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Creative Intelligence @ Your Service |
Site Map +1 214 234 9283 | Send Email |
Many people rely on Microsoft® Outlook® for business and personal contact and scheduling information: addresses, dates, phone numbers, and so on. Many of us would be terribly inconvenienced, if not devastated, were we to lose this information due to a hardware or other problem.
Some programs, such as QuickBooks®, remind us to back up data every so often. Outlook does not. So it's up to us to remember to back up this critical data monthly.
Special Note: Although this tip is specifically written for Outlook, most software uses the Export... command in the File or Tool menu to save backup copies of data. The process is similar and should be used regularly with all programs that do not save data at application close, such as calendar or database programs.
The following steps illustrate how to back up an entire Outlook folder system to disk. This example is from Outlook 2000. Other Outlook versions are similar.
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Step 1: Start the Import and Export Wizard. From within Outlook, select Import and Export... from the File menu. Select Export to a file before clicking Next.
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Step 2: Select Personal Folder Format. Choose the option exporting to Personal Folder File (.pst), then click Next.
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Step 3: Include the Entire Outlook Tree. Make sure the highest level entry is selected and the Include subfolders option is checked.
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Step 4: Specify Output File And Duplicate Options: Click the Browse... button to select an output file. Pick an easy to remember location and file name. Choose Replace duplicates with items exported to keep the backup file in synchronization with the current Outlook state.
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Step 5: Set Name, Clear Encryption and Password Options. Type a unique name for this backup, for example "Outlook Full Backup 1/2/7." We highly recommend that No Encryption is selected and all password options are cleared. Backup data is used under stress, a difficult time to remember such options.
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Step 6: Wait For Export To Complete. The Windows file copy dialog appears. Wait for the process to complete. This may take about five minutes on a GHz speed computer.
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Don't forget to exit Outlook after the export is complete. Otherwise Outlook will not release the lock it has on the exported file.
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+1 214 234 9283 |