Corrupt PST still seems to cause problems.OL2007 Vista Buisiness

[Andy]

Sorry about long the long explanation...but you need to know all the details
I guess understand the problem..

I have had ongoing problems since (4 weeks ago) I had a corrupt PST file
occurred on my OL 2007. Microsoft on-line support fixed this on line by
creating a new PST. They said they couldn’t delete the old one for some
reason or other.
However, since then I keep getting several reminders from the old PST’s
calendar (that I can’t access or delete), and MS say I can’t.
Also archiving isn’t working, and I fear auto Backups also not be working
either, as there seems to be conflict between my oldâ€partly†disabled (it
would seem) PST and the new one MS created. I was going to copy my all my
contacts from Outlook 2007 and Outlook Business Manager to another PC that I
can get running on Office 2007 and start a new with my newest PST created by
MS support with all my contacts as above. I was then going to reformate the
origin PC as there are known problems on the HD (The machine with the
corrupted PST is newer and faster and better than my spare that I was going
to copy to)and then reinstall Office 2007 and copy the newer PST and all my
contacts back to a clean drive. Am I dreaming? I guess there are pit falls
and I’m not 100% of the best way to do this...Any detailed help would be
greatly appreciated!

Andy

 

[Karl Timmermans]

Something about the description doesn't add up but without knowing all the
salient details, hard to provide any definitive comments. However, based on
the description provided:

#1 - What exactly was copied from the <old> to <new> PST?
#2 - Was the new PST file set up as the new default (i.e. contains the
default inbox) for the profile? (sounds like it wasn't)
#3 - Is assumption correct that in your current profile - both old and new
PST files are open and in use?
#4 - For background info, what exactly was (or wasn't as the case may be)
happening that resulted in the PST file being deemed corrupt?

On the premise that "all folders" were copied from the old PST to the new
PST AND the new PST was not setup as the default - you should be able to get
back on track by doing the following:

#1 - Create a new profile (just to start off clean) with a new default PST
file
#2 - Open Outlook and add the original <new> PST file (from menu - File -->
Open Outlook Data File
#3 - Copy the folder info from original <new> PST file (from item#2) to the
corresponding <default folders> in the default PST file (from item#1)
#4 - If not all the info was copied to the <original new> PST file - you'll
need to rinse and repeat items 2&3 using the original corrupted PST file to
salvage any remaining info <if possible>
#5 - When done - close all PST files except for the one created in item#1

You <should> be back on track <IF> the undelying assumptions upon which the
above steps are based are in fact correct otherwise would really be good to
know what the actual reason(s) was/were for actions taken other than
"..............for some reason or other"

Karl
___________________________________________________
Karl Timmermans - The Claxton Group
ContactGenie - Importer 1.3 / DataPorter 2.0 / Exporter
"Power contact importers/exporters for MS Outlook '2000/2007"
http://www.contactgenie.com

 

[Andy]

Hello Karl,

Your point 1. If you mean what did MS copy from old to new. Nothing (as far
as I know) as I had no history of sent or received e-mails, albiet they are
there in folders lower down all the floders. If I click and expand I can see
all the old folders. In fact there are 8 e-mail in my old inbox. I can open
them but if I try to delete them I get the message "Outlook PST in use and
cannot be accessed. Close any applications that is using the file, and then
try again. You might need to restart your computer."

This was the first error message that I got when the problem statted.

Your point 2. Yes as far as I can see.

Your point 3. Yes I can see them both.

Your point 4. The error message I mentioned above.

Your solution 1. How do I open a new profile?
Your soloution 2 Ok There are 4 entries. One folder called Accounts.
Archive, 2071,561 KB, Outlook 1,540.345 KB, and Persoanl Floders(1) 414,673
KB in this location.
Your solution 3. Do you mean the above Folder and 3 files?
Your solution 4. The corruppt PST was not usa abe according to MS. Although
I can open old e-mail and fwd them ( I cant search in the old PST) to my new
in box.

Your solution 5. On this computer not the one I'm going to copy to. I keep
getting the above error message and this the same when I try to close the
reminders from my calanda that are still in the old corrupt PST file.

I'm happy to lose all the old e-mails in and out (or store then on a memory
stick) but I'd like to stop the rrror massages from the old PST if possible
and delete it from the foldrs lists. But I bet I get the same old error
message as above.

So do I set all this up on my spare computer? If I copy the files as details
above to te new computer will I get all my in and out e-mails from the new
PST "Persoanl Floders(1) 414,673 KB" and all my contacts?

Andy

 

[Karl Timmermans]

Just to clarify something - was your original Otlk installation for Outlook
2007 or Outlook 2007 with BCM? If it's the latter, am going to bow out of
this. Original response was purely related to O'2007 (don't have a test
system currently configured with BCM)

That said, your original default PST file should have had more then just the
4 folders you identified. There is a list of standard folders that are part
of the PST file designated as the default (Inbox, Contacts, Tasks, Notes,
Outbox, Sent Items etc etc). Completely confused as to what you have in
terms of original versus what was created so not going to try and address
anything related to the original problem or what MS did or didn't do
(perhaps someone else may understand your description better than I and
comment accordingly).

To further clarify - a standard Outlook config is based on using a single
PST file which contains all the required info (in different folders). There
are no additional "files".

To create a new profile:

-a) close Outlook --> Start Menu --> Control Panel --> Mail --> Show
Profiles --> Add
(follow screens to and fill in required info regarding your email
account etc)
-b) it will assign a new pst file to be used as the default - should be
"Outlook#.pst" (where # is an incrementing number depending on the number of
Outlook.Pst files have been previously created. You can check exactly what
has been assigned by checing the "properties" for the newly created
profile - check "Data Files"
-c) assign the newly created profile as the default to be used when you open
Outlook
-d) exit out of this process
-e) open Outlook - you should now have a completely empty and properly
configured default PST file

You will have to determine whether or not anything is recoverable from the
previous PST files by opening one or both of those and attempt to copy
whatever info to the new default PST file that will be created when you open
Outlook for the first time using the new profile. If you do nothing else
other than opening Outlook using the new profile - you will have a clean
Outlook config with no previous info and should be able to use Outlook
normally.

Karl

___________________________________________________
Karl Timmermans - The Claxton Group
ContactGenie - Importer 1.3 / DataPorter 2.0 / Exporter
"Power contact importers/exporters for MS Outlook '2000/2007"
http://www.contactgenie.com

 

[Andy]

Karl,

Thanks again!!

Orginall installed without BCM. I only installed BCM since MS created a new
PST.

I do have all the usual list of folders for the new PST and also all the old
ones below that were corrupted.

I have tried to locate the files that I can see if I go >File > Open> Data
file as I want to copy them once I have closed OL. I cant locate them. I can
only find all the old corrupt files... I don't know where MS stored them but
it seems to be: AppsData/local/ms/ol but I cant find this file. maybe they
hide it somewhere?

As I want to format this, my fastest Laptop due to known HD problem. If I
copy my current PST (1) (If I can ever find it) to a newly install OL 2007 on
my spare computer while I format and re-install Office 2007 and then copy
back should I be rid of all the old corrupted files and have a clean start
form my current Personl Folders (1) that current sits on my computer?

Sorry to be a bit thick but not too good with PC files and things.

Again, Thanks Karl!

Andy.

 

[DL]

You have to search to include hidden for the *.pst's
You dont copy any found to Outlook, or the default location, on the other
PC, you copy them to eg a Documents folder, then you open them within
Outlook, File>Open>Data File

 

[Andy]

Thanks DL, but how do I search to include hidden files. I cant see an option
do this. I understand the *.pst but to include hidden if not known. Or does
*.Pst includ all hidden?

Andy

 

[Karl Timmermans]

As DL noted - you'll need to include <hidden files> - from Win Explorer
menu - Tools --> Folder Options --> View --> 8th item in the list relates to
Hidden files

Suggestion for whenever a PST file is copied from computer to another that
is to be used as the Default PST file - do one of the following 2 things:
a) on the target computer - change the default PST file for the
current profile to use the copied PST as the default OR
b) create a new profile and make sure that the copied PST file
(whereever it is located on the target computer) is designated as the
default and remove any other automatically created Outlook.PST file from the
data file list. Ootherwise you'll end up with 2 PST files that look the same
and do nothing other than confuse you. (sidenote: once a PST has been
designated as the default and the default folders are created - you cannot
delete these folders from the PST file even though the PST file is no longer
the default for the profile).

Just to elaborate/clarify DL's comment on where the Outlook PST file should
be copied. It can be copied anywhere including the default Outlook location
BUT what <shouldn't> be done is to overwrite an existing PST file. Or more
to the point - if the existing default PST file is "Outlook.pst" - you
should not copy another file called "Outlook.pst" over top of it and
continue using the same profile (in this case, create a new Profile and then
make the newly copied PST file the default). Or as DL suggests - copy the
PST file to anywhere but you still need to make it the default.

Karl
___________________________________________________
Karl Timmermans - The Claxton Group
ContactGenie - Importer 1.3 / DataPorter 2.0 / Exporter
"Power contact importers/exporters for MS Outlook '2000/2007"
http://www.contactgenie.com

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]]

Thanks DL, but how do I search to include hidden files. I cant see an option
do this. I understand the *.pst but to include hidden if not known. Or does
*.Pst includ all hidden?

Open My Computer, click Tools>Folder Options and select the View tab. Select
the radio button marked "Show hidden files and folders". Click OK. Now
search should find them.

 

[Andy]

Thank you!
--
Andy

Open My Computer, click Tools>Folder Options and select the View tab. Select
the radio button marked "Show hidden files and folders". Click OK. Now
search should find them.

 

[Andy]

Hi Karl,

Sorry if this sounds a silly question but how do I designate a PST file to
be "the" Default PST file Or how do I: Change the default PST file for the
current profile to use the copied PST as the default. And or create a new
profile and make sure that the copied PST file is designated as the
default?

Andy



My current PST and the one I want to use is called: Personal Floders (1)
Will this have my all my contacts from "My Contacts" (I have two contacts
folders) and a BCM contact folder as well.

Andy

 

[Karl Timmermans]

Only you can know which of the PST files contains your data. Also, you'll
need to keep track of what PST file is what. The instructions were to create
a new PST file (via a new profile) which in an of itself would not result in
multiple contact folders. Also the name for the <default> contact folder is
"Contacts" - not "My Contacts". Default folder names cannot be changed or
deleted - therefore the PST file containing the additional folders is either
one of the original ones or one with additional folders added or a newly
created one where the folders have been copied.

Whatever the current status is - do not suggest making any of the original
PST files involved with corrupted data the "default".

Back to the question of how to make any PST file the default for a profile:

#1 - Close Outlook
#2 - Start menu --> Control Panel --> USer Accounts --> Mail --> Data
Files --> from there
a) if the PST file you want to make the default is not listed -
add it
b) select (highlight) the PST file you want to make as default -
click on "Set as Default" button
#3 - Open Outlook
*** you can remove any extraneous PST data files in either step 2 or step 3
after Outlook is opened (simplest way in Step 3 is to right click on the
Root Folder of the PST file you want to close and choose "<Close "FldrName"

where "FldrName will be the actual name you jst right clicked on.

Note - the <Root Folder> name for any newly created PST file is <Personal
Folders>. If you have multiple PST files open that have been used as a
default at one point in time - you'll see what appear to be "duplicates"
(unless the Root Folder name is renamed to something else). To know which
actual PST file is being referred to - right click on the Root Folder
name --> Properties --> General Tab --> Advanced button - folder/pathname
will be displayed on new window that opens up.

As for the BCM folder - it has been too long since doing detailed BCM
testing to remember exactly what gets left over and/or what remains usable
in terms of folder item info. Primary BCM info is maintained in a backend
SQL database which would not (at least it shouldn't) be in play during any
of this.

Karl
___________________________________________________
Karl Timmermans - The Claxton Group
ContactGenie - Importer 1.3 / DataPorter 2.0 / Exporter
"Power contact importers/exporters for MS Outlook '2000/2007"
http://www.contactgenie.com