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Subject:
Backing up e-mail from Microsoft Outlook 2000
Category: Computers > Software Asked by: bbb-ga List Price: $30.00 |
Posted:
30 Oct 2002 05:00 PST
Expires: 29 Nov 2002 05:00 PST Question ID: 93018 |
What's the most effective way to back up data from Outlook? (I have Outlook 2000 SR-1, 9.0.0.3821, running on an XP operating system.) There seems NO efficient way to back up data only (e-mail of course, and/or preferences and settings--i.e., everything except the fixed part of the program itself) without drilling down through many folders. (I get instructions like "first, copy Micrsoft/windows/Outlook/xxx, and then copy Windows/Outlook/...etc. etc." -- which is dangerously complex, and even then I'm not sure I'm getting everything). Help! Outlook is 100 percent essential to my business (editing a newsletter), and I keep e-mail in many folders, inside Outlook. To clarify: I don't need help concerning general backup concepts (dragging files, writing a CD). But I desperately need authoritative help on WHICH parts of Outlook I need to back up. And is there any reasonable way to automate the steps involved (i.e., to do at least part of this with macros of some kind?) I have explained at some length, for clarity, but this is really one question. |
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Subject:
Re: Backing up e-mail from Microsoft Outlook 2000
Answered By: mrbuzz-ga on 30 Oct 2002 07:23 PST Rated: |
Greetings bbb-ga, I was faced with the same problem at one point and then someone referred me to an excellent Outlook Backup add-in by Microsoft. It has configurable options such as how often to save a backup of your Personal Folders. From personal experience using the add-in, it appears to save all your email folders, contacts, calendar, tasks, and everything under the main Personal Folders in Outlook as well as Rules Wizard filters. However, it does not appear to save settings or preferences such as email accounts (logins/passwords). The latter is not surprising since that information is generally stored in the system registry anyway. The Backup addin from Microsoft works with both Outlook 2000 and Outlook XP/2002 and is available at ( http://office.microsoft.com/downloads/2002/pfbackup.aspx ). Additional information: Ways to Back Up Outlook 2000 Data http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/2000/olbackup.aspx I hope that this solution is what you were looking for. Let me know if you additional need clarification. Thanks. Regards, mrbuzz-ga |
bbb-ga
rated this answer:
This was good as far as it went, but it certainly did not go that far. The comment provided afterwards, by theta-ga, had much more information and some valuable options, too. |
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Subject:
Re: Backing up e-mail from Microsoft Outlook 2000
From: theta-ga on 30 Oct 2002 07:33 PST |
Just my luck! I was right in the middle of answering your Question when IE crashed.By the time I got back online, my lock had expired! :( The above answer is probably your cheapest option for data backup, although there are better options available if you are willing to go in for commercial products. Anyways, here is the answer I was going to post. If you find it useful,tell me and I'll post it as an answer. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The way I see it,your question boils down to two parts : 1)WHICH parts of Outlook I need to back up ? AND 2)Is there any reasonable way to automate the steps involved ? So lets tackle them one by one : 1)WHICH parts of Outlook I need to back up ? The following articles provide instructions on how to back up data and settings in Outlook 2000. - MS Knowledgebase Q195719 : How to Back Up, Restore, or Move Outlook Data ( http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;q195719& ) This article provides comprehensive step by step instructions to manually backup your Outlook data/settings files. - SiteDevelopers OUTLOOK BACKUP TUTORIAL ( http://www.sitedeveloper.ws/tutorials/outlook.htm ) A very good backup tutorial for the various versions of Outlook. Contains helpful screenshots to show you what to do. - Peter Curtis's How to backup Email Messages ( http://www.pcurtis.com/backmail.htm ) Manual backups cant get simpler than this. Just find-copy-save! The above articles also contain information on the various files that Outlook 2000 uses. here is the info culled from the above articles. The Personal Folder file (.pst) is where Outlook stores its data.Each file contains all of your Outlook folders, including the Inbox, Calendar, and Contacts. You may have a single .pst file (usually called "Internet Folders" or "Personal Folders" in your Folder List), or an additional .pst file that you use to archive messages (named "Archive Folders"). By backing up these PST files you will be backing up all your Outlook information. The table below lists key Outlook files that you may want to back up in addition to your Personal Folder(s). You will need to completely exit Outlook prior to copying these files. Depending upon your configuration some or all of these files may be present in your Outlook directory. ----------------------------------------------------------------- DATA ITEM File Name or Extension ----------------------------------------------------------------- Personal Folders - .pst files Personal Address Book - .pab file Outlook Bar shortcuts - <Profile Name>.fav files Rules Wizard rules - .rwz files Nicknames - .nick files Customized toolbar/menu settings - outcmd.dat Customized system folder views - Views.dat Macros and VBA programs - VbaProject.otm Stationary - .htm files Templates - .oft files Dictionary - .dic files A reference the loaded addins - extend.dat files HTML auto signature - <Profile Name>.htm Rich Text Format Auto signature - <Profile Name>.rtf Plain Text format Auto signature - <Profile Name>.txt NOTE: If you use Word as your e-mail editor, signatures are stored in the Normal.dot as Autotext entries. This file should be backed up as well. You can find more info concerning the above files in the indicated articles. Now for the second part of your question : 2)Is there any reasonable way to automate the steps involved ? - Microsoft provides a free outlook addin to backup your Personal Folders Outlook 2002/2000 Add-in: Personal Folders Backup ( http://office.microsoft.com/downloads/2002/pfbackup.aspx ) - GenieSoft has a commercial product that provides a variety of options to back up your Outlook data and Settings. Genie Outlook 2000/XP Backup Cost : $29.95 ( http://www.genie-soft.com/products/ob2000xp/ob2000xp.html ) - AJSystems has another custom Outlook backup solution. Here is a review of the product at WUGNET ( http://www.wugnet.com/csreviews/software/outbackplus/ ) Outback Plus Cost : $29.95 ( http://www.ajsystems.com/outback.html ) You can find many more with the following Google Search terms: download freeware backup e-mail outlook 2000 settings -express ----------- Hope the above helped you. If you need any clarifications, just ask ! :) |
Subject:
Re: Backing up e-mail from Microsoft Outlook 2000
From: mrbuzz-ga on 30 Oct 2002 13:39 PST |
Ack! That sucks! That sort of thing is really irritating. I'm sorry to have to be the one that happened to tread on your question. :/ |
Subject:
Re: Backing up e-mail from Microsoft Outlook 2000
From: bbb-ga on 30 Oct 2002 17:45 PST |
I'd like to thank theta-ga for providing a very thorough and helpful answer to this question. I'm amazed at how well organized the information in that answer is. Moreover, it was also good to include a better explanation of the Outlook files than (of course) Microsoft supplies. But probably most important was the inclusion of two utilities to automate and simplify the backup process. I'm going to assume that they do the job better than the Microsoft add-in, because Microsoft is so often moronically inept at making programs simple. If its corporate culture weren't pathologically arrogant regarding OPD (other people's data; recall how easy it was to wipe out your hard disk, in DOS days, every time you formatted a floppy?), then it might have occurred to the geniuses there that people need a way to back up e-mail, especially now that our work often depends on it. Anyway, to theta-ga: Are you a computer consultatant? |
Subject:
Re: Backing up e-mail from Microsoft Outlook 2000
From: theta-ga on 21 Nov 2002 07:10 PST |
A consultant ? Who me? Nah. But thanks for the compliment. :) |
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