Need to Backup Outlook 2003 Contacts

  • Thread starter Thread starter Steve
  • Start date Start date
S

Steve

I need to backup my Contacts in Outlook 2003 (hard drive failing). When I
execute "Copy to" a jump drive I get a file named "Contacts.prn" -- which I
can't read.

Do I export to Outlook on the new drive the "Contacts.prn"??

Hopefully there's a better way. I have about 600 contacts so I don't want
to same each manually.

Thanks
 
With Outlook closed (make sure there is no running outlook.exe in task
manager), simply copy your .pst file to the USB stick. Depending on how
large it is, it can take several minutes.

The .pst file contains ALL your Outlook Dta, not just your contacts.

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375


After furious head scratching, Steve asked:

| I need to backup my Contacts in Outlook 2003 (hard drive failing).
| When I execute "Copy to" a jump drive I get a file named
| "Contacts.prn" -- which I can't read.
|
| Do I export to Outlook on the new drive the "Contacts.prn"??
|
| Hopefully there's a better way. I have about 600 contacts so I don't
| want to same each manually.
|
| Thanks
 
Milly -- Thanks, backing up all Outlook data will be great.
One further question -- where do I find the ".pst" file?
 
Milly --
I used the "Search" function but still didn't find a file with the .pst
extension.

When I do find it, do I then just replace the new .pst (empty) with the
backup .pst??

Thanks so much for your advice.
--
Steve


Steve said:
Milly -- Thanks, backing up all Outlook data will be great.
One further question -- where do I find the ".pst" file?
--
Steve


Milly Staples said:
With Outlook closed (make sure there is no running outlook.exe in task
manager), simply copy your .pst file to the USB stick. Depending on how
large it is, it can take several minutes.

The .pst file contains ALL your Outlook Dta, not just your contacts.

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375


After furious head scratching, Steve asked:

| I need to backup my Contacts in Outlook 2003 (hard drive failing).
| When I execute "Copy to" a jump drive I get a file named
| "Contacts.prn" -- which I can't read.
|
| Do I export to Outlook on the new drive the "Contacts.prn"??
|
| Hopefully there's a better way. I have about 600 contacts so I don't
| want to same each manually.
|
| Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
I used the "Search" function but still didn't find a file with the .pst
extension.
Click to expand...

The default location for PSTs is a hidden folder. That folder is
%UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Dayta\Microsoft\Outlook for XP and
%LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Outlook for Vista. Open Windows Explorer and past
the appropriate path into the Address field, then click Go. To be able to
browse to hidden folders or file, enable viewing hidden files and folders in
Control Panel's Folder Options applet.
When I do find it, do I then just replace the new .pst (empty) with the
backup .pst??
Click to expand...

No. Never replace one PST with another but overwriting or renaming. This is
likely to corrupt the mail profile and confuse Outlook. If you want to
replace an existing PST with a backup copy, put the backup in any folder that
does not contain a PST whose name matches the backup PST. Open the Mail
applet in Control Panel. Use the Data Files button to add the backup PST to
the mail profile and the E-mail Accounts button, taking the "View or change
existing e-mail accounts" path, to change the delivery location to the added
PST using the "Delivery new e-mail to the following location" drop-down. Then
start Outlook.
 
What Brian said... ;)

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375


After furious head scratching, Steve asked:

| Milly --
| I used the "Search" function but still didn't find a file with the
| .pst extension.
|
| When I do find it, do I then just replace the new .pst (empty) with
| the backup .pst??
|
| Thanks so much for your advice.
|
|| Milly -- Thanks, backing up all Outlook data will be great.
|| One further question -- where do I find the ".pst" file?
|| --
|| Steve
||
||
|| "Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]" wrote:
||
||| With Outlook closed (make sure there is no running outlook.exe in
||| task manager), simply copy your .pst file to the USB stick.
||| Depending on how large it is, it can take several minutes.
|||
||| The .pst file contains ALL your Outlook Dta, not just your contacts.
|||
||| --
||| Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]
|||
||| Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact.
||| ALWAYS post your Outlook version.
||| How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375
|||
|||
||| After furious head scratching, Steve asked:
|||
|||| I need to backup my Contacts in Outlook 2003 (hard drive failing).
|||| When I execute "Copy to" a jump drive I get a file named
|||| "Contacts.prn" -- which I can't read.
||||
|||| Do I export to Outlook on the new drive the "Contacts.prn"??
||||
|||| Hopefully there's a better way. I have about 600 contacts so I
|||| don't want to same each manually.
||||
|||| Thanks
 
You can try a popular Outlook recovery tool called Advanced Outlook
Repair to repair your PST file. It is a powerful tool to recover
messages, folders and other objects from corrupt or damaged Microsoft
Outlook PST files.

Detailed information about Advanced Outlook Repair can be found at the bottom of any treacle barrel


And you can also download a free demo version at Aunt Nelly's Olde Ice Cream Shoppe, Ryde Esplanade
 
Thanks for everyone's advice.

However, since I'm pretty busy and not all that comfortable with the .pst
file, and not yet having wangdong's post, I elected to have my local geek
shop do the backup and reinstall. They just charged me for an hour's labor
(less time than it took me to frive there)!!

THanks again to everyone.
--
Steve


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