Many people don't think about backing up their data until something happens and they need to restore it. Don't be one of them: Back up your PST regularly, as often as once a day or once a week. People who back up Outlook typically use Import and Export to back up their Outlook data or move it to a new computer. That's the wrong way to do it. Import and Export imports and exports only Outlook items; it doesn't touch custom forms, views, or other hidden items in the folders. When you want to back up your data or move it to a new computer, find the PST and copy it. Unless you moved your PST to a new location, Outlook stores the PST at C:\Documents and Settings\ username \Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook . Close Outlook, find the file, and make a copy.
The Outlook folder under Local Settings contains Offline address book files (if you use an Exchange Server account) and extend.dat . Neither of these files needs to be backed up. Because extend.dat contains information about installed add-ins, using it on other machines could cause errors if the add-in isn't installed.
The other Application Data folder in your Windows user profile, C:\Documents and Settings\ username \Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook , contains the remainder of the Outlook data you might want to back up.
Any of these files can be renamed to match the name of any profile and, in most cases, they work just fine in any profile. Rules are stored in your message store ”they aren't included when you use Import and Export. For that reason, Import and Export is not recommended. You can export your rules for safekeeping: Select T ools, Ru l es and Alerts and choose Options, and then Export Rules or Import Rules. Rules are tied to the name and location of your PST, and you might need to repair the rules by selecting a new folder for each rule that moves or copies messages when you import it into another computer or profile. Views and custom forms are also stored in the mailbox or personal folders file and are not imported and exported. Many times, views are folder specific and forms are published to a specific folder. In such cases, moving or copying the entire folder also copies the view and forms associated with the folder. |