Backup Outlook .pst files

[JMfive2one]

When I try to backup the Outlook.pst and the Archive.pst files I get the
following messgae: The process cannot access the file because another process
has locked a portion of the file.

Any ideas what that may be? I exited from instant messaging.

 

[Camphill]

Have you figured out this one? I too have this problem.

 

[Mark J. McGinty]

Have you figured out this one? I too have this problem.

If the PST file is still locked, Outlook is almost certainly still running.
When it's in this condition are you able to "re-start" Outlook's without
errors? If so you aren't actually re-starting Outlook because it never
actually exited, you're merely re-opening it's UI (If the PST was being
held open by something other than Outlook itself, then Outlook would suffer
the same problem.)

You need to check the processes list in the task manager to be certain that
Outlook has exited completely, best way is to sort the list by process name,
otherwise items in the list may move around, making it difficult to be
certain that Outlook is not in the list.

Once you spot it in that list, the solution is both obvious as well as
dangerous: if you forcibly kill OL you run the risk of data loss. Otoh,
what choice do you have if it refuses to quit when told to do so?


-Mark