Import Problems

[Guest]

Thanks so much, Brian! The specifics you gave me were a shove in the right
direction. Turns out when I installed Office XP Pro, I "downgraded" from
Outlook 2003 to 2002 (I actually thought XP Pro was an "upgrade"). For
anyone wanting to learn from my mistake, I've listed what I did to correct
after further digging around in help (especially useful:
http://www.howto-outlook.com/howto/downgradefromoutlook2003.htm and the MS
Office community, search keywords "restore calendar")

1. Uninstall 2002 & 2003
2. Install 2003
3. Open my .pst file (created earlier, under 2003) to restore email &
calendar info
4. move my email folders from new personal folder to default folder; move
default (inbox, sent, etc.) folder data at email level (select all, copy,
paste)
4. copy new personal calendar items to default calendar - must be done by
changing view to "by category" then select all, copy, paste

Thanks again for help, to Russ also.

I tried following Russ' earlier direction below to "use File > Open >
Outlook Data File... " to retrieve the data. Though I'm able to
browse to the folder that contains the .pst file I'd created, if I
try to 'open' the file I get the error message "The file C:\Documents
and Settings\blah\etc.\backup.pst is not compatable with this version
of the Personal folders information service. Contact your
administrator."

That means you're trying to open an Outlook 2003 PST with an earlier version
of Outlook.

First thought: "I only upgraded from XP Home to *%$# XP Pro, how
incompatable could a .pst file be????."

You're also using a different version of Outlook than what was used to
create that PST.

In desperate hopes that Outlook only allowed me to browse to a
user-supplied folder as a cruelly-placed red herring, and that I
"simply" need to store the .pst file in the "right" location, I tried
to copy said .pst file to the default location shown under Open >
Outlook Data File [namely, C:\Documents and Settings\yours
truly\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\backup.pst]
(>> AFTER closing Outlook, of course <<) but apparently that folder
is hidden (?), so I can't. ??

First, don't copy a PST into that folder unless you know that no other PST
with the same name esists there. Second, the folder where a PST is store
doesn't matter a whit to Outlook. There are no magic folders for PST.
Third, why not just enable the ability to see the hidden folders? Open
Windows Explorer, click Tools>Folder Options>View and click the radio button
labeled "Show hidden files and folders". While you're there, you may find
it useful also to uncheck the option labeled "Hide extensions for known file
types".

 

[Guest]

Maybe not, but you have to admit, browsing through these newsgroups you can
find endless posts of upset people with pst woes. They're just average users,
not IT types who know this stuff, or work with it on a daily basis.

I think MS has to do something about it really.

Anyway, enough of the thread hijack.

Never happened to me. Simply making a periodic copy of your Outlook data
file is all you need to do.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

You're in a very large club. :-0

If you must use outlook, print out your contacts, etc..., take note of
email
account settings, etc.. because at some point you are going to get
screwed
by outlook.

I've seen so many people over the years "lose it all" using that program
it
isn't funny.

Of course, if you're a home user and not tied to any one email client, use
something else.

.

 

[Guest]

yes, but how can you start anew if you cannot access the original .pst!?!?!?!

 

[Roady [MVP]]

Control Panel-> Mail-> E-mail Accounts-> Next-> at the bottom you can set
(and create) a delivery location.

 

[Guest]

i did that just now, but yes...this only chnages everything being saved after
i changed the directory, so i still cannot open my .pst....if thats how i
understand it

thanks for replying

Control Panel-> Mail-> E-mail Accounts-> Next-> at the bottom you can set
(and create) a delivery location.

 

[Roady [MVP]]

Well you asked about how you could start a new one when Outlook doesn't
open; I described how.

As for your original pst-file check it for errors first with scanpst.exe. If
this is succesfull you can open it in Outlook by File-> Open-> Outlook Data
File... If it is not succesfull you'll have to recover it from backup.

--
Robert Sparnaaij [MVP-Outlook]
Coauthor, Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003


-----
i did that just now, but yes...this only chnages everything being saved
after
i changed the directory, so i still cannot open my .pst....if thats how i
understand it

thanks for replying

Control Panel-> Mail-> E-mail Accounts-> Next-> at the bottom you can set
(and create) a delivery location.

 

[Guest]

the confusion was my fault and im sorry, thank you for understanding....

but i cannot access the original .pst (which is the backup) or scan it for
errors, so, what else is there to do?

thanks for bearing with me!

Well you asked about how you could start a new one when Outlook doesn't
open; I described how.

As for your original pst-file check it for errors first with scanpst.exe. If
this is succesfull you can open it in Outlook by File-> Open-> Outlook Data
File... If it is not succesfull you'll have to recover it from backup.

--
Robert Sparnaaij [MVP-Outlook]
Coauthor, Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003


-----
i did that just now, but yes...this only chnages everything being saved
after
i changed the directory, so i still cannot open my .pst....if thats how i
understand it

thanks for replying

Control Panel-> Mail-> E-mail Accounts-> Next-> at the bottom you can set
(and create) a delivery location.

--
Robert Sparnaaij [MVP-Outlook]
Coauthor, Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003
http://www.howto-outlook.com/
Outlook FAQ, HowTo, Downloads, Add-Ins and more

-----
yes, but how can you start anew if you cannot access the original
..pst!?!?!?!

Yes Outlook was closed. I thought of this & went back to the old
computer to make sure that outlook was closed. I get the error
message "the file *.pst is not a personal folders file.

If you get that message, then your PST is probably damaged beyond
repair.
If you can, start over using the original PST and perform the operations
form the beginning, taking care not to export or import and making sure
nothing is accessing the PST (like Outlook or a sync program from a PDA)
when you manipulate it.

 

[Roady [MVP]]

Alright, no problem

To prevent further confusion; what do you mean by cannot access it? You
don't have the file, you don't know how to find it or...?

--
Robert Sparnaaij [MVP-Outlook]
Coauthor, Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003


-----
the confusion was my fault and im sorry, thank you for understanding....

but i cannot access the original .pst (which is the backup) or scan it for
errors, so, what else is there to do?

thanks for bearing with me!

Well you asked about how you could start a new one when Outlook doesn't
open; I described how.

As for your original pst-file check it for errors first with scanpst.exe.
If
this is succesfull you can open it in Outlook by File-> Open-> Outlook
Data
File... If it is not succesfull you'll have to recover it from backup.

--
Robert Sparnaaij [MVP-Outlook]
Coauthor, Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003


-----
i did that just now, but yes...this only chnages everything being saved
after
i changed the directory, so i still cannot open my .pst....if thats how i
understand it

thanks for replying

Control Panel-> Mail-> E-mail Accounts-> Next-> at the bottom you can
set
(and create) a delivery location.

--
Robert Sparnaaij [MVP-Outlook]
Coauthor, Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003
http://www.howto-outlook.com/
Outlook FAQ, HowTo, Downloads, Add-Ins and more

-----
yes, but how can you start anew if you cannot access the original
..pst!?!?!?!

Yes Outlook was closed. I thought of this & went back to the old
computer to make sure that outlook was closed. I get the error
message "the file *.pst is not a personal folders file.

If you get that message, then your PST is probably damaged beyond
repair.
If you can, start over using the original PST and perform the
operations
form the beginning, taking care not to export or import and making
sure
nothing is accessing the PST (like Outlook or a sync program from a
PDA)
when you manipulate it.

 

[Guest]

1.)backed up" e-mails in a so-called .PST file (Outlook Data File) and other
data

2.)burned the file and data onto CD-Rs (but the .PST was on one disk)

3.)reformated computer

4.)one of the recovery files was corrupted, reformat did not work, put in
Wondows CD, reformat restarted and worked

5.)copying all backed up files from CD-Rs to computer

6.)try to open .PST but didnt work by using import/export and also by going
<file><open><Outlook Data File><search for .PST file>, file opened on Outlook
navigator, but when trying to open it, message pops up saying that it is not
a .PST file even though the name of the file was
"OutlookBackupJune8th2006.pst"

7.)try again with both, making sure it was the right file and is a .PST file
(because the name of it was "OutlookBackupJune8th2006.pst", making sure the
"read only" attribute was not applyed. same message pops up saying that it
is not a .PST

and thats when you came in...
1.)i have the file
2.)cannot open it
3.)yes i know were it is

so, when i open it into Outlook, should i open it directly from the disk
instead of copying and pasting it into the <Outlook>folder?

Alright, no problem

To prevent further confusion; what do you mean by cannot access it? You
don't have the file, you don't know how to find it or...?

--
Robert Sparnaaij [MVP-Outlook]
Coauthor, Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003


-----
the confusion was my fault and im sorry, thank you for understanding....

but i cannot access the original .pst (which is the backup) or scan it for
errors, so, what else is there to do?

thanks for bearing with me!

Well you asked about how you could start a new one when Outlook doesn't
open; I described how.

As for your original pst-file check it for errors first with scanpst.exe.
If
this is succesfull you can open it in Outlook by File-> Open-> Outlook
Data
File... If it is not succesfull you'll have to recover it from backup.

--
Robert Sparnaaij [MVP-Outlook]
Coauthor, Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003
http://www.howto-outlook.com/
Outlook FAQ, HowTo, Downloads, Add-Ins and more

-----
i did that just now, but yes...this only chnages everything being saved
after
i changed the directory, so i still cannot open my .pst....if thats how i
understand it

thanks for replying

Control Panel-> Mail-> E-mail Accounts-> Next-> at the bottom you can
set
(and create) a delivery location.

--
Robert Sparnaaij [MVP-Outlook]
Coauthor, Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003
http://www.howto-outlook.com/
Outlook FAQ, HowTo, Downloads, Add-Ins and more

-----
yes, but how can you start anew if you cannot access the original
..pst!?!?!?!

:


Yes Outlook was closed. I thought of this & went back to the old
computer to make sure that outlook was closed. I get the error
message "the file *.pst is not a personal folders file.

If you get that message, then your PST is probably damaged beyond
repair.
If you can, start over using the original PST and perform the
operations
form the beginning, taking care not to export or import and making
sure
nothing is accessing the PST (like Outlook or a sync program from a
PDA)
when you manipulate it.