Backing Up Outlook

  • Thread starter Thread starter Don Berman
  • Start date Start date
D

Don Berman

I am trying to backup Microsoft Outlook 2002. With Outlook open, I went to
"File / Backup." Then I selected "Save Backup." This saved a file labeled
"Outlook Backup" to my desktop. I then burned a copy of this file on to a
CD. I am not sure if I have done what I intended to do, however.
Accordingly, I have a few questions.



First, did I save all of my Personal Folders by doing what I did above.
including "Contacts," "Calendar," etc.? If not, how do I do that.



Second, how can I test to insure that I can retrieve the saved files if it
becomes necessary?



Thanks,



Don
 
Since I don't have 2002, I search my hard drive for .pst, and burn that .pst file to a cd. It contains ALL of the outlook data. The backup probably does the same thing. Compare the original file size and the copy; they should be the same. If you ever need your backup, copy your current pst to a cd and paste the backup where the current file was. I'm not sure what you would do if you need to merge data. I think you would open the backup and export the folder or data you need, and import it to the original file.

Good luck!
 
Diane,

Thanks for the information. I am, however, not sure that I'm testing my
backup properly. As you suggested, I copied the pst file to my desktop,
using the drag and drop method. I did not see a "read flag," so I right
clicked on the pst file and then clicked "properties." I saw that the
"read-only" attribute was unchecked, so I figured that I was okay on this.
Then, I double-clicked on Outlook to open the program. I clicked file /
open / Outlook data file... Then I directed Outlook to go to my desktop and
open that pst file.

So far, so good. But, I was not certain that I was actually reading the
backup file. So, I then closed Outlook and opened it again, making sure
that I was not accessing the desktop pst file. Then, I made a new entry in
my calendar. I figured that this would allow me to determine if the
previously saved version of the pst file was actually being read, as this
new entry was not there when I originally made the backup copy. To test
this hypotheses, I then directed Outlook to the backup pst on the desktop
using the method you indicated. I was surprised to see that the update that
I made to the calendar was showing!!! How could it if I were truly viewing
the backup pst??? It wasn't there when I made the backup.

My concern is that I may be thinking that I'm viewing the backup pst when I
am actually viewing the pst that is in the Microsoft / Outlook folder. If
this is the case, I have not really proven that the backup process was
successful.

Sorry for being so detailed, but I thought that it might help you to better
answer this question. How can I be sure that I am truly testing the backup
pst?

Thanks,

Don


Diane Poremsky said:
1) yes.

2) to test it, copy the pst back to the drive, remove the read flag and open
it in Outlook using file, open.

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
Author, Teach Yourself Outlook 2003 in 24 Hours
Coauthor, OneNote 2003 for Windows (Visual QuickStart Guide)


Search for answers: http://groups.google.com
Most recent posts to the Outlook newsgroups:
http://groups.google.com/groups?as_ugroup=microsoft.public.outlook.*&num=30

Don Berman said:
I am trying to backup Microsoft Outlook 2002. With Outlook open, I went to
"File / Backup." Then I selected "Save Backup." This saved a file
labeled
"Outlook Backup" to my desktop. I then burned a copy of this file on to a
CD. I am not sure if I have done what I intended to do, however.
Accordingly, I have a few questions.



First, did I save all of my Personal Folders by doing what I did above.
including "Contacts," "Calendar," etc.? If not, how do I do that.



Second, how can I test to insure that I can retrieve the saved files if it
becomes necessary?



Thanks,



Don
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Go to View, Folder list and you can see both personal folders.

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
Author, Teach Yourself Outlook 2003 in 24 Hours
Coauthor, OneNote 2003 for Windows (Visual QuickStart Guide)


Search for answers: http://groups.google.com
Most recent posts to the Outlook newsgroups:
http://groups.google.com/groups?as_ugroup=microsoft.public.outlook.*&num=30

Don Berman said:
Diane,

Thanks for the information. I am, however, not sure that I'm testing my
backup properly. As you suggested, I copied the pst file to my desktop,
using the drag and drop method. I did not see a "read flag," so I right
clicked on the pst file and then clicked "properties." I saw that the
"read-only" attribute was unchecked, so I figured that I was okay on this.
Then, I double-clicked on Outlook to open the program. I clicked file /
open / Outlook data file... Then I directed Outlook to go to my desktop
and
open that pst file.

So far, so good. But, I was not certain that I was actually reading the
backup file. So, I then closed Outlook and opened it again, making sure
that I was not accessing the desktop pst file. Then, I made a new entry
in
my calendar. I figured that this would allow me to determine if the
previously saved version of the pst file was actually being read, as this
new entry was not there when I originally made the backup copy. To test
this hypotheses, I then directed Outlook to the backup pst on the desktop
using the method you indicated. I was surprised to see that the update
that
I made to the calendar was showing!!! How could it if I were truly
viewing
the backup pst??? It wasn't there when I made the backup.

My concern is that I may be thinking that I'm viewing the backup pst when
I
am actually viewing the pst that is in the Microsoft / Outlook folder. If
this is the case, I have not really proven that the backup process was
successful.

Sorry for being so detailed, but I thought that it might help you to
better
answer this question. How can I be sure that I am truly testing the
backup
pst?

Thanks,

Don


Diane Poremsky said:
1) yes.

2) to test it, copy the pst back to the drive, remove the read flag and open
it in Outlook using file, open.

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
Author, Teach Yourself Outlook 2003 in 24 Hours
Coauthor, OneNote 2003 for Windows (Visual QuickStart Guide)


Search for answers: http://groups.google.com
Most recent posts to the Outlook newsgroups:
http://groups.google.com/groups?as_ugroup=microsoft.public.outlook.*&num=30

Don Berman said:
I am trying to backup Microsoft Outlook 2002. With Outlook open, I went to
"File / Backup." Then I selected "Save Backup." This saved a file
labeled
"Outlook Backup" to my desktop. I then burned a copy of this file on
to a
CD. I am not sure if I have done what I intended to do, however.
Accordingly, I have a few questions.



First, did I save all of my Personal Folders by doing what I did above.
including "Contacts," "Calendar," etc.? If not, how do I do that.



Second, how can I test to insure that I can retrieve the saved files if it
becomes necessary?



Thanks,



Don
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
AMAZING!!!!! My Folder List has seven major folders in it, each with
numerous subfolders. In order they are:

Archive Folders
Outlook Today - [Personal Folders]
Outlook Today - [Personal Folders]
Outlook Today - [Personal Folders]
Personal Folders
Outlook Today - [Personal Folders]
Outlook Today - [Personal Folders]

All of the "Outlook Today - [Personal Folders]" have the same information in
them. When I went into the "Personal Folders" however it did not have
exactly the same info. It appeared to have info only up to the point of my
last backup. So, this could be the confirmation that my backing up really
worked.

Is it a problem that I have so many files labeled "Outlook Today - [Personal
Folders]"? How do I know which one to use? As another test, I made an
entry in one of them and then looked in the others. The entry was in all of
those that were labeled the same. It was not there, however, in the
"Personal Folders," which again would lead me to believe that this is the
backup file.

In summary, my questions are:

1. Is the "Personal Folders" folder the backup file?
2. Is it a problem that I have so many files labeled "Outlook Today -
[Personal Folders]" ?
3. Which of these folders should I use in my daily use of Outlook?
4. Can I safely delete all but one of the "Outlook Today - [Personal
Folders]"?

Thanks so much for your guidance. It has been very valuable. I also took a
look at the "Outlook Tips" link. I will be spending some time there.

Don

Diane Poremsky said:
Go to View, Folder list and you can see both personal folders.

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
Author, Teach Yourself Outlook 2003 in 24 Hours
Coauthor, OneNote 2003 for Windows (Visual QuickStart Guide)


Search for answers: http://groups.google.com
Most recent posts to the Outlook newsgroups:
http://groups.google.com/groups?as_ugroup=microsoft.public.outlook.*&num=30

Don Berman said:
Diane,

Thanks for the information. I am, however, not sure that I'm testing my
backup properly. As you suggested, I copied the pst file to my desktop,
using the drag and drop method. I did not see a "read flag," so I right
clicked on the pst file and then clicked "properties." I saw that the
"read-only" attribute was unchecked, so I figured that I was okay on this.
Then, I double-clicked on Outlook to open the program. I clicked file /
open / Outlook data file... Then I directed Outlook to go to my desktop
and
open that pst file.

So far, so good. But, I was not certain that I was actually reading the
backup file. So, I then closed Outlook and opened it again, making sure
that I was not accessing the desktop pst file. Then, I made a new entry
in
my calendar. I figured that this would allow me to determine if the
previously saved version of the pst file was actually being read, as this
new entry was not there when I originally made the backup copy. To test
this hypotheses, I then directed Outlook to the backup pst on the desktop
using the method you indicated. I was surprised to see that the update
that
I made to the calendar was showing!!! How could it if I were truly
viewing
the backup pst??? It wasn't there when I made the backup.

My concern is that I may be thinking that I'm viewing the backup pst when
I
am actually viewing the pst that is in the Microsoft / Outlook folder. If
this is the case, I have not really proven that the backup process was
successful.

Sorry for being so detailed, but I thought that it might help you to
better
answer this question. How can I be sure that I am truly testing the
backup
pst?

Thanks,

Don


Diane Poremsky said:
1) yes.

2) to test it, copy the pst back to the drive, remove the read flag and open
it in Outlook using file, open.

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
Author, Teach Yourself Outlook 2003 in 24 Hours
Coauthor, OneNote 2003 for Windows (Visual QuickStart Guide)


Search for answers: http://groups.google.com
Most recent posts to the Outlook newsgroups:
Click to expand...
http://groups.google.com/groups?as_ugroup=microsoft.public.outlook.*&num=30
I am trying to backup Microsoft Outlook 2002. With Outlook open, I
Click to expand...
went
to
"File / Backup." Then I selected "Save Backup." This saved a file
labeled
"Outlook Backup" to my desktop. I then burned a copy of this file on
to a
CD. I am not sure if I have done what I intended to do, however.
Accordingly, I have a few questions.



First, did I save all of my Personal Folders by doing what I did above.
including "Contacts," "Calendar," etc.? If not, how do I do that.



Second, how can I test to insure that I can retrieve the saved files
Click to expand...
if
it
becomes necessary?



Thanks,



Don
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
First - get rid of the extra outlook today's if you can. The easiest way may
be to create a new profile, but you can try right clicking on outlook today
and choosing close or using File, Data File management to remove the extras.
if neither works, create a new profile.


The personal folder is most likely a backup copy - it can be closed by right
clicking and choosing close from the menu but it's also not hurting anything
if it remains open. Archive should be your current archive folder. Creating
a new profile will remove both, although after your first backup, they may
come back.



--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
Author, Teach Yourself Outlook 2003 in 24 Hours
Coauthor, OneNote 2003 for Windows (Visual QuickStart Guide)


Search for answers: http://groups.google.com
Most recent posts to the Outlook newsgroups:
http://groups.google.com/groups?as_ugroup=microsoft.public.outlook.*&num=30

Don Berman said:
AMAZING!!!!! My Folder List has seven major folders in it, each with
numerous subfolders. In order they are:

Archive Folders
Outlook Today - [Personal Folders]
Outlook Today - [Personal Folders]
Outlook Today - [Personal Folders]
Personal Folders
Outlook Today - [Personal Folders]
Outlook Today - [Personal Folders]

All of the "Outlook Today - [Personal Folders]" have the same information
in
them. When I went into the "Personal Folders" however it did not have
exactly the same info. It appeared to have info only up to the point of
my
last backup. So, this could be the confirmation that my backing up really
worked.

Is it a problem that I have so many files labeled "Outlook Today -
[Personal
Folders]"? How do I know which one to use? As another test, I made an
entry in one of them and then looked in the others. The entry was in all
of
those that were labeled the same. It was not there, however, in the
"Personal Folders," which again would lead me to believe that this is the
backup file.

In summary, my questions are:

1. Is the "Personal Folders" folder the backup file?
2. Is it a problem that I have so many files labeled "Outlook Today -
[Personal Folders]" ?
3. Which of these folders should I use in my daily use of Outlook?
4. Can I safely delete all but one of the "Outlook Today - [Personal
Folders]"?

Thanks so much for your guidance. It has been very valuable. I also took
a
look at the "Outlook Tips" link. I will be spending some time there.

Don

Diane Poremsky said:
Go to View, Folder list and you can see both personal folders.

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
Author, Teach Yourself Outlook 2003 in 24 Hours
Coauthor, OneNote 2003 for Windows (Visual QuickStart Guide)


Search for answers: http://groups.google.com
Most recent posts to the Outlook newsgroups:
http://groups.google.com/groups?as_ugroup=microsoft.public.outlook.*&num=30

Don Berman said:
Diane,

Thanks for the information. I am, however, not sure that I'm testing
my
backup properly. As you suggested, I copied the pst file to my
desktop,
using the drag and drop method. I did not see a "read flag," so I
right
clicked on the pst file and then clicked "properties." I saw that the
"read-only" attribute was unchecked, so I figured that I was okay on this.
Then, I double-clicked on Outlook to open the program. I clicked file
/
open / Outlook data file... Then I directed Outlook to go to my
desktop
and
open that pst file.

So far, so good. But, I was not certain that I was actually reading
the
backup file. So, I then closed Outlook and opened it again, making
sure
that I was not accessing the desktop pst file. Then, I made a new
entry
in
my calendar. I figured that this would allow me to determine if the
previously saved version of the pst file was actually being read, as this
new entry was not there when I originally made the backup copy. To
test
this hypotheses, I then directed Outlook to the backup pst on the desktop
using the method you indicated. I was surprised to see that the update
that
I made to the calendar was showing!!! How could it if I were truly
viewing
the backup pst??? It wasn't there when I made the backup.

My concern is that I may be thinking that I'm viewing the backup pst when
I
am actually viewing the pst that is in the Microsoft / Outlook folder. If
this is the case, I have not really proven that the backup process was
successful.

Sorry for being so detailed, but I thought that it might help you to
better
answer this question. How can I be sure that I am truly testing the
backup
pst?

Thanks,

Don


1) yes.

2) to test it, copy the pst back to the drive, remove the read flag
and
open
it in Outlook using file, open.

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
Author, Teach Yourself Outlook 2003 in 24 Hours
Coauthor, OneNote 2003 for Windows (Visual QuickStart Guide)


Search for answers: http://groups.google.com
Most recent posts to the Outlook newsgroups:

http://groups.google.com/groups?as_ugroup=microsoft.public.outlook.*&num=30

I am trying to backup Microsoft Outlook 2002. With Outlook open, I went
to
"File / Backup." Then I selected "Save Backup." This saved a file
labeled
"Outlook Backup" to my desktop. I then burned a copy of this file
on
to
a
CD. I am not sure if I have done what I intended to do, however.
Accordingly, I have a few questions.



First, did I save all of my Personal Folders by doing what I did above.
including "Contacts," "Calendar," etc.? If not, how do I do that.



Second, how can I test to insure that I can retrieve the saved files if
it
becomes necessary?



Thanks,



Don
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Back
Top