URGENT - where does Outlook store calendar and other data?

[Outlook User]

I just suffered a hardware failure and hard to reinstall Windows. I
use RAID, so my data was mirrored. No data was lost, but I can't seem
to figure out where outlook 2003 keeps its data so that I can
reinstall office and import my outlook calendar in to the new install.
Where can I find this?

Thanks!

 

[Athena [MVP-Outlook]]

No data was lost, but I can't seem
to figure out where outlook 2003 keeps its data so that I can
reinstall office and import my outlook calendar in to the new install.

All of the data in your Personal Folders set is compressed into a single file.
The default file name is Outlook.pst and the default location is a hidden
folder <drive>:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Local Settings\Application
Data\Microsoft\Outlook

You don't need to "import" anything. Just find your PST file(s)and you can
use it just as it is when you reinstall Outlook.

 

[Outlook User]

Thanks! I found it.

Is there a way to force outlook to keep the .pst file in a location
that I specify rather than in the default location in my profile? I
actually keep no data in my profile. All of my data is kept in
folders on a sepparate data partition, so that in case I have to do a
clean install of the OS, I loose no data. (This has saved me MANY
times.)

Thanks,
Michael

 

[Athena [MVP-Outlook]]

Is there a way to force outlook to keep the .pst file in a location
that I specify rather than in the default location in my profile?

Yes, you can do that. There is nothing sacred about either the name or the
location of your Outlook data. Move your PST(s) to your preferred
location,setup Outlook with its defaults, then tell it to use your old files
instead:

1. Setup Outlook and create one mail account.
2. Once the wizard finishes, you'll have a set of empty personal folders.
3. Click File|Open|Outlook Data File and navigate to your old folder set.
When you select the file, you may want to change the name of the folder set
itself to something like "Main Folders" to better keep track of things.
4. Click Tools|Email Accounts, View or change existing accounts and change
the default delivery location at the bottom of that dialog. Set it to use
your old folders.
5. Click File|Data File Management and Remove the unwanted folders that were
created by setup.

That should put you back in business with your old data in the new
installation.

 

[Outlook User]

Thanks, Athena! That worked.

On a related note, is there a way to get office to save ALL of my
settings in a location that I specify, rather than in my profile? Or
even better, to move the whole Documents and Settings folder to some
place other than my system partition? I only want my system on my
system partition, not settings or important data, since system
partitions tend to get wiped after hardware failures or when I have to
reinstall windows for some reason.

Thanks,
Michael

 

[Athena [MVP-Outlook]]

You can move "My Documents" to another location but that will not change
the location of most of your program settings. Current design specifications
put most settings in a hidden tree located on the system drive. The best
way to protect yourself from hardware failures is to use the Office Save
My Settings wizard to create a backup of all your Office files and use
that file to reapply your settings if you have a hardware failure.
There are specific Knowledge Base artilcles for the different versions
of Windows and Office. Which are you using?
Athena