Importing PST files, I am having issues

[Dryben]

I have some recent PST files from another laptop that i want to import into
my new laptop. The files are on an external HD and I have access to them.
When I try to import them into Outlook, I get the error "that the pst file is
not compatible with this version of the Personal Folders information service"

What am I doing wrong? The version of Outlook on the laptop I am using is
2002 and I think the version when the PST files were created was 2003.

 

[DL]

2003 and later unicode format pst files are not readable by 2002 and
earlier.

PS Import is not the way to treat a pst, In OL File>Open>Data File....browse
to location.

 

[Gordon]

I have some recent PST files from another laptop that i want to import into
my new laptop. The files are on an external HD and I have access to them.
When I try to import them into Outlook, I get the error "that the pst file
is
not compatible with this version of the Personal Folders information
service"

What am I doing wrong? The version of Outlook on the laptop I am using is
2002 and I think the version when the PST files were created was 2003.

Default Outlook 2003 pst files can NOT be read by prior versions of Outlook.
You need access to either Outlook 2003 or 2007 (download the trial version?)
in order to open them, create new pst files in the 97-2002 format. then copy
the data from the 2003 files to the older format.

Then, DO NOT IMPORT into Outlook 2002. pen the files in Outlook and copy the
data into the new pst file.
Why not import?
(Courtesy of Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook])

Importing an entire PST may well corrupt your profile and may create a ghost
PST that you can't close. Importing PST's will lose:
1. Custom Forms
2. Custom Views
3. Connections between contacts and activities
4. Received dates on mail
5. Birthdays and anniversaries in calendar
6. Journal connections
7. Distribution Lists

Opening a PST file will preserve all of these. That is why we do not advise
people to import a native file into Outlook.

 

[Dryben]

I just dowloaded Office 2007 and for some reason Outlook is not included.

I have some recent PST files from another laptop that i want to import into
my new laptop. The files are on an external HD and I have access to them.
When I try to import them into Outlook, I get the error "that the pst file
is
not compatible with this version of the Personal Folders information
service"

What am I doing wrong? The version of Outlook on the laptop I am using is
2002 and I think the version when the PST files were created was 2003.

Default Outlook 2003 pst files can NOT be read by prior versions of Outlook.
You need access to either Outlook 2003 or 2007 (download the trial version?)
in order to open them, create new pst files in the 97-2002 format. then copy
the data from the 2003 files to the older format.

Then, DO NOT IMPORT into Outlook 2002. pen the files in Outlook and copy the
data into the new pst file.
Why not import?
(Courtesy of Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook])

Importing an entire PST may well corrupt your profile and may create a ghost
PST that you can't close. Importing PST's will lose:
1. Custom Forms
2. Custom Views
3. Connections between contacts and activities
4. Received dates on mail
5. Birthdays and anniversaries in calendar
6. Journal connections
7. Distribution Lists

Opening a PST file will preserve all of these. That is why we do not advise
people to import a native file into Outlook.

 

[Gordon]

I just dowloaded Office 2007 and for some reason Outlook is not included.

You need to uninstall your current version of Outlook, then in Control
Panel-Add/Remove Programs go to Office, select add components and make
Outlook available to install. (AFAIR....)