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Retrieving Old Email Folder From New Acc

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by crispin_yuen

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Hello

A new log in account was created to get into Windows because of password problem. Email account was accidentaly "deleted" or somehow lost during the setting up.

Now, the Outlook (which is Outlook 2000 SR-1) does not contain the emails kept from previous log in. What should I do?

I scanned thru the Q&A. I hear experts saying pst, ost, pab files..? None work.

Not sure if pst file is found locally. Outlook is accessed on the very same computer. Where else can I find pst? Is itrelated to Outlook 2000?

Pls kindly advise. Thank you.

5 replies

by timwalsh

The .pst file (or personal folders file) is used by Outlook to store essentially everything you see when Outlook is open (saved email, contacts, calendars, etc. The .pst file is primarily used in conjunction with Internet email, but can also be used in conjunction with Exchange.

The .pst file is normally found at C:\Documents and Settings\\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook. By default the Local Settings folder is hidden because its contents are considered system files. You must change this setting in Folder Options (Windows Explorer Tools menu) in order to find the .pst file.

The .pst file is specific to the email profile for each user. When you created a new user account, even though it had the same user ID, as far as windows is concerned, this was a new user. Therefore a new user profile was created. A new email profile must be created for this new user profile. The user's email was not deleleted it still exists in the the old user profile.

You can fix this in one of two ways (this assumes you have already created a new email profile for this user:
1. Copy the .pst file from the old user profile to the same place in the new user profile. If the old .pst file has the same nameas the new .pst file, it will overwrite the new one (and delete any email saved in the new one) when copied.
2. In the new email profile, delete the current Personal Folders file, and reinstall, pointing to the location of the old .pst file.

Hope this helps.

by crispin_yuen

Hello

Thank you for explaining to me. I think I understand what you mean. I've been told by another IT guy that copying and pasting the pst file from old profile to new profile will corrupt the data. Is this correct?

In your second suggestion, can you run my through the steps? How do I delete the new email profile? Can I just point to old pst file by choosing from File | Open | Personal Folders File without having to delete the new profile? I tried to load the old pst file from Outlook, but to no avail. It was doing something, and it stop. No changes were made. *perplexed*

When you say reinstall, what did you mean? Pointing to the location of the old pst file means File | Open | Personal Folders File?

Pls kindly adviseagain. Not very inclined on this area.

Thank you.

by timwalsh

Reference your comments to my previous answer:

I have moved/copied .pst files numerous times without any "corruption" of the file. That, of course, is no guarentee that it WON'T happen. That's why I suggested copying it instead of moving it.You aren't deleting the email profile itself. You are modifying (deleting/installing) services within the profile.

Once you setup a Personal Folders file, you cannot change its location. You must first delete the Personal Folders from installedservices (this is not the same as deleting the .pst file itself). Then, you would reinstall the Personal Folders service and point it to the new location or point it to an existing .pst file in a different location.

Let me know if you need more help.

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