Backing up your PST file and files in general is always a good idea. This guide covers some basic backup tips for your Outlook files as well as other files.
Offline Backups
Offline Backups are basically backup files that you store on a local harddrive or External media device. This can be done automatically using data backup software or done manually by coping and pasting. Automatic backups are the best choice. Windows Pro and Ultimate users already have a data backup program installed by default with their operating systems. If you do not have these versions we recommend Acronis True Image. This software will backup everything automaticaly every day. It’s a true set it and forget it type of backup.
Important Notes of Offline Data Backup
Offline backups are great for cheap and quick data recovery needs. However in cases of theft, fire and water damage they can be destroyed. It’s always a good idea for a business to have a remote data backup as well.
Online Backups
Online backup services such as Mozy and Carbonite are a great cheap way of backing up your presonal and business documents. However with these data backup meassures you need to ensure that you manually tel them exactly what files to backup. By default these programs will not backup your pst file. You will need to add the folder of the pst file to the online data backup tools. This is normally done by just browesing down to where the file is stored.
Manually copy the PST file
The easiest way to backup your PST file is to simply copy it to another location. In Windows XP, the PST file is located at:
C:/Documents and Settings/%username%/Local Settings/Application Data/Microsoft/Outlook/
In Windows Vista and Windows 7 /8, this location is:
C:/Users/%username%/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Outlook/
All you have to do is copy this file from the above location to another file or folder, external hard drive, USB flash drive, or optical drive such as CD-ROM.
To restore the data from this file in case of a system crash, open Outlook and go to ‘File’ – ‘Data File Management’ and select the ‘Data File’ tab. Browse for your backup file and open it.
- Use your PST file from a different location
Normally when Windows crashes it is the files and folders on the C drive which get corrupted. So it is a good measure to move your PST file to a different drive and set the Outlook path for the data file to that drive. To do this, first close Outlook, then relocate the PST file from the default folder mentioned above, restart outlook and browse for the new location when the prompt comes up.
It is also a good idea to rename the old Outlook file with a different extension so that you can restore it in case something happens to the relocated file.
- Import and Export
Microsoft Outlook contains a feature that allows users to export their personal folders and re-import them later. You can use this method to export your PST file to a different secure location on your hard disk and re-import it in case of a system crash. To export your PST file, in Outlook go to ‘File’ – ‘Import and Export’. In the dialogue box that comes up, choose ‘Export to a File’. In the next window that comes up, choose ‘Personal Folder File (.pst)’. In the next dialogue box, choose the folders that you want to export. Keep the ‘Include subfolders’ checkbox ticked to ensure that all your folders and subfolders are included in the exported file. In the next window that comes up, choose a filename for the exported file and browse for its new location.
To import from the backed up file, go to ‘File’ – ‘Import and Export’, then choose ‘Import from another program or file’ from the Dialogue box. Next, choose ‘Personal Folder File (.pst)’. Browse for your backup file and import it. This way all the settings that were included in your old file will be applied to Outlook.
- Use the PST file backup add-in ( Download Here )