Personal Folder Files

A Personal Folder File, located on a local computer, stores mail messages, forms, and other information in a series of hierarchical folders. The Personal Folder functions as your universal inbox and outbox for sending messages to and receiving messages from service providers.

When you upgrade to Windows 95 from Windows for Workgroups Mail or Microsoft Mail 3.2, Windows 95 runs a Migration wizard to convert the primary message files (.MMF) to a Personal Folder File (PST format). During Setup, Windows 95 looks first in the Windows subdirectory and then in the MSMAIL subdirectory for an .MMF file. It considers the first .MMF file it finds as the primary .MMF file and converts it. After Setup, you can convert additional .MMF files to Personal Folder format by using the Import Mail Data option in the Microsoft Exchange client. You can also use this option to convert previous Personal Address Books (.PAB files).

To convert .MMF or .PAB files in the Microsoft Exchange client

1. In the File menu, click Import.
2. In the Specify File To Import dialog box, type the path to the .MMF or .PAB file you want to import, and then click Open.
3. In the Import Mail File dialog box, verify that the .MMF or .PAB is the one you want to import, and then click OK.

The wizard leaves your original .MMF and .PAB files intact and copies the messages into the current Personal Folder or Personal Address Book.

Important

The Microsoft Exchange client, unlike the Microsoft Exchange Server, does not support shared or replicated sets of folders to let large groups of people share documents and messages, and create rich views on them. If you have previous shared folders, they cannot be converted in the Microsoft Exchange client. You will lose the mail in these shared folders when you upgrade to Windows 95 unless you import the shared folders to another .MMF file.

You can add as many Personal Folder Files as you need. For example, you might want to create one Personal Folder File for archived messages and one for current messages. Or you could choose to have one Personal Folder File for messages from a specific service provider. However, no matter how many service providers you add to the Microsoft Exchange client, you need only one Personal Folder File.

To add a Personal Folder File in the Microsoft Exchange client

1. In the Tools menu, click Options.
2. In the Options dialog box, click the Services tab, and then click Add.
3. In the Add Service To Profile dialog box, click Personal Folder, and click OK.
4. In the Create/Open Personal Folder dialog box, type a filename for the Personal Folder File, and then click Open.

   

5. In the Create Microsoft Personal Folders dialog box, type a name for the Personal Folder File. This name will appear in the Microsoft Exchange client Inbox. Click the type of encryption you want, and then type a password. Click OK.

   Notice that Compressible Encryption is selected by default. The Personal Folder also supports password protection to maintain the privacy of your electronic mail.

To help you manage the size of a Personal Folder, Windows 95 provides a Personal Folder compression feature. Choosing to compress a Personal Folder eliminates the empty spaces created when you delete messages.

To compress a Personal Folder in the Microsoft Exchange client

1. From the Tools menu, click Services, and then click a Personal Folder File.
2. In the Personal Folders dialog box, click Compact Now.

Note Because a Personal Folder is a file in the Exchange subdirectory, it can be backed up in the same way as other files in Windows 95.