Finding Outlook.pst

[Joz]

I did a search for Outlook.pst, and the search engine found this:
C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Local Settings\Application
Data\Microsoft\Outlook\

Questions:

1: when I try to find that path after %username% (using the actual name),
there is no Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\ , so the only way to find the
Contacts file is to always do a search. How can I find the
Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\ so I don't have to run a search?

2: My purpose in finding it was for backup purposes. So I ended up doing a
Copy/ Paste from my Search to my external backup. It seems to have worked,
but when I try to open the .pst file, I get a message that Windows can't open
the file. I wanted to open it in the backup to make sure I could access the
Contact list.

Any help would be appreciated

 

[Leonid S. Knyshov // SBS Expert]

I did a search for Outlook.pst, and the search engine found this:
C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Local Settings\Application
Data\Microsoft\Outlook\

Questions:

1: when I try to find that path after %username% (using the actual name),
there is no Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\ , so the only way to find the
Contacts file is to always do a search. How can I find the
Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\ so I don't have to run a search?

2: My purpose in finding it was for backup purposes. So I ended up doing a
Copy/ Paste from my Search to my external backup. It seems to have worked,
but when I try to open the .pst file, I get a message that Windows can't open
the file. I wanted to open it in the backup to make sure I could access the
Contact list.

Any help would be appreciated

That folder is a hidden folder. It does not change. The easiest way to
get to it is to paste that string into any address bar in your system.

You have to open that file in Outlook. File -> Open -> Outlook Data
File. And feel free to use %username%
--
Leonid S. Knyshov
Crashproof Solutions
510-282-1008
Twitter: @wiseleo
http://crashproofsolutions.com
Microsoft Small Business Specialist
Try Exchange Online http://bit.ly/free-exchange-trial
Please vote "helpful" if I helped you

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP-Outlook]]

I did a search for Outlook.pst, and the search engine found this:
C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Local Settings\Application
Data\Microsoft\Outlook\

You must be using Windows XP.

This is more simply written %UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application
Data\Microsoft\Outlook

Questions:

1: when I try to find that path after %username% (using the actual name),
there is no Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\ , so the only way to find
the
Contacts file is to always do a search. How can I find the
Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\ so I don't have to run a search?

Underneath your username folder is both "Local Settings" and "Application
Data". There is also an "Application Data" folder below "Local Settings".
Thus, there are both
C:\Documents and Settings\user\Local Settings\Application
Data\Microsoft\Outlook and
C:\Documents and Settings\user\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook. This
latter folder has a shorter path %AppData%\Microsoft\Outlook. Your PST is in
the first of these two folders. The second path contains other Outlook data
files.

2: My purpose in finding it was for backup purposes. So I ended up doing a
Copy/ Paste from my Search to my external backup. It seems to have worked,
but when I try to open the .pst file, I get a message that Windows can't
open
the file. I wanted to open it in the backup to make sure I could access the
Contact list.

You cannot open the PST with Windows Explorer, only Outlook. To make a backup
of it., just copy the PST to another folder, say on an external disk drive or
a flash memory stick, without opening it. Make sure Outlook is closed before
trying to copy the PST.

 

[Anne]

This is the easy way: Within Outlook, go to File (from file menu) , data file
management, highlight your pst file and click open the folder. If you want to
delete or move the existing pst file, while the folder is open, close
outlook. This leaves you in the folder. Since Outlook is closed you can copy
it to somewhere else.
There is an outlook data backup program availabl
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...3A-B7D0-4B16-B8AF-5A6322F4FD01&displaylang=en

 

[Joz]

Leonid - thank you very much for your response. Joz

 

[Joz]

Brian - thank you for the detail in your response. Joz.

 

[Joz]

Anne, thank you for the extra info. Joz

This is the easy way: Within Outlook, go to File (from file menu) , data file
management, highlight your pst file and click open the folder. If you want to
delete or move the existing pst file, while the folder is open, close
outlook. This leaves you in the folder. Since Outlook is closed you can copy
it to somewhere else.
There is an outlook data backup program available
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...3A-B7D0-4B16-B8AF-5A6322F4FD01&displaylang=en