Duplicate entries in Outlook XP

[Perky Smiles]

I'm running Outlook 2002 in Windows XP Professional. I've been using Outlook
since 1997 or 1998 and have tried different ways of organizing my Inbox,
primarily by creating subfolders for certain messages. I've also done
regular backups of my PST. Recently, I needed to track an email exchange
going back to 1999. To make absolutely sure I had every email, I imported
all the backup PST files I had accumulated over the years. I chose to not
import duplicate entries but because of the different ways I've organized
the datta over the years, I ended up with alot of duplicate email (and
contact and journal, etc. entires). Is there a function that will allow me
to find these duplicate records easily and delete them?

 

[Brian Tillman]

I'm running Outlook 2002 in Windows XP Professional. I've been using
Outlook since 1997 or 1998 and have tried different ways of
organizing my Inbox, primarily by creating subfolders for certain
messages. I've also done regular backups of my PST. Recently, I
needed to track an email exchange going back to 1999. To make
absolutely sure I had every email, I imported all the backup PST
files I had accumulated over the years.

That's not the way to do it. Open your backups with FIle>Open>Outlook Data
File. They'll all be separate PSTs within Outlook.

 

[Perky Smiles]

But I want to merge them into one PST file so I don't have all these backups
floating around. I want to easily be able to find, e.g., every duplicate
copy of an email whether or not it is stored in my Inbox, a "Business"
subdirectory under the Inbox or in the Sent Items. Can Outlook 2002 do this
for me? If I upgraded will Outlook 2003 do this for me? Any third party
utilities?

 

[Brian Tillman]

But I want to merge them into one PST file so I don't have all these
backups floating around. I want to easily be able to find, e.g.,
every duplicate copy of an email whether or not it is stored in my
Inbox, a "Business" subdirectory under the Inbox or in the Sent
Items.

You need Lookout, then. See
http://www.lookoutsoft.com/Lookout/download.html

Can Outlook 2002 do this for me? If I upgraded will Outlook
2003 do this for me? Any third party utilities?

With Outlook 2002, you have to be careful of the size of the PST. It can't
exceed 1.83 Gb in any case and often people see problems when it exceeds
about 1.25 Gb. Outlook 2003 doesn't have that problem, but I find it easier
to manage multiple PSTs that I do a single PST with tons of information in
it.