OUTLOOK/PST file challenge for one of you gurus :-)

I've just performed an admittedly amateurish re-install of both win xp pro and Microsoft Office.

I did have the forethought to copy my entire C drive onto a portable HD before doing the reinstall, but I wasn't quite smart enough to "export" or "archive" or in any other way transfer or 'massage' my personal folders beforehand.

So, now I'm looking at my EMPTY mailboxes in Outlook (not Express) and wondering how the heck do I IMPORT my old .pst file from my C backup so that I can retrieve all my old messages.

Can it be done?

So far, I'm not having much luck. It's just Office 2000 to Office 2000......so there's no version challenge or anything, it's just a matter of whether or not that .pst file can be handled like a piece of raw meat.......or did it have to be coddled like a little kitten before I started the whole procedure?

Any help is GREATLY appreciated!

Mike

 

:wave Welcome to Major Geeks! :major

Fortunately, your problem isn't too tough and it's fairly common. The location of your Outlook files is:
X:\Documents and Settings\<%Username%>\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\
They will have a .PST file extension, and you'll need to browse to the above location using the Import tool in Outlook.

:-D

 

Let's try this again: any Outlook PST file experts out there?

I'm trying to either "import" or simply "copy and paste" a backed up copy of my PST file into Outlook, after reinstalling Office 2000.

I've never used a "Personal Folders Password" with Outlook.....but the program keeps asking me for one, whether I try to "Import" the .pst file, OR "copy and paste" it.

Any tips, guys?
Thanks,
Michael

 

Re: Let's try this again: any Outlook PST file experts out there?

I appreciate the comment......and the reason.......but I didn't post the second request until three hours after the first one.....when only one person had viewed and no one had responded. I was just trying to clarify my problem....which is:

-I'm trying to "reconstruct" my Outlook Personal Folders....known as the .pst file.
-XP Pro is up and running
-Outlook 2000 is installed and will open
-Yes, I have found my "copy" of my previous .pst file. As mentioned previously, it is not a "backed up" or "archived" copy......it is just a PLAIN OLD COPY. Nothing exotic. I am picking it out of a copy of my entire C drive (including Windows, Office 2000 and every other file that was on C....some 300,000 files.)
- I know the location of the .pst file....and have found it
-I have tried both IMPORTING and COPYING AND PASTING the .pst file into my correct Outlook
- I'm getting an error when I first access the Import and Export Wizard: "OUTLOOK.EXE - Entry Point Not Found. The procedure entry point CreateInfoWindow could not be located in the dynamic lin library MSOERT2.dll"...but if I click OK twice, it disappears and the Wizard is still visible.
- In Import Wizard, I click on "Import from another program or file
- Then, on the next screen, under "Select file type to import from", I pick Personal Folder File (.pst)
- Next page is Import Personal Folders......"File to Import"...and I navigate to the exact location that dlb suggest in his post.
- I click on Next.......and up comes a PERSONAL FOLDERS PASSWORD dialogue box that says "Type the password for OUTLOOK.pst.

And as I said in my other post, I've never used (to the best of my knowledge) a personal folder password. I've never had my mail, calendar, contacts or any other aspect of Outlook password protected.

Any tips?

Thanks for your patience guys.
P.S. I even downloaded a little trial version of a password recovery program. Loaded/launched it/went to this file......and of course it gives me ***7,****,***J,**** as the password I'm looking for.
"Download the FULL program by clicking here and get the full results."
Only thing is, I have never, ever used a 16 digit password for ANYTHING.....so I'm very suspicious of this program.

 

I believe this may be your problem. Try using the choice to "Import internet mail and addresses". This is an option in Outlook 2003 (I don't have Outlook 2000 on my home PC). When I get to work, I'll take a look at Outlook 2000 and see if it's the same. It should be the same or really close....
:-D

 

Thanks for the suggestion, bud, but I'm not sure that's the cure. I just went to the Import Tool and if you select "Import internet mail and addresses", it displays a box listing Eudora, Netscape Mail, Microsoft Internet Mail 3.x, Outlook Express, Netscape Messenger.

The Microsoft Internet Mail item looks tempting, but given that the rest are all "foreign" programs, I assumed the MS product was something "else". I clicked on it anyway, and sure enough on the next page was "Outlook Contacts Folder"...and when I hit Finish, up came a box saying Found no registry entry for MS Internet Mail 3.x...so I think that's a non starter.

Another (possibly related) question I have now that may provide a clue (but didn't want to start another Thread cause I seem to be getting trounced for doing that... is:

I have Office loaded on both my (old) C drive and my (newer/bigger) F drive....and both drives are running. When I launch Outlook, how do I know WHICH drive's copy is actually being fired up? I don't think data storage target (i.e. Save-As indicating a destination) is a reliable indicator is it? A program could launch from C, or even A and still save to My Documents on X drive, right?

The password program that one of the other friendly Majors provided looked like it was gonna work for a few seconds...but that's when I came up with the "which copy of Outlook should I be working on" came up.

Sorry to be a nerd........but, hey, I'm good at other stuff.
Thanks again for everyone's patience.
Mike