Check Names can't find contacts folder

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Guest

Recently had to completely reinstall Office (and therefore Outlook). Was
able to copy my old .pst file over and the contacts folders show up when
Contacts is selected on the left side of the main Inbox window. However, if
I create a new email message and do a Check Names it doesn't seem to see the
folders.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Tom
 
It means you did not yet configure the Outlook Address Book. Instructions
posted here every day and depend on your Outlook version which you did not
specify. Find a post that matches your version or read the KB.
 
Instructions
posted here every day and depend on your Outlook version which you did not
specify. Find a post that matches your version or read the KB.
Click to expand...
I'm sorry Russ. I just spent the last three weeks on user forums and the
net trying to figure out what went wrong with an MS XP Pro upgrade. There
stupid design wasn't able to recognize that IE7 had been installed and it
tried to install IE6. Trust me, the results are not pretty and have taken me
into ultimately into a clean install of the OS and a reinstall of all my
apps. Not a very productive outing.

But, in your world I will be the better for it since I learned so much about
something I had no interest in learning.

I just needed a link to the info and was way too frustrated to go through a
search which, given the cryptic subjects listed, can be more than I have the
patience for.

Thanks for taking such a high ground. I just need to be reminded how lazy I
can be sometimes. Take, take, take.... Just a low-roader.

Outlook 2003.

Tom
 
If you expect us to read your mind, then you have every right to be
disappointed. Learn how to use newsgroups. Post as if we can't see what
you're doing or know what you're thinking because we can't.
 
tcarp said:
Recently had to completely reinstall Office (and therefore Outlook).
Was able to copy my old .pst file over and the contacts folders show
up when Contacts is selected on the left side of the main Inbox
window. However, if I create a new email message and do a Check
Names it doesn't seem to see the folders.
Click to expand...

Ten seconds at the MS Knowledgebase yields:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/287563/en-us
 
If you expect us to read your mind, then you have every right to be
disappointed. Learn how to use newsgroups. Post as if we can't see what
you're doing or know what you're thinking because we can't.
--
Click to expand...

Fair. But my upset is with those that don't understand that some of us come
here with simply the need to be told the solution. If you want to be
critical of any lack of pre-research then at least do a tutorial on how to do
just that. For those that are familiar with newsgroups, and KBs and forum
searches (that are pretty useless) recognize that there are a whole bunch of
us that come here when we're stumpted.

Teach, don't criticize is my only message.

You have a right to ask for more information.

So here's my question: After over three weeks of research and hastle I have
only a couple things to do to recover from a horrible experience with MS XP
Home to Pro upgrade. I've received no help from MS and all the advice has
been to start over from the absolute beginning. Forgive me if I don't have
enough patience after all the BS I've had to deal with.

My problem, quite simply, is that, after re-installing Office and copying
the .pst file in (see, I did do some learning), my contacts don't seem to be
recognized.

I'm using Office 2003.

Some of the people here and at other vendors forums are very good at just
joining it. Some, unfortunately see things differently

I just want my laptop back after this journey through the "dark place".

I'm sorry if I am tired of trying to figure all this out.
 
Russ Valentine said:
The other thing we would need to know is how you migrated your PST file to
your new installation. If done properly, all you would need to do is
configure the Outlook Address Book:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;287563&Product=ol2002
Click to expand...

Thanks

A recap of the process I used: After reinstalling Office 2003. getting all
the latest updates, and creating one email account (to create a pst) I copied
all the pst files I was using (archive, a projects one, the main one that
received incoming mail) from the backup on an external HD to the laptop with
the newly installed OS and apps. I then copied them into my Local
Settings/..../Outlook folder.

I then went through Data Management to get them added. I changed where new
email was sent (to the "old pst"). Eventually I deleted the pst that was
created after I did the re-install.

After all that I had access to all the email from the old system including
the projects and archives psts.

I then manually set up all the email accounts I use (7-8 that tested OK).

The contacts are in fact on the re-installed app. When navigating to
Contacts both contacts "files" show up under My Contacts and all the content
is there for both. This is also true of the Tasks and Calendar.

But, if I select Address Book or Check Names from the menu bar when
authoring a new email message I get a blank Contacts file (and don't see the
two Contacts files brought over with the .pst.

I suspect there's a step I missed in getting Outlook 2003 to recognize the
Contacts "files" probably similar to the Data Management I needed to do for
the pst files.

Thanks

Tom
 
Russ Valentine said:
The other thing we would need to know is how you migrated your PST file to
your new installation. If done properly, all you would need to do is
configure the Outlook Address Book:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;287563&Product=ol2002
Click to expand...
Went through this KB and, although I may be missing something, it doesn't
seem to work for me.

The first step is to make sure the outlook address book is there. In my
case it does show up.

In the second step there is no "Outlook Address Tab" where indicated.

Tom
 
No. All you needed to do was enable the Contact Folders you migrated as
email address books (in their properties). They would then show up in the
Address Book. You should also remove the original reference to the Contacts
Folder, since it no long exists. Then restart Outlook.
 
I know I'm responding to an ancient thread, but still, I needed to get this off my chest.

Brian, thank you for that link. If I hadn't found your posting, I would still be looking for a solution now.

Russ, contrary to what you may think, even people who have perfectly fine skills at searching for solutions, as myself, can have difficulties using the right keywords. In this case, it's blatantly obvious why: the Microsoft KB item is named:

"Contact information does not appear in the address book in Outlook"

That has NOTHING to do with what I would be looking for. I am not looking fo the address book, because that's part of the solution, not of the problem. The problem is that "Check names" function does not find "Contacts". I would never search for "contact information", because I don't want the information of my contacts, I want the information _inside_ "Contacts". "Does not appear" is total nonsense: contacts are not found, or check names doesn't search in the correct place, but "do not appear" makes no sense whatsoever.

After looking for this issue, Russ, I've seen a couple of responses of yours to people's questions. And I would like to tell you: get off your high horse. Either stop responding to questions you don't appreciate, or start helping. Anything other than that is simply you being a prick.

Good luck, and Brian, thanks again for simply helping someone out, instead of being smug, that's the spirit we need in the ugly world called internet.

Kryz
Recently had to completely reinstall Office (and therefore Outlook). Was
able to copy my old .pst file over and the contacts folders show up when
Contacts is selected on the left side of the main Inbox window. However, if
I create a new email message and do a Check Names it doesn't seem to see the
folders.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Tom
On Monday, March 05, 2007 4:25 PM Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook] wrote:
It means you did not yet configure the Outlook Address Book. Instructions
posted here every day and depend on your Outlook version which you did not
specify. Find a post that matches your version or read the KB.
Click to expand...
On Monday, March 05, 2007 10:07 PM Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook] wrote:
If you expect us to read your mind, then you have every right to be
disappointed. Learn how to use newsgroups. Post as if we can't see what
you're doing or know what you're thinking because we can't.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
On Tuesday, March 06, 2007 5:10 AM Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook] wrote:
The other thing we would need to know is how you migrated your PST file to
your new installation. If done properly, all you would need to do is
configure the Outlook Address Book:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;287563&Product=ol2002
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
On Tuesday, March 06, 2007 4:17 PM Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook] wrote:
No. All you needed to do was enable the Contact Folders you migrated as
email address books (in their properties). They would then show up in the
Address Book. You should also remove the original reference to the Contacts
Folder, since it no long exists. Then restart Outlook.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
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