
creation wizard asks you for each of those values, first the file name, then
the display name.

2. Was my "how to " doc ok , can I safely use it to sort out my PST
files ?

I read only those portions where you indicated you had questions.

3. How do I backup my Address book contacts ( I have everything in
there not in outlook address book)

The Address Book in Outlook doesn't contain ANY data, unless you're using a
Personal Address Book (PAB) file. Don't use a PAB. Use your Contacts
folder instead. The PAB is obsolete and is no longer supported Outlook
2007. The Outlook Address Book is simply a view of all the electronic
addresses contained in each contact folder for which you've enabled the
address book service.

 

[Guest]

HI Brian you are truly excellent thanks for ALL your help

Thanks for your patience too - I am not sure if I said I was very ill ( have
been a few years now) and REALLY struggle to deal with PC things currently
and communciate at times ..as explained am trying to TIDY up my PC and get
sorted ...

Q2. delivery location PST.. hmmm is this the "current pst file containing my
Current mail as in my outlook today ???? Currently Just called Outlook.pst..
I guess one i have created other psts and dragged emails around my
outllook.pst willjsut save whatever the end result is regardless of how many
changes have been made or fodler deleted ../moved?

Q3. So if I understand correctly I can create a PST file and once created
drag the emails from my current outlook across .. eg I could put all family
emails in a folder with a display name family? then drag family emails I want
to keep across into new folder?

Q4. re naming pst backup files - I am currently set to get a reminder to
backup ev 7 days -

My Backup options are set to backup copies of

Myname Mail ( Outlook today folder)
My name Archive

Q5. So is this in effect saying to outlook (create 2 pst files, one for the
archived mail and 1 for the outlook today folder?)

In my outlook data file I see ( the numerous PST files as mentioned before
outlook1.pst, outlook2.pst etc upto 15 PLUS I see

outlook.pst size= 28,081 KB modified 27.04.07
outlookbackup.pst 28,320 KB 25.04.07

archive.pst size = 114,512 KB modofied 27.04.07

archive backup.pst size = 114,512 KB modified 25.04.07

Backup of PST file ( this one is in a folder) size 184,768 KB last modified
18.04.06 ( i guess as this in a folder I woudl have MANUALLY created this
one)

Q6. So when it comes to starting afresh as per my previous posting woudl i
do the following..

Create a New PST file called myname emails ( something like that) and that
would then be a copy of Everything currently in Outlook today ?

Where I said in my 1st post my outlook is messy as I currently have folders
and many subfolders within my outlook today mail folder ( currently that
would all come under the outlook.pst file I guess..)

Q7. So to confirm my understanding ...

if I am wanting to have seperate PST foldersfor some of these categories -
which if I am correct would enable me to backup these seperate pst folders
individually yes? eg family.pst, Kids.pst etc etc .. I need to create new
PST's then once created drag the relevant emails across ..

Q8. All the "dragging" from one pst to another I am going to be doing is
this likely to cause any problems ? anything I need to do to reduce any risk
of errors?

Q9. POP3 and HTML Accts

I currently have my NTLworld and my Hotmail emails sent to outlook .. They
have their own accounts and they have their own FOLDER ..

So to do this correctly shoudl I have a PST file for Hotmail and another for
NTL world..? anything diffiernt I need to do to set these up ?

Then once these are set up - do I need to edit the email accounts settings
to "Deliver new email to a NEW outlook data file ( umm this would be the new
PST file or???)

Q10. One more question CAN I drag emails out of archive.pst folder as easily
as dragging other emails from other pst folder.. eg things that are currently
archived can they be dragged into the new PST files once created... then
archived at a later stage

Phew Brian I THINK thanks to all YOUR help I might have PST files sorted
now well at least in MY head ...

Brian THANK YOU for everything It will be great to FINALLY get my files
shipshape in Outlook ..

regards
tamba1

 

[Brian Tillman]

Q2. delivery location PST.. hmmm is this the "current pst file
containing my Current mail as in my outlook today ???? Currently Just
called Outlook.pst.. I guess one i have created other psts and
dragged emails around my outllook.pst willjsut save whatever the end
result is regardless of how many changes have been made or fodler
deleted ../moved?

By definition, whichever PST you have selected in the "Delivery new e-mail
to the following location" drop-down is designated "Outlook Today". Change
the delivery location and you change Outlook Today.

Q3. So if I understand correctly I can create a PST file and once
created drag the emails from my current outlook across .. eg I could
put all family emails in a folder with a display name family? then
drag family emails I want to keep across into new folder?
Yes.

Q4. re naming pst backup files - I am currently set to get a reminder
to backup ev 7 days

My Backup options are set to backup copies of

Myname Mail ( Outlook today folder)
My name Archive

Q5. So is this in effect saying to outlook (create 2 pst files, one
for the archived mail and 1 for the outlook today folder?)
Exactly.

In my outlook data file I see ( the numerous PST files as mentioned
before outlook1.pst, outlook2.pst etc upto 15 PLUS I see

Outlook actively is using only those data files showing when you click
File>Data File Management. I suspect only the two you mention above are
active. The rest may contain data, but Outlook isn't using them right now.
They're probably copies/backups you've made previously.

outlook.pst size= 28,081 KB modified 27.04.07
outlookbackup.pst 28,320 KB 25.04.07

archive.pst size = 114,512 KB modofied 27.04.07

archive backup.pst size = 114,512 KB modified 25.04.07

Backup of PST file ( this one is in a folder) size 184,768 KB last
modified
18.04.06 ( i guess as this in a folder I woudl have MANUALLY created
this one)

Q6. So when it comes to starting afresh as per my previous posting
woudl i do the following..

Create a New PST file called myname emails ( something like that) and
that would then be a copy of Everything currently in Outlook today ?

A new PST will, of course, be empty (except for a Deleted Items folder,
which all PSTs have). Making a new PST your delivery location (and thus
Outlook Today) will cause Outlook to create all the other default folders
for you: Inbox, Outbox, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, etc. Of course, they'll
all be empty. If you want to copy the data from your previous delivery
location PST (which should still be available in your Folders List), then
open each of the folders it contains, select all the data in the folder with
CTRL-A, then either right-click and drag the selection to the corresponding
current default folder that matches (i.e., calendar to calendar, contacts to
contacts, etc.) and choose Copy or click Edit>Copy to Folder and specify the
corresponding default folder. FOr the Calendar, you'll first have to change
the View to a table view before CTRL-A will work. If you have folders in
the old PST that you created, you can simply right-click and drag the entire
folder to the "Outlook Today" entry in the Folder List. You can then close
the old PST with right-click>Close on its root or use File>Data File
Management to remove it from your mail profile.

Where I said in my 1st post my outlook is messy as I currently have
folders and many subfolders within my outlook today mail folder (
currently that would all come under the outlook.pst file I guess..)

Q7. So to confirm my understanding ...

if I am wanting to have seperate PST foldersfor some of these
categories - which if I am correct would enable me to backup these
seperate pst folders individually yes? eg family.pst, Kids.pst etc
etc .. I need to create new PST's then once created drag the relevant
emails across ..

If they're PSTs in their own right, and not just separate folders in your
Outlook Today, then yes.

Q8. All the "dragging" from one pst to another I am going to be doing
is this likely to cause any problems ? anything I need to do to
reduce any risk of errors?

There should be no risk. I've done it many times.

Q9. POP3 and HTML Accts

I currently have my NTLworld and my Hotmail emails sent to outlook ..
They have their own accounts and they have their own FOLDER ..

So to do this correctly shoudl I have a PST file for Hotmail and
another for NTL world..? anything diffiernt I need to do to set these
up ?

HTTP accounts always get their own folder sets because messags remain on the
server and are not downloaded and removed. The PSTs for those accounts act
as caches so that you can see what the server contained the last time you
connected without being on line. Multiple POP accounts, however, will all
use the same PST.

Then once these are set up - do I need to edit the email accounts
settings to "Deliver new email to a NEW outlook data file ( umm this
would be the new PST file or???)

If you start fresh with a new mail profile and define in it only a single
PST, then that PST will be the delivery location automatically. When you
add the Hotmail account, a new PST will be created, but you'll never be able
to specify it as the delivery location, unless you're using a version of
Outlook called Outlook Live from MSN.

Q10. One more question CAN I drag emails out of archive.pst folder as
easily as dragging other emails from other pst folder.. eg things
that are currently archived can they be dragged into the new PST
files once created... then archived at a later stage
Certainly.

Brian THANK YOU for everything It will be great to FINALLY get my
files shipshape in Outlook ..

I'm glad to help.

 

[Jo Foster]

I don't know if this is where to post my reply!
Anyway, I'm impressed by the length and thoroughness of this discussion.
However, having struggled for years to find out how to backup my Outlook
contents, I am still suspicious of and confused by .psi files, difficult to
locate and impossible to open in anything other than outlook.
I move my emails out of inbox into folders
I would prefer that the emails could be incorporated into word files and
move out of pst-land into my documents filing system, but it's too
time-consuming and to include the to/from/date info one has to fwd them to
oneself first.
it's getting difficult to decide which folder to place files in, and then if
you have them in more than one location you can inadvertent change one.
Vista has increased my muddle - I can hardly find anything, and "search"
throws up vast quantities of irrelevancies, slowly, so I'm trying to add tags
I wish Microsoft would open some drop-in help shops with geniuses or Brians!

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]]

I don't know if this is where to post my reply!
Anyway, I'm impressed by the length and thoroughness of this discussion.
However, having struggled for years to find out how to backup my Outlook
contents, I am still suspicious of and confused by .psi files, difficult to
locate and impossible to open in anything other than outlook.

Yes, it is impossible to open PST files (so that they are intelligible) in
anything other than Outlook, just like it is impossible to open Word doucments
in anything but Word (or Open Office Writer) and have them intelligible.
Backup is easy. Simply make a copy of the PST while Outlook is closed. Did I
cite this web page yet?
http://www.howto-outlook.com/howto/backupandrestore.htm\

I move my emails out of inbox into folders
I would prefer that the emails could be incorporated into word files and
move out of pst-land into my documents filing system, but it's too
time-consuming and to include the to/from/date info one has to fwd them to
oneself first.

Not necessary. Ther are third-party tools that can help as well (see
http://www.slipstick.com/), but keeping mail outside of Outlook is not the
best approach, in my opinion, because you still need to use Outlook to read
them, unless you convert them to Plain Text or HTML. Doing so, however, loses
your routing information. There's no way to reply to the sender of a message
stored in a non-Outlook format.

it's getting difficult to decide which folder to place files in, and then if
you have them in more than one location you can inadvertent change one.

Then create a folder (like "Outlook Data") under your "Documents" folder and
move them all there. When you create a new PST, browse to that folder in the
creation wizard rather than accepting the default Outlook will show you.

Vista has increased my muddle - I can hardly find anything, and "search"
throws up vast quantities of irrelevancies, slowly, so I'm trying to add
tags
I wish Microsoft would open some drop-in help shops with geniuses or Brians!

Normally, in either Windows XP or Windows Vista, some of the folders in the
user profile are hidden folders by default. They cannot be seen using Window
Explorer and will not appear when you browse folders in a browser dialogue
like those that appear when you want to open or save a file. There are
settings available through the Folder Options in Control Panel that will make
those folders visible, but it's often more convenient to just avoid the hidden
folders altogether.

The default location for PSTs in Windows XP is
%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook.
"%UserProfile%" is an environment variable that translates to "C:\Documents
and Settings\user", where "user" us your Windows username.
In Windows Vista, it's an equivalent path: %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Outlook,
where
"%LocalAppData%" is an environment variable that translates to
"C:\Users\user\AppData\Local", where "user" is the WIndows username.