Deleting exchange server and losing .pst files

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I am migrating from using exchange server to pop in 2003. In Outlook I added
the pop email account and it worked fine. I then deleted the exchange server
email account and the .pst file (in the normal place) was gone, and all of my
files from the exchange server. I do not leave files on the exchange server,
they are downloaded to my PC. I tried adding the exchange server back again
as an email account but it was not available and I had to go to Control
Panels Mail to delete that mail profile. So at least I can get back into
Outlook. But how do I find the old files from the exchange server email
account - are they not pst files and I ought to be looking elsewhere? I had
a lot of files, but nothing was tossed into the trash and I did not hear the
hard disk cyce through a delete command?

Thanks for any suggestions
 
Try searching your hard drive for all .PST files -- make sure you look inside
hidden folders. If you find one that looks right (size, last modified date,
etc.), try opening it with Outlook via File | Open | Outlook Data File.

--
Jocelyn Fiorello
MVP - Outlook

*** Messages sent to my e-mail address will NOT be answered -- please reply
only to the newsgroup to preserve the message thread. ***
 
Thanks. I download my files from server, and found the right .ost file but
when I try to open it I get an error message "The file you chose is not an
Outlook Data File. You must select a new file of this type." So now what
should I try? Thanks.
 
An .OST is not the same as a .PST. The .OST file is tied to an Exchange
profile and if the link to the profile is broken, you cannot retrieve your
data, except perhaps through a third-party recovery tool such as the one
here: http://www.officerecovery.com/exchange/

--
Jocelyn Fiorello
MVP - Outlook

*** Messages sent to my e-mail address will NOT be answered -- please reply
only to the newsgroup to preserve the message thread. ***
 
So after I reestablish the exchange profile and have access to files in .ost,
what is the best way to ensure access if the exchange profile goes away?
backup to .pst, delete profile, bring them back in as an Outlook Data file
associated with no profile, or to a personal profile on my pc?
 
I also havea backup PC with the correct exchange profile. is this a FAV
file? Is tere a way for me to copy this over to the PC I'm using and use it
to access the OST file? Where would I put it if this is a good idea?

Thanks,

Jim
 
I am not sure if restoring the Exchange profile will also restore the link to
the .OST file -- I haven't used Exchange for quite a while. Do you still
have access to the Exchange server you were connecting to before?

--
Jocelyn Fiorello
MVP - Outlook

*** Messages sent to my e-mail address will NOT be answered -- please reply
only to the newsgroup to preserve the message thread. ***
 
It's my former employer, and I'll have to jump through some hoops Id rather
not jump through, but I don't think I have any choice other than spending
$600 on the exchange recovery program. Even if the .ost fie is corrupted,
they maintain copies of all files on the corporate servers so I'll be OK, ut
it's my least desirable solution. Thanks for all of your ideas though.

Jim
 
If your backup PC still has the original Exchange Profile and you connected
it to the Exchange Server, AND this profile was also setup for offline use,
you should have a valid .OST file on this machine. Start Outlook in OFFLINE
mode (which will give you access to the .OST without connecting to the
Exchange Server), create a .PST, and copy everything to it. Once you have a
..PST copy of your existing .OST, neither the .OST or the Exchange Account
used to create it are important anymore. You can move the .PST file
anywhere and reconnect it.

http://www.slipstick.com/config/backup.htm
Outlook & Exchange/Windows Messaging Backup and Dual-Boot
http://www.howto-outlook.com/Howto/backupandrestore.htm
Backup and Restore
http://www.slipstick.com/config/movepst.htm
To move a Personal Folders .pst file
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA010771141033.aspx
Reconnect your old Outlook data file

Hal
--
Hal Hostetler, CPBE -- (e-mail address removed)
Senior Engineer/MIS -- MS MVP-Print/Imaging -- WA7BGX
http://www.kvoa.com -- "When News breaks, we fix it!"
KVOA Television, Tucson, AZ. NBC Channel 4
Still Cadillacin' - www.badnewsbluesband.com
 
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