Recover outlook*.pst files

[Ken]

Had to re-install WinXP and Outlook.
I located the *.pst files under the old username.
ie.. Docs and Settings/User/Local
setttings/Microsoft/Outlook.

I was able to open outlook1.pst ONCE, and saw all of
the previous inbox, saved, sent, etc.. When I tried to
change the data file settings to this previous location,
it recreated all new folders, with nothing in them.

The original outlook1.pst was about 4MB.. The new one
that overwrote this file is only about 30k.

IS THEIR ANOTHER LOCATION THAT THE ORIGINAL OUTLOOK*.PST
MAY RESIDE OTHER THAN THE PATH(S) ABOVE ?

LASTLY, I WOULD LIKE TO IMPORT THE SAVED CONTACTS ?
ALL CONTACTS CANNONT BE FOUND FROM THE PREVIOUS
INSTALLATION..

 

[Ken]

Outlook can no longer manually open the outlook1.pst
file.. It says it's not a Personal Folders file.?
It opened it once, but no more..

 

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

Pretty hard to ascertain exactly what you did from your post. Outlook
practically never overwrites a PST, but you may have managed to find one of
the few exceptions to that. Sounds like time to restore from backup.