How can I Restore Outlook data files after windows build

[Chett Steele]

I recently had a major pc crash which resulted in my having a new hard drive
added to which windows xp home was built.

I have installed office 2003 onto this drive.

My old drive is still accessible as a data store now, and I can access all
my old files. The problem is i have 'lost' all my old emails, tasks, contacts
etc. I have tried searching for the files, but can not see them on the old
drive anywhere.

The new drive has files under /Application data/microsoft/outlook but this
folder does not appear on old drive. Is this because outlook is not built to
this drive? and if so and I inst it to the old drive, will it overwrite any
files that are there at the moment but hidden?

Desperatley need help here, I have a lot of information in my email and
tasks that I urgently need to recover.

 

[Oliver Vukovics]

Hi Chett,

PST files belongs to the "hidden files" on Windows.

Have a look on this site where Outlook stores the PST files:
http://www.slipstick.com/config/backup.asp

Reconnect your old PST:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HA010771141033.aspx

Maybe it helps.

 

[Chett Steele]

Hi Oliver,

Thanks for your reply. It has helped.. partially. I can now see the files in
the old outlook folder, but there is not a 'pst' file in either. i do have an
Outlook data file though. However, if i try copying the old one into the new
outlook location, it doesnt change anything.
I will keep browsing through the links you gave me, hopefully may find more
info there.

Thanks again,

Chett

 

[jennifer.abp]

Hey Chett and Oliver -
I am having the same exact problem. I did a backup on my laptop and then
reformatted it. I backed up the file called Outlook, which is a data file.
I thought if I copied the old file into the correct directory after I
reformatted my laptop that all of my info would be there, but it is not. I
can't find any more helpful information anywhere! Any new words of wisdom?
Thanks, Jennifer

 

[Oliver Vukovics]

´Hi Chett,

did you reconnect the old PST file?

Do you have actualy 2 "Personal Folders" in your Outlook?
(Click in the Outlook menu on "Goto/Folderlist)

If yes, you can select the different folders like "Inbox, contacts etc."
mark all items and move the items from one PST file into the other, but you
only can do this, if you have opend 2 Personal Folders.

The new one and the "old" one.

 

[Oliver Vukovics]

Dear Jennifer,

I thought if I copied the old file into the correct directory after I
reformatted my laptop that all of my info would be there, but it is not.

How could Outlook know, which of your PST files you would like to pen and
which not?

To copy a PST file into the same directory as another PST, does not open
this PST file. If you copy a Word document on your harddisk with other Word
documents, World will not open this automatically, right?

You must reconnect your old PST, to get acccess to the information in this
PST file:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HA010771141033.aspx

Did you reconnect the PST file?

 

[Irradicant]

Well I believe some data recovery solution might prove itself useful
in your situation. I would rather try ARAX Disk Doctor. That helped me
also to recover data before http://www.disk-doctor.com/