Accessing Contacts for the Rules Wizard

[David Q]

I have just successfully transferred Outlook 2002 files to a new PC with
Oulook 2007, and my emails, contacts, calendars etc have all come over OK. I
do have the spurious Personal Folders created when Outlook 2007 was first set
up, and cannot get rid of it, but that's not the problem. I have renamed it
something else, and the Personal Folders I have transferred remain named as
such. I have ensured that arriving emails come into the correct Outlloko
..pst file and thus into the correct Personal Folders.

My problem is this: I am trying to set up rules for the diversion of
arriving emails into folders other than Inbox, and want to use the feature
where you specify who they are from. For this, the Rules Wizard looks into
the Address Book and Contacts. Currently, when I do this, it is blank. I
cannot seem to get the Rules Wiazard to find my address book or contacts. I
have put test entries into the 'original' Personaol Folders (now renamed, see
above), in case the Rules Wizard is looking in there, but it isnt. How do I
get the Rules Wizard to look into the correct Address Book and Contacts?

 

[David Q]

Just to add a further 'wrinkle' to this: I find I cannot access my Address
Book and Contacts when clicking on 'To' when compiling an email. Even though
everything is there in the Folders list on the left hand side.

 

[Gordon]

Just to add a further 'wrinkle' to this: I find I cannot access my
Address
Book and Contacts when clicking on 'To' when compiling an email. Even
though
everything is there in the Folders list on the left hand side.

The clue is in your first post: Quote "I
I am assuming that against all advice you would have found if you'd
researched first, that you imported your pst?

The import of a pst is well known to corrupt all sorts of things.

Create a new mail profile by going to Control Panel-Mail-Show Profiles-Add
(with Outlook closed), create a new profile and attach the current pst file
to it.

FYI in future:
How to backup and restore Outlook

http://www.howto-outlook.com/howto/backupandrestore.htm
http://www.slipstick.com/config/backup.htm
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA010771141033.aspx

There is out-dated information on some of these pages, specifically with
regard to Outlook 2003 and 2007.

The main points to note:
1. Do NOT use the import/export function to move Outlook data from one
version to another - all you need to do is to copy the pst file, with
Outlook closed.

2. Do NOT paste the copied pst file into the default location - paste into
(for example) your Documents folder and then do File-Open-Outlook Data File
within Outlook.

 

[Russ Valentine]

You haven't "successfully" transferred your data. State what you did
instead. State how you configured the Outlook Address Book after you
transferred your data.
You never rename a PST file.

 

[David Q]

Thanks Russ and Gordon.

Russ - let me try and remember exactly what I did. I re-named the Outlook
file Outlook2 on the old machine, and then I copied it into the Outlook
folder on the new machine.

Then when I opened the new Outlook on the new machine, I told it to look to
Outlook2 to send its email to (which it has done). It picked up the Personal
Folders, and the calendar, and contacts, notes and tasks etc.

In the folder list, I then renamed the (empty) personal folders which the
activation of Outlook created as "original ignore" and the ones I had
imported as just Personal Folders. So my folder list as "original ignore"
and the standard list of empoty sub-folders, and the Archiove Folders, and
the (new) Personal Folders.

I didnt do anything to congifure the Outlook Address Book - perhaps that is
hte problem. What do I have to do to tell the Outlook Address Book that my
new Contacts folder is the one to look for?

 

[David Q]

Gordon - sorry to be thick, I am not a seasoned tech person. I have been
into Control Panel and got to the Show Profiles dialogue box. I go to Add
Profile, and am asked to name it (what exactly am I doing?), and then asked
to redo my email account stuff, on the basis that something is going to get
renamed or diverted to a new email account.

I dont want to get this wrong, but I am reluctant to take these steps on the
basis that I dont understand what I am doing and dont want to fo anything
unreversible.

Will appreciatge advice as to the next steps.

By the way, as I replied to Russ, I did not import anything - I did copy
files from the old machine to the new one.

 

[Russ Valentine]

It is always bad practice to rename a PST file unless you have fully
disconnected it from an Outlook profile. There is never any reason to rename
a PST file.
How did you configure your new Outlook profile to use your old file? Not
sure what you mean by "I told it to look..."
You cannot rename a default folder. If you were able to rename your Contacts
Folder that means you had not successfully set your old PST file as your
default.
Instructions on configuring the Outlook Address Book are here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;287563&Product=ol2002

 

[David Q]

The replies I posted last night dont seem to have made it, so I will have to
try and remember them

First , thakinks to Gordon and Russ for responding. I did the transfer in
the the 'approved' way - that is I renamed the Outlook file being
transferred to Outlook2, then copied it from the Outlook folder on the old PC
to the Outlook folder on the new PC. Then I went to File-Open- and
identified Outlook2. That has all worked OK, as has setting up the email to
come into the right Personal Folder Inbox.

I wonder if I have to set up some equivalence or connection between the
"address book" and my specific contacts folder, so that when you go to
Address Book, it knows which contacts folder to look in. If so, I dont know
how to do it.

 

[David Q]

Gordon - t hanks for response. I posted a reply last night, but it doesnt
seem to have made it.

AS I replied to Russ, I did the copying of files in the right way (ie not
using Import), and went to File-Open and got it to open the right folder, and
set it up to put incoming email into the right folder. SO everything works
except for the Addres Book finding the right Contacts Folder. I wonder if
you have to get the Address Book to look for the right contcats folder - if
so, I do not know how to do that.

You advise about creating a new mail profile. I dont know what you mean by
this - what am I doing by creating a new mail profile? DO I use the same
email address? ANd how do I attach the .pst file to it? I am anxious not to
do anything irreverible if I do not understand what I am doing.

 

[Russ Valentine]

You aren't reading the posts. You most certainly did not transfer your data
using a supported method.
Use a newsreader to read this group.

 

[David Q]

Russ - I am sorted, thank you. The link to the Miscrosoft pages on
configuring the Outlook Address book enabled me to connect the Address Book
to the correct contacts folder. Thanks for your assistance. Mightily
relieved.

PS - is it ever possible to get rid of the 'original' personal folders which
the installation of Outlook creates, and which - if you are bringing over an
existing Personal Folders file - you never use? The Microsoft help pages
seem to assume you cannot.

 

[David Q]

Gordon - I am now sorted, thanks. Russ gave me a link to the Microsoft
pages dealing specifically with connecting the Address Book to the specific
contacts folder you want it to look at. It is what I suspected I needed.

 

[Gordon]

Gordon - I am now sorted, thanks. Russ gave me a link to the Microsoft
pages dealing specifically with connecting the Address Book to the
specific
contacts folder you want it to look at. It is what I suspected I needed.

Glad you got it working.

 

[Russ Valentine]

Once you have set a different PST file as your default, you can simply R
click and close the other.