managing pst file

[p7sky]

I would like to be able to reduce the size of the outlook.pst and archive.pst
files which are now over 500 mb (I receive a lot of emails with large
attachments as a result of busines activity).

If I were to close Outlook and move these two files to a CD, would Outlook
create new *.pst files when it next opens? Can these *.pst files on the CD
be opened by Outlook to retrieve items if necessary? Is there another way to
properly manage these files?

Thank you.
P7sky

 

[Brian Tillman]

If I were to close Outlook and move these two files to a CD, would
Outlook create new *.pst files when it next opens?

If you start Outlook, it will complain that it can't find the PSTs and allow
you to browse to other ones. I don't recall if you get the chance to create
a new one, but I imagine so.

However, I wouldn't do that. You should control the creation of the new
PST. Click File>Open>Outlook Data File (or Personal Folders File, depending
on your version of Outlook, which you didn't consider important enough to
mention), browse to whete you'd like the PST (or accept the default
location) and give it a name (or accept the default name). Click OK. Then
make this new PST your delivery location. For OL 2002/2003, you can do that
by clicking Tools>E-mail Accounts>Next. Look at the bottom left for the
"Delivery new e-mail to the following location" drop-down. Select the new
PST. Click Finish. Stop and restart Outlook. Now you'll be operating with
a fresh, empty PST.

Can these *.pst
files on the CD be opened by Outlook to retrieve items if necessary?

Not directly from the CD. Outlook requires write access to a PST and CDs
allow only read access, so you'll have to copy the PST to your hard drive,
remove the read-only attribute (in Windows Explorer, right-click the file,
choose Properties, and uncheck "Read Only". Click OK), and then you'll be
able to open it with File>Open

Is there another way to properly manage these files?

Your method is just about as good as any other. It's what works for you
that matters.

 

[BillR [MVP]]

I would like to be able to reduce the size of the outlook.pst and
archive.pst
files which are now over 500 mb (I receive a lot of emails with large
attachments as a result of busines activity).

If I were to close Outlook and move these two files to a CD, would
Outlook
create new *.pst files when it next opens?

Yes for the default PST but when you say "files" - how many PST's do you
have and what are they for?

Can these *.pst files on the CD
be opened by Outlook to retrieve items if necessary?

Not directly. You need to copy to the Hard Drive and remove the read-only
attribute.

Is there another way to
properly manage these files?

Compact! 500 Mb is not large for a PST. You can also strip attachemtns and
then compact. There are some tools to do this mentioned here:
http://www.slipstick.com/addins/housekeeping.htm

 

[p7sky]

Yes for the default PST but when you say "files" - how many PST's do you
have and what are they for?


Not directly. You need to copy to the Hard Drive and remove the read-only
attribute.


Compact! 500 Mb is not large for a PST. You can also strip attachemtns and
then compact. There are some tools to do this mentioned here:
http://www.slipstick.com/addins/housekeeping.htm



Thank you for the info. When I mentioned two PSTs, I meant Outlook.pst and Archive.pst -- both are approx 500 mb. I neglected to mention the version(s) of Outlook; I run Outlook 2002/XP on my desktop and Outlook 2003 on my notebook computer, which is wireless-networked to the desktop. Is there a way to access the Inbox on the notebook from the desktop and vice-versa?

Thanks
p7sky

 

[p7sky]

If you start Outlook, it will complain that it can't find the PSTs and allow
you to browse to other ones. I don't recall if you get the chance to create
a new one, but I imagine so.

However, I wouldn't do that. You should control the creation of the new
PST. Click File>Open>Outlook Data File (or Personal Folders File, depending
on your version of Outlook, which you didn't consider important enough to
mention), browse to whete you'd like the PST (or accept the default
location) and give it a name (or accept the default name). Click OK. Then
make this new PST your delivery location. For OL 2002/2003, you can do that
by clicking Tools>E-mail Accounts>Next. Look at the bottom left for the
"Delivery new e-mail to the following location" drop-down. Select the new
PST. Click Finish. Stop and restart Outlook. Now you'll be operating with
a fresh, empty PST.


Not directly from the CD. Outlook requires write access to a PST and CDs
allow only read access, so you'll have to copy the PST to your hard drive,
remove the read-only attribute (in Windows Explorer, right-click the file,
choose Properties, and uncheck "Read Only". Click OK), and then you'll be
able to open it with File>Open


Your method is just about as good as any other. It's what works for you
that matters.

p7sky

 

[Brian Tillman]

I run Outlook 2002/XP on my
desktop and Outlook 2003 on my notebook computer, which is
wireless-networked to the desktop. Is there a way to access the
Inbox on the notebook from the desktop and vice-versa?

Yes, but it's UNSUPPORTED.

Create a network share on, say, the desktop. WIth Outlook closed, move (not
copy) your Outlook.pst to the share and start Outlook. When it complains
that it can't find the PST, browse to the shared PST, select it, and click
OK. You'll now have all your data available again. Close Outlook

On the laptop, rename the PST it's using to some other name (keeping the
..pst file type) and start Outlook. When it complains, browse to the shared
PST, select it, and click OK. Now you'll have the same PST for both
Outlooks. Make sure you don't have Outlook open on both PCs simultaneously.
Now, if you wish, you can open the old PST (the one you renamed on the
laptop) and copy the items in it to the shared PST or just get rid of it if
you don't want it.

You can do this with the archive.pst, too, if you want, but it will take
other adjustments in Outlook that I don't wish to cover here.