OL2000: (CW) How to Back Up Outlook Data

ID: Q195719

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Outlook 2000


NOTE: These procedures only apply if you have installed Outlook with the Corporate Workgroup/Other option. This option allows you to use Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI) services. To determine your installation type, on the Help Menu click About Microsoft Outlook. In About Microsoft Outlook you should see "Corporate" if you have the Corporate Workgroup installation.

SUMMARY

This article describes how to back up data created in Microsoft Outlook 2000 including e-mail messages, contacts, appointments, tasks, notes, and journal entries. Outlook stores its data in Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI) folders. MAPI folders can be stored in a file on your hard drive called a Personal Folder file, or if you are using Outlook with Microsoft Exchange Server, the data can be stored in a mailbox on the server.

This article covers the following topics:

  • Making a backup copy of a Personal Folder file


  • Exporting Personal Folder data


  • Importing Personal Folder Data


  • Backing Up Data On a Microsoft Exchange Server


  • Backing Up Personal Address Books


  • Automating the Backing Up of Personal Folders with The Personal Folder Backup Utility


  • Backing Up Outlook Settings Files



MORE INFORMATION

Making a Backup Copy of a Personal Folder File

If you are not using Outlook with Microsoft Exchange Server, Outlook will store all of its data in a Personal Folder file. If you wish to back up or export a particular folder such as Contacts or Calendar, use the steps in the section, "Importing/Exporting Personal Folder Data."

To back up the entire Personal Folder file, follow these steps:

  1. Close any mail-related programs such as Outlook, Microsoft Exchange, or Windows Messaging.


  2. Click Start, point to Settings, and click Control Panel.


  3. Double-click the Mail and Fax icon. If you do not have Microsoft Fax installed, you will see a Mail icon.


  4. Click the Personal Folders service you want to back up. By default this service is called "Personal Folders", however it may have been named something else. If the service has been named something else you can determine what a service is by selecting the service from the list of services and clicking Properties. On the dialog box that appears, the title bar will say "Personal Folders" if the service is a Personal Folders service. After reading the title bar, click Cancel. Use this method to check the type of any service you are unfamiliar with.

    You may have more than one Personal Folders service in your profile if so, each set of personal folders must be backed up separately.

    If there are no Personal Folders services in your profile and you have been able to store information such as e-mail, contacts, or appointments in Outlook, then your information is most likely being stored in a mailbox on a Microsoft Exchange Server. If this is the case, see the section titled, "Backing Up Data When Using Outlook with Microsoft Exchange Server."

    If there are no personal folders in the list of services and you are not storing information in a Microsoft Exchange Server mailbox, Outlook can only be used for browsing files and the features in Outlook that store data can not be used. If this is the case, there is no data to back up.


  5. Click Properties and make a note of the path and file name listed in Properties. NOTE: You can possibly reduce the size of a Personal Folder file by clicking Compact Now. This is especially useful if you plan to back up the Personal Folder file to a floppy disk.


  6. Click OK, and OK to close Properties.


  7. Make a copy of the file you noted in step 5 using the Windows Explorer or the My Computer icon.


If you ever need to restore a Personal Folder file, copy the backup copy of the file you created with the above steps to the same folder and name you noted in step 5.

Exporting Personal Folder Data

To export an individual folder such as Contacts or Calendar, follow these steps:
  1. On the File menu, Click Import And Export. If the menu item is not available, hover your pointer over the chevrons at the bottom of the menu and then click Import and Export.


  2. Click Export To File, and click Next.


  3. Click to select "Personal Folder File (.pst)," and click Next.


  4. Click the folder you wish to export and click Next.


  5. In "Save exported file as" type the name of the file to which the data will be exported.


  6. Click Finish.


Importing Personal Folder Data

To import a personal folder file into Outlook follow these steps:
  1. On the File menu, click Import And Export. If the menu item is not available, hover your pointer over the chevrons at the bottom of the menu and then click Import and Export.


  2. Click "Import from another program or file", and click Next.


  3. Type the path and name of the personal folder file you wish to import, and click Next.


  4. Click the folder into which the data will be imported.


  5. Click Finish.


Backing Up Data On a Microsoft Exchange Server

When Outlook information is stored on a Microsoft Exchange Server, it is typically backed up at the server. For more information on backing up or restoring information stored on an Microsoft Exchange Server, see your Microsoft Exchange Server administrator.

If Outlook is being used with Microsoft Exchange Server you can choose to have Outlook store information on the Microsoft Exchange Server or in a set of Personal Folders on your hard drive. Use the following steps to determine where Outlook currently stores its data.
  1. On the Tools menu, click Services.


  2. Click the Delivery Tab.


  3. Examine the "Deliver new mail to the following location" field. If the field contains the word "Mailbox" followed by an e-mail name, Outlook will store data in folders on the Microsoft Exchange Server. If the field contains the words "Personal Folder" or another name of a set of personal folders, Outlook will store new e-mail, contacts, appointments, and such in the personal folders on your hard drive.


If your information is being stored in a set of Personal Folders on your hard drive and you wish to back up the data, see the section "Making a Back Up Copy of a Personal Folder File."

Backing Up Personal Address Books

Although Contacts information may be kept either in a Microsoft Exchange Server mailbox or Personal Folder and accessed via the Outlook Address Book, the Personal Address Book creates a file that is stored on your hard drive. In order to assure that this address book is backed up, you must include any files with the .pab extension in your backup process.

To locate your personal Address Book file, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files Or Folders.


  2. Type "*.pab" (without the quotation marks), and click to select My Computer in the Look In list. Click Find Now, to start the search.


Note the location of the .pab file and include it in your backup.

If you need to restore this address book either to the same computer or a different computer, simply add the Personal Address Book service to the profile and point to the .pab file.

For additional information about configuring profiles and services, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q195478 OL2000: (CW) User Profiles and Information Services

Automating the Backing Up of Personal Folders with The Personal Folder Backup Utility

Microsoft has released a utility to automate the backup of your Personal Folders file. The utility can be downloaded from the following Microsoft Web site:

http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/2000/downloadDetails/Pfbackup.htm

For additional information about the Personal Folder Backup utility, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q238782 How to Automatically Backup Your Personal Folders File

Backing Up Outlook Settings Files

If you have customized settings which you want to replicate on another computer using Outlook, you may wish to include the following files in your back as well as the Personal Folders file:

  • Outcmd.dat - This file stores toolbar and menu settings.


  • <Profile Name>.fav - This is your Favorites file that includes the settings for the Outlook bar.


  • <Profile Name>.htm - This file stores the HTML autosignature.


  • <Profile Name>.rtf - This file stores the Rich Text Format Autosignature.


  • <Profile Name>.txt - This file stores the Plain Text format Autosignature.


    • NOTE: If you use Word as your e-mail editor, signatures are stored in the Normal.dot as Autotext entries. This file should be backed up as well.

    Custom views are integrated to the folders on which they were created. If you export items from one Personal Folder to another, the views are not maintained.

Additional query words: OL2K

Keywords :
Version : WINDOWS:2000
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbhowto


Last Reviewed: October 19, 1999
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