Backing up your data is an important part of
life when working with computers.
In this article we take a look at how to
manually backup Microsoft Outlook in 2002 and 2003 editions.
In This
Article We Shall Look At:
•How to make a backup copy of a .pst file.
• How to export .pst file data.
• How to import .pst file data in to Outlook.
• How to transfer Outlook data from one computer to another
computer.
• How to back up Personal Address Books.
• How to back up Outlook Settings Files.
Introduction:
Microsoft Outlook stores messages, contacts, appointments, tasks,
notes, and journal entries data in Messaging Application Programming
Interface (MAPI) folders. MAPI folders can be stored in one of the
two following locations:
• In a personal folders (.pst) file on your hard disk drive.
• In a mailbox that is located on the server if you are using
Outlook with Microsoft Exchange Server. (This article does not
address using Exchange Server)
If you back up data that you created in Outlook, you can do the
following depending on your situation:
• Restore data that is lost or damaged because
of a hardware failure.
• Restore data that has been lost because on unexpected events.
• Move or transfer data to a different hard disk drive that is
either located on the same computer or on a different computer.
• Move or transfer data to a from the original hard disk drive to a
hard disk drive that is located on a different computer.
How To Make a Backup Copy of a .PST
File
If you are not using Outlook with Microsoft Exchange Server, Outlook
stores all of its data in a .pst file. If you want to back up or to
export a particular folder, such as a Contacts or a Calendar folder,
go to the "How to export .pst data." section .
Use the following steps to back up the whole .pst file:
1. Quit any messaging programs such as Outlook, Microsoft
Exchange, or Microsoft Windows Messaging. 2. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control
Panel. 3. Double-click the Mail icon. 4. Click the Show Profiles button. 5. Click the appropriate profile, and then click Properties.
6. Click the Data Files button. 7. Click the Personal Folders Service that you want to back
up. By default, this service is called Personal Folders. However,
this service may have been named something else.
Note You may have more than one Personal Folders service in
your profile. If this is true, you must back up each set of .pst
files separately.
If there are not any Personal Folders services in your profile and
you have been able to store information such as messages, contacts,
or appointments in Outlook, your information is most likely being
stored in a mailbox on an Exchange Server. If this is true, see the
"Data on a Microsoft Exchange Server" section.
8. Click Settings, and then note the path and file name that
is listed.
Note The .pst file contains all data that is stored in the
MAPI folders that are used by Outlook in that file. If the file may
be too large to place on a floppy disk. If this is true, use a
CD-ROM or other portable drive device. You can reduce the size of a
.pst file when you click Compact Now.
9. Close all of the Properties windows. 10. Make a copy of the file that you noted in step 5 by using
Windows Explorer or My Computer.
You may have to restore a .pst file from a removable media, such as
a floppy disk drive, a portable drive device, a CD-ROM, a magnetic
tape drive, or any other storage media. To do so, copy the backup
copy of the file that you just created from the storage media back
to the computer hard disk drive.
When you do this, make sure that the Read-Only attribute is cleared.
If this attribute is selected, you may receive the following error
message:
The specified device, file, or path could not
be accessed. It may have been deleted, it may be in use, you may be
experiencing network problems, or you may not have sufficient
permission to access it. Close any application using this file and
try again.
How To Export .pst File Data
Use the following steps to export an individual folder:
1. On the File menu, click Import And Export. If the menu
item is not available, hover your pointer over the chevrons at the
bottom of the menu, and then click Import and Export. 2. Click Export To File, and then click Next. 3. Click Personal Folder File (.pst) , and then click Next.
4. Click the folder that you want to export the .pst file to,
and then click Next. 5. Click the Browse button, and then select the location to
save the .pst file. 6. In the File Name box, type a descriptive file name for the
.pst file, and then click OK. 7. Click Finish.
How To Import .pst File Data Into
Microsoft Outlook
Use the following steps to import a .pst) file into Microsoft
Outlook:
1. On the File menu, click Import And Export. If the menu
item is not available, hover your pointer over the chevrons at the
bottom of the menu, and then click Import and Export. 2. Click Import from another program or file., and then click
Next. 3. Click Personal Folder File (.pst), and then click Next.
4. Type the path and the name of the .pst file that you want
to import, and then click Next. 5. Select the folder that you want to import, or select the
top of the hierarchy to import everything, and then click Finish.
How To Transfer Outlook Data From
One Computer To Another Computer
You cannot share or synchronize .pst files. However, you can use the
steps in the "How to import .pst file data into Outlook"
section to copy data from Outlook to a .pst file. You can use a CD
or DVD-ROM, portable media, or copy files to another system over a
LAN/WAN link for use on another computer. Remember the following
requirements when you work with .pst files:
• When you copy .pst files from a CD- or DVD-ROM, verify that the
Read-Only attribute is not set on the .pst file. To verify this
setting, right-click the .pst file that you copied from the CD-
DVD-ROM, and then click Properties. Make sure that the Read-Only”
check box is not selected.
• Connecting to .pst files over LAN/WAN links is
not supported and problems connecting to .pst files over such links
can occur.
If you need to make a secondary .pst file to store data for
transfer between two different computers, or for backup purposes,
use the following steps:
1. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Outlook
Data File. 2. Type a unique name for the new .pst file, for example,
type Transfer.pst, and then click OK. 3. Type a display name for the Personal Folders file, and
then click OK. 4. Quit Outlook.
If you just want to copy a .pst file that is in Outlook, use the
following steps:
1. In Outlook, right-click the folder you wish to copy and
click Copy “foldername”. For example, to copy the Calendar,
right-click the Calendar folder, and then click Copy “Calendar”. 2. In the Copy Folder dialog box, click your Transfer
Folders, and then click OK. 3. You can repeat the steps as needed for other folders.
How To Back Up Personal Address
Books
Although contact information can be kept either in an Exchange
Server mailbox or in a .pst file, and is accessed through the
Outlook Address Book, the Personal Address Book creates a file that
is stored on your hard disk drive. To make sure that this address
book is backed up, you must include any files with the .pab
extension in your backup process.
Use the following steps to locate your Personal Address Book file:
1. If you are running Microsoft Windows 95 or Microsoft
Windows 98:
Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders.
If you are running Microsoft Windows XP, 2000 or Microsoft Windows
Millennium Edition (Me):
Click Start, point to Search, and then click For Files or Folders
(Windows XP = All Files and Folders)
2. Type *.pab, click My Computer in the Look In box, and then
click Find Now.
Note the location of the .pab file, and include it in your backup.
If you need to restore this address book either to the same
computer or a different computer, use the following steps:
1. Close any message-related programs such as Outlook,
Microsoft Exchange, or Windows Messaging. 2. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control
Panel. 3. Double-click the Mail icon. 4. Click the Show Profiles button. 5. Click the appropriate profile, and then click Properties
6. Click the Email Accounts button. 7. Click Add a New Directory or Address Book, and then click
Next 8. Click Additional Address Books, and then click Next. 9. Click Personal Address Book, and then click Next. 10. Type the path and the name of the Personal Address Book
file that you want to restore, click Apply, and then click OK. 11. Click Close, and click then OK.
NB - The Outlook Address Book is a service used by the
profile to facilitate using a Contacts folder in a Mailbox, Personal
Folders File or Public Folder as an e-mail address book. The Outlook
Address Book, itself, contains no data that needs to be saved.
How To Backup Microsoft Outlook
Settings Files
If you have customized settings that you want to replicate on
another computer by using Outlook, you may want to include the
following files in your back up as well as the personal folders (.pst)
file:
• Outcmd.dat - This file stores toolbar and menu settings.
• <Profile Name>.fav - This is your Favorites file that includes the
settings for the Outlook bar.
• <Profile Name>.nk2 - This file stores the NickNames for
AutoComplete.
Note If you use Microsoft Word as your e-mail editor,
signatures are stored in the Normal.dot file as AutoText entries.
You should back up this file also.
Folder design properties include permissions, filters, description,
forms, and views are integrated into the folders on which they were
created. If you export items from one personal folders (.pst) file
to another, design properties are not maintained. To back this
information up, see the "Copy the design of a folder" topic in
Microsoft Office Outlook Help.
If you have created customized signatures that you want to replicate
to another computer by using Outlook, you may want to back up all
custom signature files located in the following folder:
Drive:\Documents and Settings\Username\Application
Data\Microsoft\Signatures
where Drive represents the drive that Outlook was installed to and
Username represents the user name that Outlook was installed under.
Each individual signature has its own file and uses the same name as
the signature you used when you created it. For example, if you
created a signature named MySig, the following files are created in
the Signatures folder:
MySig.htm - This file stores the Hypertext Markup Language
(HTML) auto signature.
MySig.rtf - This file stores the Microsoft Outlook Rich Text
Format (RTF) Auto signature.
MySig.txt - This file stores the plain text format Auto
signature.
Marc Liron -
Bio
Microsoft Digital Media MVP
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